Practice what you Digitally Teach (a rant!)

Yesterday I was at a very invigorating digital conference. Lots of food for thought. During the day one of the presenters demonstrated how to create and place an ad on Facebook. Good stuff. Everyone was engaged and paying close attention.

Then I started to wonder: how many digital practioners actually know first hand how to use the digital technology that we preach so avidly about to our clients? And what about our offline cousins? Do they play in the digital space, just for fun.

We all have Facebook accounts, sure, but have we created a Fan page. We may go to Tripadvisor to research a hotel or destination, but how many actually write a review after their trip? And what about the sexier stuff, like video mash-ups and podcasts; or ceating a widget.  Are we contributing to the digital ecosystem in way we should? Can we really demo from first hand experience or is it text-book talk.
Then I thought about my contributions. I admit I was a bit reluctant at first. I only joined Facebook so I could suss how it worked and see what all the fuss was about. Two years later though, and  I've lost about 120 hours of my life in the FB abyss. To the point I decided to started a digital scrapbook called coolshitucandoonfacebook.
It was the same with my ipod touch. I just wanted to see how the apps worked, have a play, download some podcasts and a few episodes of Grey's Anatomy. Now of course, I'm surgically attached to thing and have palpitations if I can't find it.
Now forgive me if you do all this already,(good for you honey!). But are you sharing your skills and knowledge with you offline counterparts: the traditional planners or the client-facing teams. Particularly those who are a little shy of the digital sphere. Or better still are you an offline person who is being dragged into the digital media age kicking and screaming. As soon as you see an email with the word "digital" in the subject heading, do you forward to the first "digital" person who springs to mind with a line that says "can you get back to me on this asap. See below".
If this is the case, it's time to take matters into your hands. Open a Bebo account, see what the young generation are really upto; design a t-shirt or two and start a cullt following on myspace; download that killer app and get intimate with it. Then when your client asks "so how does that *blank* actually work?" you can talk with real authority, look smart and switched on and impress their socks off. It's makes for a compelling story.
Use training as a stepping stone across the digital mindfield, then spend a couple of hours dodgy live rounds creating a spoof for YouTube. Your clients will love you for it and so will your digital billings and you will actually be practicing what you.