Authenticity – Blog And Be Yourself
Written by Nile | Posted in Blogging | Posted on 
03-05-2012 | 
51 Comments
Tags: authenticity, blogging, social media
Liz Strauss (@lizstrauss on Twitter) had been at WordCamp Chicago (June 6-7, 2009) and talked about many basics behind blogging. However, it was one thing that I could not pass up to blog about and share. I am always finding time to pull up notes from presentations I have attended because there is a meaningful lesson to be learned or reminded of.
When you blog, you need to be authentic- be yourself. I found myself nodding while listening to Liz. I can remember all the wank through the years from bloggers not being who they were. I even remember people trying to call me out, and guess what… I have always been myself.
How can people visit another’s blog and comment when they do not believe you? Are you consistent about yourself? Are you blogging from experience or are you there to just be another person handing out the same information as other websites?
I can agree with Liz when she said, “I can find information anywhere, blog your experience with your information.”
When your blog might have a similar subject like so many other blogs, I choose to come to read and comment because I am reading about your experience. Especially with blogs about WordPress, I am fairly picky. I want more layman’s terms and a little bit of personality. I want to know why I should use one particular code string, versus another, especially since I tend to read blogs late at night when I am slightly tired and blurry-eyed. If I want WordPress information, cut, dry and straight, I will go to the Codex, but if you are going to pass a catchy-phrased tutorial link through my Twitter stream, it better be as catchy as it sounds.
Remember this, your blog may be visited by many people, or very few, but each are different. The only thing in common is that they choose to visit your site because they find you authentic.
Are your authentic? Do you blog from experience? Have you had experiences with people who were not who they said they were?
(Note: Photo is compliments of @LisaSabinWilson.)
Loading ...
Blondish.net – New blog post: Authenticity – Blog And Be Yourself http://bit.ly/ehoGt
Authenticity – Blog And Be Yourself http://bit.ly/ehoGt by @blondishnet
Twitter Comment
Authenticity – Blog And Be Yourself [link to post] by @blondishnet
– Posted using Chat Catcher
Good point. I’m not a blogger. Actually, I’ve been one, but just have no time. Online tends to be the fun stuff.
I’ve encountered some fakeness with bloggers. It was obvious and a real turn-off. I admit I just visit friend’s blogs more than strangers. Sorry if my responses seems kinda dumb. Like I said, blogger stuff isn’t my forte.
Lydia’s last blog post..null
RT @tweetmeme Authenticity – Blog And Be Yourself | blondish.net http://bit.ly/ehoGt
Twitter: antonrsa
says:
Great post – Thanks for sharing.
Its not the newest published article buts still offers viable and informative content.
Thanks again for sharing.
Anton Koekemoer recently posted..Protect your online reputation with SEO
As much as possible I want to write authentic articles and base on my experience so I can narrate it in my own way.
matt recently posted..Nokia Lumia Windows Phone Price Philippines, Specs, Pictures
Twitter: ForteProperties
says:
I think being yourself is most important when doing anything. The fake it until you make it attitude will only get you so far. If people don’t like “you”.. Then find ways to spice “you” up… Don’t go as far as being something you’re not. Great post.
Chris recently posted..Seller Financing Keeps Austin Properties Hot
Twitter: lisatorres
says:
You are right about that. People can tell by reading your posts if you are being authentic or just trying to make a sale or have another agenda.
People follow leaders, not wanna be’s. I think that when you share posts from the heart, people will gravitate to you and you possess a warmer feeling with the audience. I wish more people would GET it!
Great post and thanks for sharing!
Lisa Torres recently posted..Jonathan Register’s Gravity Formula Review – Blogging Domination Blueprint
Twitter: howtospecialist
says:
It the only purpose is to make money I think one can succeed without being honest with its readers, but if the purpose is to create a strong long term link with the readers, being authentic is compulsory.
Jack Sander recently posted..Pergola plans free
I totally agree! I’m not a blogger but I love to read about real experiences of other people and their interests that I can relate to.
Lisa Jamieson recently posted..Cinco de Mayo Makeup Inspiration
Twitter: TechInitio
says:
Being yourself is one aspect that everyone likes. Either in real life or while blogging. If you are yourself you express your own opinions and then you can justify them with the right statements! If you are not yourself, you will find yourself lying a lot of times…
Rashmi Sinha recently posted..Google Pagerank Matters:- TechInitio is PR2!
Great Post.
I believe blogging its some thing in itself giving people knowledge from your experience to educate them on certain issues which can help people while they faced that similar situation and that’s where I think some one can be made authentic, by producing the viable content.
