While sitting in a meeting, I thought it would be interesting to know:
I wonder if people like @JasonFalls @chrisbrogan @Mike_Stelzner @petershankman @ScottMonty have #SocialMediaGroupies
— Eric T. Tung (@EricTTung) January 19, 2012
Believe it or not, some of the biggest influencers in Social Media decided to respond (I apologize in advance for my inability to leave off my part of the conversation in each of the posts below. Please comment below if you know how!)
Scott Monty:
@EricTTung @JasonFalls @chrisbrogan @Mike_Stelzner @petershankman For me, the answer is strangely, yes. #SocialMediaGroupies
— Scott Monty (@ScottMonty) January 19, 2012
Peter Shankman:
@EricTTung @JasonFalls @chrisbrogan @Mike_Stelzner @petershankman @ScottMonty my new wife says I do and mocks me for it. — Peter Shankman (@petershankman) January 19, 2012
Jason Falls:
@EricTTung If you define groupies the way musicians do, then, sadly, no. Heh. CC: @scottmonty @chrisbrogan @PeterShankman @Mike_Stelzner — Jason Falls (@JasonFalls)
January 19, 2012
Mike Stelzner:
@EricTTung For sure, but I like to call them fans, not groupies… @JasonFalls @scottmonty @chrisbrogan @PeterShankman
— Michael A. Stelzner (@Mike_Stelzner) January 19, 2012
Chris Brogan:
@EricTTung – I have community. Much more fun than groupies. : )
— Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan) January 19, 2012
So there you have it, straight from the horses’ mouths. They do have Social Media Groupies (I’m one), they’re not like rock stars’ groupies, and they’re really more fans and community than groupies. Thanks to all the guys for answering my question!
Eric T. Tung 
I wouldn’t necessarily call them groupies, though. “Groupies” in the traditional sense could follow a rock band, a pop star or another famous person, but that was all they could ever do. Following on a social media network, however, everyone has the potential to actually reach their “rock star,” depending, of course, on how involved he or she actually is. I think that’s cool. I think it’s great that you could list all of these “gurus” and they can actually respond. I suspect that the fact that all of them responded helps the fact that they are social media rock stars to begin with.
It’s a much more level playing field, as well. All of what these people do in their giant social media circles is great and unique. But then you can look at what people such as yourself do, and find information and content that is every bit as unique and interesting. It’s like looking at a universe of giant and tiny shifting Venn diagrams.
A better term than “groupie” would be “social media cohort” or just “follower.” The best part of the latter is when you are followed by the expert, so they are your follower. This never happened in the history of Rock. Ever.
Phil – you make valid points. I wasn’t calling them groupies to offend anyone, but rather to try to convey that connotation of the fan that stays late after the show to meet the star, maybe hanging out at the bar after the show, that sort of interaction. A super-fan if you will.
Your last point is very salient – It’s very true that someone like a Stephen Tyler didn’t ever follow a fan around, but maybe that’s starting to happen with American Idol! The world is a’changin!
I don’t really see it as an offensive term as much as an outdated one. Of course I am dealing with my own personal connotation as opposed to what others might feel the the description implies, but this is a different era. I could write Steven Tyler a letter in 1978 and it would disappear. Now, I could tweet him @steventyler or whatever, and that takes a whole new course/meaning that has a much better chance of reaching him. There’s a whole spectrum of social interaction right now, and a person with 500 followers can be just as important as a person with a million.
Love the experiment! Another term which could be substituted for “Social Media Groupies” is as Seth Godin calls them, “tribes.”
Thanks for the feedback! That’s definitely a more current term! Thanks for sharing!
Yes to “tribes.”