so TIRED of the word GURU

xxxJamesxxx

13 years ago

Like it or not... It ain't going away.

James Scholes

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thunderbird 13 years ago

Originally Posted by xxxJamesxxx

Like it or not... It ain't going away.

James Scholes

It could go away. Where there's a will, there's a way. Why should we needlessly offend people of any given faith? Would you refer to someone as a "pastor" or a "rabbi" due to being an internet marketing leader?
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Tracey_Meagher

13 years ago

Does anybody actually feel pride when they are called a 'Guru' ... do gurus like the label? I know I wouldn't

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Kierkegaard

13 years ago

How about:

authority
guiding light
leader
master
sage
teacher
tutor

Take your pick

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warriorkay

13 years ago

.
To be fair to the IM "gurus", it's the followers who gave them
the title of "guru". Should they have rejected it?

Kingsley

.

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rbates 13 years ago

Originally Posted by warriorkay

.
To be fair to the IM "gurus", it's the followers who gave them
the title of "guru". Should they have rejected it?

.

I don't know how "Guru" came to be, and it's true that the tag seems
to be perpetuated by "Friends and Family",but I don't see ANY of
these "Hot-shots" attempting to disarm the label, it serves a purpose
for them - they can make more money.
Would you turn down that kind of publicity? I don't blame these
guys (and gals) for talking up what they have done. What I
do blame them for is ripping off the poor "Newbies" (I was once one of them)
by being less than honest about what if being offered.

There is a major player out there right now promoting
nothing but a website set-up, but telling everyone they
will dominate the search engines and make thousands a month.
He doesn't tell you that you have to find your own traffic.
This seems to be pretty common, but certainly a bit on the
"Scammy" side (or is it "Scummy").

Another example of being less than straight is: I recently watched
a "Pitch" from a guy who is supposedly making millions a year and has
been around for a while. He was showing a completely free way to make
$500-$1,000/month. Then, in passing, he quietly inserted that
he sends out his information to his Twitter followers, Facebook
friends, and his list. He likely has 30,000 followers and a ton of friends.
Not to mention the thousands that have bought from him on
his list. If he makes that little money with as many people as he is
probably sending his information and link to, then for most people,
it would hardly be worth their time. At least his information did not
cost anything.

Enough of my rant. Things still boil down to that old adage, "If it
sounds too good to be true, it probably is".
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savvybizbuilder 13 years ago

Originally Posted by warriorkay

.
To be fair to the IM "gurus", it's the followers who gave them
the title of "guru". Should they have rejected it?

Kingsley

.

I agree, those who idolize a mentor or coaches and people who are satisfied with your product/services provides that title. I don't think it will affect your marketing strategy because of that. Some use that title because it is one competitive keyword for mentor, coaches, tutor, teacher and so on.
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x3xsolxdierx3x

13 years ago

Distinguishing oneself from a "guru" is a proven marketing tactic to foster and develop trust. I'm not sure that that those who make tens of thousands of dollars a month, and are at the top of the IM game, ever even asked for the title. It's a proven tactic integrated into sales copy....like I said, it makes you appear to be more trustworthy when you claim that you "aren't a guru". I wouldn't get upset or frazzled by it...it just is what it is.

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Jacob Cuculiza

13 years ago

I used to love the word, but know it is used to much. But it works ;-)

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grandstar

13 years ago

Peter Drucker, one of the greatest management experts of all time said that" People prefer to use the word guru because charlatan is more difficult to spell"

The word expert should do if you intend to self promote (Proverbs 27: 2)

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rosetrees 13 years ago

Originally Posted by grandstar

The word expert should do if you intend to self promote (Proverbs 27: 2)

As everyone knows: X is the unknown quantity and "spurt" is a drip from a tap.

Or as I and my colleagues in the testing labs used to say, many years ago in what seems like a different life now, "if only they knew is was just us".
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raleigh

13 years ago

Would agree with the notion that "guru" has actually been coined by the followers as a sign of admiration and respect on the initial onset. However as IM has grown and a lot of "guru's" emerged, it is now more of a marketing strategy to be called (or not to be associated with being called) a guru.

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njouze

13 years ago

The World has learned how to coin words and make them stick. This however does not restrict you from making the word mean something else.
If the original meaning doesn't suit you then just as the rest of the world does, coin it, through your blogs and other means to make it suit your likes.
Anyhow, i think the word is harmless and just makes you look, feel and even be an authority in your field!

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Buddha94

13 years ago

Gurus would be someone I look up to if they can really give a real decent system which is a step by easy step to getting money.

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Brad Gosse

13 years ago

It's funny.

Nobody calls themselves a "guru".

It's a word we use to negatively describe others in this biz. Usually in the context of:

The gurus don't want you to see this
The gurus are lying to you

Or

I have been screwed by all the gurus, now I find you but I am broke.

Nobody uses the word to self describe as far as I can tell

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Rus Sells 13 years ago

I'm looking for a Guru Ninja any one seen one?

I think people are mislabeling some people who they refer to as Guru. The word they should be using in Maven because the followers have elevated them to celebrity status in their own minds eye.
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tpw

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Brad Gosse

It's funny.