Ayaz recently posted..Social Media Marketing Services: 5 Steps Checklist for Smart Businesses
Twitter: johncooper123
says:
I have to agree with you about writing in your own voice. It makes it so much easier to say what you have to say. It took me time to feel comfortable throwing in my opinions, too. I’m more of a write and pass on sort of person. I have to remember that it’s my blog, so I can elaborate and slow it down if I wish
John Cooper recently posted..IBS Syndrome Blog
Hi Nile,
Authenticity is very important for a website or blog. I often visit this website because it looks authentic and I always want to be my ownself in my work.
Pete Goumas recently posted..Mythology
You have to be yourself as trying to be some one you are not will never span out as you say in the post. I think most of my readers come back because of the way I am not how I think they would want me to be.
We are all different as you point out and to keep ones individuality is very important while blogging and trying to keep followers interested in what you have to say.
Twitter: indoposting
says:
Very interesting and informative article. Good job, thanks for sharing!
Twitter: ctswholesale
says:
Remaining authentic can be a hard thing to strive for, especially with something cut and dry like say, sunglasses
. Company blogs definitely have a harder time of it, but it can be done. For personal blogs, they have to be authentic, especially if people who know you in the real world are reading it. It can be a funny thing how people self-edit their real life when they share it with their virtual friends/readers.
Some nice points you made out ..being your self is the most important thing anybody need in any sort of work .. be it a blogging or any other stuff.
Authenticity is very important for a website or blog.
You are appropriate about that. Humans can acquaint by account your posts if you are getting accurate or just aggravating to accomplish a auction or accept addition agenda.
People chase leaders, not wanna be’s. I anticipate that if you allotment posts from the heart, humans will approach to you and you acquire a warmer activity with the audience. I ambition added humans would GET it!
Great column and acknowledgment for sharing!
Lisa recently posted..Buy beach chairs
Nile,
It’s so true about being yourself and not regurgitating the same rehash you’ve heard hundreds of times before. I love it when someone interjects a story about an experience they had. It makes it real.
It is so much more than just getting information. There is soooo much of it out there today. How do you connect to information? Poorly, I would suggest.
I love what Dan Kennedy teaches. If the herd is running in one direction, you run the other way. Simple. Brilliant!
RICK
Rick Lelchuk recently posted..What the heck does TMZ stand for anyway?
This should really be very interesting for all of us.. Anyway, thanks for the help here then..
Hi Neli, its me again and i wonder where this speech of Liz happen, is this the event you raise fund for.
This is a great and interesting post specially faking thing and fake blogs .
As far as I’m concern, Only fake people will only have the guts to make fake blogs…
Thank you for sharing this NILE
WOOPS JUNE 6-7 2009…. my bad.
Hello Nile, I agree, being “yourself” as a blogger is the best way. However, some blogs are great when the author has a persona, which he or she uses all the time on that particular blog. For example, Manolo’s shoe blog is written using a persona, and is a really fun and popular blog.
Julieanne van Zyl recently posted..Blog about my MLM business Opportunity and Products
Twitter: JimiAntoniou
says:
I always try to write about stuff I know through my experiences. I always want to be as authentic as I can. As a blogger myself I want to write great content and I know it is not always easy.
I must admit that I have worked as a ghost writer (you know write without your name known) and I reassure you I had created personas that were even mentioning one another..
Jimi Antoine recently posted..Window Graphic Printing
Twitter: TechInitio
says:
It is very important to write about something you know and not because it is famous among other blogs. Ghost writers exist everywhere and to be honest, it is a good way to practice a bit before you start showing your name here and there.
Rashmi Sinha recently posted..Google Pagerank Matters:- TechInitio is PR2!
You can write unique idea as a writer if you will be yourself. nice post!
Carol recently posted..moving rates
Thanks for the re-post. The advise is still very relevant even with the newest Google Penguin update. Being yourself and writing from personal experience is so very important.
This is quite a wake up call really. Being yourself attracts readers. Being a real person can signal interest to different blog surfers. Yes, apart from searching for quality content, readers can definitely pin point if who they are reading are true.
Betty Rhodes recently posted..Why Incredible Chick?
Twitter: academyofrock
says:
I “do myself” all the time these days. Mostly it is beneficial. As Lou Reed put it ‘ O do me better than anyone else”.
You may enjoy this blog on authenticity and integrity
http://humandynamics.wordpress.com/2011/08/27/bill-nelson-integrity-and-creativity-in-a-bottle/
Blogging is also one way of expressing ourselves and as a blogger, it is very important to be as genuine as you are..
