One of the most misunderstood aspects of social media content — especially in the Excel and business analytics world — is audience definition.
When you stand up to speak at a conference, you know who’s in the room.
When you teach in a classroom, you know your students’ level.
When you post on social media, you know neither.
That changes everything.
The Kiosk Problem, Revisited
In my previous piece, I referred to the cartoon with two kiosks:
“Easy but Wrong Answers” (crowded and leading to a cliff) and
“Difficult but Right Answers” (almost empty but leading to success).
I added that there’s actually a third kiosk missing — “Easy and Right Answers.”
That’s where professionals should be aiming. The honest, efficient, practical truths that are simple and correct.
But in the modern influencer economy, too many creators pitch their kiosk right on the cliff’s edge — because that’s where the traffic is.
Positioning and the Scattergun Problem
When someone creates a post or video, they usually know exactly what they’re doing:
Who the content is aimed at, what message it conveys, and what reaction it intends to spark.
If your content is aimed at beginners, that’s perfectly fine. Every field needs entry points.
But if you publish on an open public platform like LinkedIn or YouTube, you cannot control who reads or comments.
Your message will reach experts, professionals, academics, managers, and practitioners far beyond your intended audience.
That’s not an accident. It’s the nature of a scattergun approach — the deliberate choice to cast your net as widely as possible in order to maximise engagement.
When you do that, you can’t complain if someone with deeper experience adds perspective or correction.
That’s not an attack — that’s the natural feedback loop of open discourse.
The Lamborghini Analogy
Here’s an example.
You make a post promoting a new car — “This is the best vehicle on the market: fast, sleek, efficient, the ultimate driving machine.”
If your audience is people who commute on motorways, that’s fine. A Lamborghini fits their context perfectly.
But if someone points out that the same car would bottom out on a farm road full of potholes and steep inclines — that’s not criticism. It’s context.
They’re not attacking your expertise; they’re clarifying your scope.
Because while a Lamborghini may be “best in class” on smooth tarmac, it’s useless in rough terrain.
In that case, an SUV would be the “better way.”
So before calling something “the best”, it’s wise to consider: best for whom, and under what conditions?
When Public Becomes Dangerous
Now imagine that same Lamborghini post is published to a massive, mixed audience — from city commuters to off-road drivers.
Your claim, “the best car on the market,” becomes misleading.
That’s exactly what happens when a tutorial designed for single-user spreadsheets is presented as universal truth.
Techniques that are harmless — even useful — for personal use can become dangerous when applied to enterprise systems.
A scattergun message broadcast to millions must therefore carry contextual responsibility.
Otherwise, what begins as a simple tip can morph into misinformation.
The Role of Professionalism
When a creator gets defensive because someone says, “Actually, there’s a better way,” the issue is not pride — it’s positioning.
They’ve forgotten that a public post is a public act.
If you publish something on LinkedIn or YouTube, you’re no longer speaking in a private classroom. You’re on the open stage of the professional world — where scrutiny is not hostility but part of the social contract of expertise.
Professionals know this.
That’s why peer review exists.
That’s why open debate is healthy.
And that’s why real teachers welcome correction — because every challenge is an opportunity to refine what we all know.
From Followers to Thinkers
Ultimately, the purpose of education — whether on social media or in a university — is not to own an audience but to elevate it.
Your followers are not fish in a net; they are people with ambitions, responsibilities, and goals.
If your content equips them only to think like novices forever, that’s not empowerment — it’s entrapment.
We must encourage people to cross from “Easy but Wrong” toward “Easy and Right.”
And that begins by being transparent about who we’re talking to, why, and what happens if someone outside that group takes our message literally.
Final Thought
If your post is open to the world, you must be open to the world’s response.
That’s the price — and privilege — of public influence.
Because in an open forum, truth is a shared responsibility.
And those who claim to teach must welcome not just applause, but accountability.
#Excel #ProfessionalIntegrity #ThoughtLeadership #DigitalTransformation #AudienceDesign #EnterpriseExcel #LearningCulture
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