Don’t believe the social media experts.

The other day someone told me I wasn’t using Twitter the “right way.”

A few days after that, someone told me I wasn’t using Pinterest the “right way.”

A few days after that, someone told me I wasn’t using Instagram the “right way.”

The funny thing is they’re all wrong.

Not because I’m using them the “right way,” but because there is no right way. There’s only my way and your way and your friend’s way and your brother’s way and everyone else’s way.

Social media is like a dinner party. And right now, the world is full of experts who will loudly tell you, “That’s the wrong way to throw a dinner party! A dinner party has to be inside and have at least four courses. There has to be a vegetarian option, local organic cotton placemats and a dessert that, at some point, is on fire.”

And then you, at your outdoor crawfish boil and table scattered with corn and potatoes and buckets of drinks think, “Wait, why is this guy telling me how to throw my dinner party? I like to be outside. I like to grill and throw the Frisbee and have dogs and kids swirling about in the backyard. That’s how I do a dinner party.”

If that happened in real life, you’d never listen to that person. If anything, you’d probably make sure you never invited them to your party, and then proceed to boil more crawfish. Or post whatever photos you like online, or use Pinterest however you want.

Can you learn from other people further along the path than you? Of course. Folks like Michael Hyatt have provided me with an insane amount of wisdom and encouragement in the world of social media.

But don’t listen to experts who say you’re not doing some form of it the “right way.” The whole thing is like an hour old. None of us are doing it the right way.