I usually tell them "what's wrong with you"... - Håkan Dahlström

I kick'em to the curb! - Geoff Schultz

I guess it depends what part they don't get. If they don't understand any of the concepts then I don't really bother. - todd

I ask them, do you not like people and keeping up? What about parties? It's the same. - Ed Terpening

I don't think there is anything to tell them ... just as there is nothing for Kobe Bryant to 'tell" people who don't 'get' basketball. It jusn't isn't necessary for everyone to 'get' everything we are interested in. - Kevin Sablan via twhirl

I say "I guess you don't care about getting your stuff onto Google then." - Robert Scoble

If they're interested, I'll show them some simple tools to get them started. Don't overwhelm 'em. - Bill Sodeman

If they don't get it, I haven't explained it in terms they can relate to. - Tom Landini

they're just another meme ...attend to or attention not... - coolblueskies

robert: good point. what about the non-content creaters? - Christian Anderson

what do i say to *me*, you mean? i say give it a whirl and try to figure it out, that's what. - idnan

i say ,"many if not all things including business, politics and environment issues will take place online and if u wanna have future u might as well start building it today." - Hayk H.

I ask them if they are serious about staying connected with the people they know. Most of the people who do not get it have more then plenty of contacts, but they are not in touch. They already do not have time to deal with those contacts. I point out that FaceBook, Twitter, Friendfeed are low friction (less time intensive) ways of staying connected in a meaningful way with those you know. A call might take 5-15 minutes but a comment directly sent or passively received via a social network takes less time. - Joel Ordesky

+1 hayk, how can involvement in sm impact that? - Christian Anderson

I tell them how the story of when I quit Microsoft moved from 15 people who didn't seem to have much audience to more than 15 million media impressions in a matter of about 72 hours (verified by Waggener Edstrom, Microsoft's PR firm). All through social media. - Robert Scoble

Nothing. Life goes on without social media. - Bwana

They usually have a REAL live social life. and a point. - Parth Awasthi

I tell them I found my job on twitter... But then I have to explain them what twitter is and they usually don't get it... I try very hard to explain them how wonderful and useful is being online, but everything normally ends with "I have a real life and I'm quite happy with it" od "I don't have all that free time to follow all that stuff"... That's when I give up, thinking how close minded they are and how much they are giving up following stupid prejudices... - Sara Maternini

is social media ALL about just marketing or community ? I think it was all about community until the marketing /PR type of professionals stepped in and made it messy !! - Peter Dawson

I say; "You know how you're always asking me how I know about this or that and send you the best links? - that's Social Media." - Mattb4rd

I say: just effin' read Groundswell. http://groundswell.forrester.com - ~C4Chaos

Nothing stops technology, nothing. Get into some level of the conversation or be left out, as you wish. Not either/or AND - Dave Martin

Adapt or die - Chris Luckhardt

Congrats on having a life - Adam Loving via StumbleRead

I've been waiting for my meatspace family & friends to 'get it' for 20 years. In the meanwhile, I go through cycles of my own involvement and investment. As quick and slick as the widgets have gotten, here we are staring back into the cloud to handle our data. Same as it ever was. - ɐ ɯıʞ sıɹɥɔ

Tell them that it's a great buzzword to use to leech consultancy fees off large companies in exchange for telling them how to do obvious stuff like upload videos to YouTube. - Tom Morris

Usually "Hi." Pretty much the same thing as to people who 'get' it. - Dani Radu

+1 Dani very funny! - Christian Anderson via fftogo

Hurry! - Igor Poltavskiy

Tell the to try it! Same like Sex, until you try you have no idea what it is about! You can read tones of book about it, what videos about it, but until you actually have it does not mean anything to you! - Igor The Troll

i don't know. what should i tell them, morpheus? signed, neo - .LAG liked that

the fact is, there are lots of people who just don't like sitting in front of a computer. They're entitled to that preference and there's no need to make them feel like luddites because of it. - Nathan Rein