Nobody calls themselves a "guru".

It's a word we use to negatively describe others in this biz. Usually in the context of:

The gurus don't want you to see this
The gurus are lying to you

Or

I have been screwed by all the gurus, now I find you but I am broke.

Nobody uses the word to self describe as far as I can tell

Brad nailed it!!

Re: so TIRED of the word GURU

I am so TIRED of people whining about the words that we choose to describe concepts and ideas -- words that make it easier for another person to understand in context what we are talking about.

Consider this:

If I told you that I call my wife a "bitch", you might be offended.

If you are not offended at the idea, I can guarantee you that others would be!!

And the reality is that when I do tell my wife that she is a "bitch", she always laughs and agrees with me... And she is frequently heard to say, "I told those people not to mess with me!!"

I don't call her a "bitch" because of the way she treats me. I call her a "bitch" when I see how she handles other people who piss her off.

While other women might be offended, my wife wears that word as a badge of honor!!

She takes great pleasure in playing that role.

You might be tired of hearing the word GURU, and even if you are, who cares?

.

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HeySal

13 years ago

Originally Posted by tpw

If I told you that I call my wife a "bitch", you might be offended.

.

Nope. When someone calls me a bitch, I just have one response. "What's your point?"

Being a bitch isn't inherently bad. It just means that you stand up for yourself and refuse to be subservient. Not a bad thing if you ask me.

As far as words - "guru" gets to me a little sometimes, too - but no worse than anything else that gets overused.

Guru was an apropo tag at one time. IM was a new concept of action and attainment and the orginal people called gurus actually did light the way for the rest of us.

Just as any other word though - as the connotations change (which happens as the concepts attached to the word change) the denotation will sooner or later change accordingly as well.

If enough people actually get royally burned by "gurus", the word will take on a negative connotation. I see some of that now. But I've also seen a general melt of the word to just mean anyone who has become extremely successful in their field.

It's just a natural evolution of language. If the term becomes offensive in use when describing those of teachers of religious enlightenment, a new word will develop to describe them apart from financially successful people.

Right now, though -- money has actually become a pursuit equal or stronger than that of enlightenment for huge masses of people, and while they have a reverence for money that often surpasses a reverence for spiritual enlightenment - "guru" will be a suiting title for those who are financially successful.

It might suck that people are greedy and shallow enough that money has replaced the spiritual so completely -- but that is the fact of our reality here right now. So rather than bitch about the mutation of the word -- let word mutations signal you to changes in human societies. You will find warnings in our languages that will prepare you for situations you might want to expect ahead of time.

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thunderbird

13 years ago

Originally Posted by HeySal

Nope. When someone calls me a bitch, I just have one response. "What's your point?"

Being a bitch isn't inherently bad. It just means that you stand up for yourself and refuse to be subservient. Not a bad thing if you ask me. <snip>

I was just looking at the website of a talent agent. She actually refers to herself as a "bitch" like it was a positive glowing term, placing it alongside words like "savvy" and "articulate". Seems that a lot of younger women, in particular, have taken ownership of the word.

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davejug1

13 years ago

Guru marketing is a niche all of it's own these days. But then, so is anti-gusuism

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BIG Mike

Banned 13 years ago

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matsanti

13 years ago

The word GURU has been used mainly not into the real meaning of the word but rather more of a marketing/advertising approach. . . and as most of you guys have observed, it is used in describe the "person on the other side of the fence" and is used more in a negative manner. Nowadays, we see the word GURU with the words, scam, rip-off, lied too and the likes, more often than not in the same sentence.

Unfortunately, the word and use of the wod "guru" has now and will be stuck with the IM, possitively or negatively. . . at least that is how I see it.

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hardraysnight

13 years ago

GURU is actually an abbreviation

It stands for glib, underdone, rich and ugly

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Cogitationalist

13 years ago

In an ideal world, there would be some public milestone to reach prior to labeling oneself a guru. Nowadays, it appear as if as long as you can prove you're not a completely uninformed mess..you're a guru. Maybe if there was some earnings tracker that could be relied on and publicly displayed, once a certain number was reached in a predetermined time..you're a guru.

Personally I dislike it just as much as you.

It's mostly a self-proclaimed title set by individuals who seek more ways to describe themselves as credible. I say just show me credibility, don't just slap a label on something. Many fields on this forum though..don't require much credibility. Most of it can be instantly measured by each person individually. Nobody really can argue whether or not I'm an expert copy writer unless my copy sucks, and I can easily say I'm a Photoshop guru unless I provide some samples that are clearly made in MS-Paint and amateurish.

So, that being said, I'm a hindsight guru because..prove me wrong.

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Rod Cortez

13 years ago

I prefer the word Goober.

"Guru" is, like, so 2010.....

RoD

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georgedinmore

13 years ago

What word would you prefer?

Queen? King? Majesty? Jedi? Knight?

Anything with the word Guru in, i avoid like the plague. Whether its in a negative or positive way.