Being myself when writing is my first rule. It brings the best ideas in me
marcie recently posted..Mother of the bride dress plus size
Twitter: sdwriter
says:
I like this quote –
I can agree with Liz when she said, “I can find information anywhere, blog your experience with your information.”
Experience with information — that’s the added value.
Twitter: raenalynntweet1
says:
Hi Nile,
I love the point of being authentic. My best posts are articles of my original content of personal stories. I love writing them and sharing them. They are the ones that come from inspiration and create the best responses and thought from my readers.
On the other side, my favorite blogs to visit are written by bloggers who are authentic and genuine. That is one reason I love to visit and comment on your blog. I like your style and personality and it shows through your posts. Thanks for sharing!
Raena Lynn
Raena Lynn recently posted..How To Build A Funded Proposal Workshop
Hi Nile,
Nice article and I agree with ya.
Just be yourself in everything you do
and wait for the results you will be suprised.
Sandy
sandy recently posted..Evaluating any MLM System The Easy Way-Prt4
Twitter: online_edublog
says:
it is the most important thing which attracts the readers they now who they are reading to just like novels or books you need to show your real self, it also builds good authorship and social presence
Ray recently posted..6 Ways Mobile Phones Can Be Useful for Online Education
Twitter: She Loves Simple
says:
I am always attracted to bloggers who wear their heart on their sleeve. It makes it much more personal and I feel like there is a real person behind the blog. By the way I love the look and name of your blog!
Authority blog has it’s own impression which easily makes positive effects on people. It is also important to include effective information in authority blog which provides large benefits of users with good reputation.
Brain recently posted..HTML5-Something About The Latest Tags
One of the biggest problems bloggers face is believing in quantity and exposure over the quality of their content. Ultimately what brings people into your site and keeps them there is genuine, interesting material that is worth the time to engage with.
Twitter: BrianHumek
says:
I’ve tried to be authentic on my social media blog. Probably my most authentic post ever was one titled, “Hope is Not a Good Blogging Strategy.”
Because I’ve no idea how to keyword it or make it rank in search engines, it rarely receives any hits. But at least it was therapeutic to write.
In the post, I spoke of the time one of my blogs died and on the same date I had to take my wife to the emergency room while 1000 miles away from home and on the road, and at the same time my son was going through some tough times of his own and my car broke down. All this in the same two day period.
I was honest, but alas, no one knows about it. Still, it ws neat to be authentic and I always am, but most of the time, I keep the personal stuff personal.
Thanks for a great post.
Brian recently posted..Blendtec TB-631-20 The Professional’s Choice 1560-Watt Total Blender, Red
Twitter: IsmailNZ
says:
Writing is not easy – at least not to me, and especially when I’m not writing in my mother-tongue. But I like to share info with others and getting feedback from them. For me, authenticity comes over time, with experience and confidence
Twitter: opportplanet
says:
Hi Nile, it’s very important for a blog to be unique and authentic, there are so many sites and blogs on the web so users have many options to find what they want to read but they visit only a few they can trust…
Kostas recently posted..Free WordPress Installation Service – Start Blogging Now
I agree wholeheartedly. However, I do believe that some people act more “tough” on a blog because it’s the internet. Just be yourself.
Tamara Jones recently posted..An Honest Orgreenic Review
Twitter: evangelist32
says:
This is good points for beginners. I am a new blogger myself and I thought that this was very helpful.
Wade recently posted..Looking For Sermon Outlines & Sermons That Work?
As Jerry Lewis said in The Nutty Professor: “You might as well like you because you’re going to have to live with you all your life.” I guess the same could be said about blogging.
I have always been a person that like to talk and debate on practically everything in life. Blogging is my new bible and I seem to comment on about 30 blogs a day. It’s good fun and it allows you to put the world to rights.
Good point. I’m not a blogger. Actually, I’ve been one, but just have no time. Online tends to be the fun stuff.
I’ve encountered some fakeness with bloggers. It was obvious and a real turn-off. I admit I just visit friend’s blogs more than strangers. Sorry if my responses seems kinda dumb. Like I said, blogger stuff isn’t my forte.
I had my 1st public speaking 1 month ago and I was relaxed and totally connected with my heart and the other poeples’ heart.
No expectations not attachments, just being who I am when I speak to friends.
The results was awesome and this made me think how importnat it is to be congruent with each step we take in our business.
Non verbal communication counts for 94% when it comes to infleuncing others!
Thansk Nile!
Patricia Gozlan recently posted..Are Your Overwhelming Feelings Trapping You in Your Own ‘Prison’?
Being yourself is expressing your freedom on something. Blogging is one way of expressing yourself’s interest to write blogs that you can relate so that readers will relate too.
James Martin recently posted..Watch the Olympics on your mobile