Perform a search for the word "guru" on TweepSearch and you'll see almost 9,000 results for the word. Though some of these gurus have nothing to do with my field, the results are also littered with the kinds of self-proclaimed gurus I really don't want to be associated with -- those who promise to make you rich with their social media or Internet marketing "secrets."

I'm neither that kind of person and nor is that my mission...and nor is my mission to make myself rich quick! Call me an idealist, call me stupid, but if I get rich, I'd like it to be from doing honest work for honest people. There's no hidden secret: it's called working hard and smart.

Now, for those who mean well, I much prefer terms like "expert," "specialist," or "long-time marketer." But the very best compliments I have recently received ironically have also come from Twitter. With the advent of Twitter Lists, you can get a window into what people think of you...or better still, how they value you. I couldn't be more flattered than to be named to such lists as "toptier" (thanks @CharPennyAnn), "techie-smart-people" (wow @heatherlynn_m) "the-best-there-is" (thanks @justinthesouth), "my-top-picks" (backatacha @eric_andersen), and "theyteachsocialmedia" (so kind @johnwelsh). If this is how people view me, in my mind, I must be doing something right.

Yes, I've been evangelizing the online marketing space for a long time, and yes, I would like to think I'm doing something right, but there really is no greater compliment me than when I know I'm successful at teaching others what I've learned. To me that's a sign that though I may not have made someone rich with wealth, I have made them rich with knowledge, and that's just A-OK by me!

So please hold the guru, but, as one of my earliest clients once nicknamed me, "Yoda" works just fine! :-)