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barrogz

13 years ago

the word guru is being thrown around too much

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IMWinner

13 years ago

Actually, it is the people who admired someone call them "guru". I have heard that the word that sounds like "guru" in the Philippines means a teacher. Probably in Hinduism, the word has its other meaning, but in the IM world, people use that word to refer to a person they admire and has attained so much in this business.
I could say that there are a few who are proclaiming themselves as "guru" but really haven't understood the meaning of the word. He just used the word to separate himself from the "average" person, and can set himself above to others which he can use to attract followers and these "newbies" to make them believe that he/she has the knowledge and wisdom to share in the IM business.

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ghostrecon

13 years ago

Unfortunately, it has become the industry standard along with 'blueprint' and 'laser targeted'.

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gcastagno

13 years ago

Originally Posted by RAMarketing

Seriously, I don't think that many people know what it is SUPPOSED to mean. A guru is a highly regarded spiritual adviser, typically in Hinduism. While is has devolved to mean a leader in any field, here are my two problems with it:

1. Guru's don't charge for spiritual wisdom or advice, or any advice

2. IM 'gurus' charge for any advice, wise or not.

Enough of this 'us vs. them' mentality! Don't like them? Don't buy their products! Make it on your own, create a product that teaches EXACTLY how to do it step by step, then sell it for half of what it's worth. Offer unmodified resale rights on the backend and you can be a 'guru' too... or just an industry leader if you aren't Hindu

I have heard it bandied about quite a lot here and other places, and usually it is because someone is trying to sell something.

A word of advice from 'this' guru

is to keep away from anyone trying to sell something and either being a self proclaimed 'guru', or something along the lines of - "Learn How The Guru's Do It" etc.

Do people like Aaron Wall or Matt Cutts call themselves 'gurus'? And yet, most folk only know a fraction of what they know and these folk develop this title for themselves.

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Marketing Ignite

13 years ago

Someone is a guru who practice what he teach. So check how successful someone is before you sign up for something..there is a lot of fluff out there to be aware of...

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CDarklock

13 years ago

I am so sick of the word "tired." Does hearing the word "guru" make you want to sleep?! BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT TIRED MEANS

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Rose Anderson

13 years ago

My goal is to become a "Killer, Ninja, Trend-setting, Guru"

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JamesGw

13 years ago

Lately, the term guru seems to have negative connotations. It's just a marketing tactic and won't go away. In IM, the "guru" is the man that's putting you down and feeding you false information. It's all very silly.

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Dennis Gaskill

13 years ago

Originally Posted by RAMarketing

Seriously, I don't think that many people know what it is SUPPOSED to mean. A guru is a highly regarded spiritual adviser, typically in Hinduism. While is has devolved to mean a leader in any field, here are my two problems with it:

1. Guru's don't charge for spiritual wisdom or advice, or any advice

2. IM 'gurus' charge for any advice, wise or not.

Enough of this 'us vs. them' mentality! Don't like them? Don't buy their products! Make it on your own, create a product that teaches EXACTLY how to do it step by step, then sell it for half of what it's worth. Offer unmodified resale rights on the backend and you can be a 'guru' too... or just an industry leader if you aren't Hindu

Perhaps you're unaware that "guru" also means a recognized leader in some field or of some movement. Yeah, I pulled that definition right out of the dictionary.

You know what I'm tired of? Go on, take a guess...

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seasoned

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill

Perhaps you're unaware that "guru" also means a recognized leader in some field or of some movement. Yeah, I pulled that definition right out of the dictionary.

You know what I'm tired of? Go on, take a guess...

Actually, words are adopted! Even if defined properly, the word is misused. Definitions are then entered based on USAGE, EVEN if incorrect!

And a word misused may LOSE the past meaning, etc... and will then take on the attributes of the REAL word they wanted to hide. Want a good example? How about the word "gay"!?!?

Steve

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Dennis Gaskill

13 years ago

Originally Posted by seasoned

Actually, words are adopted! Even if defined properly, the word is misused. Definitions are then entered based on USAGE, EVEN if incorrect!

And a word misused may LOSE the past meaning, etc... and will then take on the attributes of the REAL word they wanted to hide. Want a good example? How about the word "gay"!?!?

Steve

Actually, in rereading the original post, I see I missed the line where the OP acknowledged the meaning of the word has changed. He says "devolved" rather than "changed" but that is subjective.

That fact that I missed that crucial line renders my first post (the one you replied to) moot, and that fact renders the reply I had in mind moot as well. So, I'm a rebel without a cause at this point. Time to take a break.

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CMartin 13 years ago

This tired thread

is exhausted
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- MikeAmbrosio 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by CMartin
  
  This tired thread
  
  is exhausted
  
  Not just this thread - this entire subject too
  
  Thanks
  
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seasoned

13 years ago

Sanskrit has ANOTHER word! Transliterated, it is PUNDIT! As I recall, it means EXPERT! Look at the ENGLISH dictionary:

pun·dit
[puhn-dit] Show IPA

noun
1.
a learned person, expert, or authority.

2.
a person who makes comments or judgments, especially in an authoritative manner; critic or commentator.

3.
pandit.

TODAY, in the US, people often use the second INCORRECT meaning!

Steve