Blogging: Online presence and authenticity

Thank You for Good Information! May God Bless You!

timethief, Your blog posts on OneCoolSite.Com have always been very informative. Thanks for sharing this latest post for it tells a lot about using images with blog post.

Dear TT that’s why I respect you very much. For you’ve been very co-operative, particularly with new bloggers. Wish you all the best.
Keep up the wonderful job !

I’m new to blogging and I really need to know the basics. Thanks for this very useful resource. Keep posting because I’ve learned something from your posts.

I do not know how to add a tag to a photo but I saw that google can find them just writing a pertinent file name. Anyway photos are crucial. A post without them seems to me sad.

I will try to read (study) better your post that, like always, seems to be really clear and useful (with the inevitable numbered lists).

This post really made me think about “online presence” and even more so being true to self. Each time I read one of your posts I learn more, which helps since I am still pretty new at blogging. You also help to open up my thought processes and allow reflection on the actual blogging experience as well. Thank you, always for the wonderful information and help that you give.

Hi TT =)
You already know how much I respect your advice and admire your commitment to helping bloggers. You anticipate and blog always a step ahead to our needs. I learn a lot from you to not only improve my blogging but I also get tips from you as far as promoting my blog is concerned. As someone who tries to always stay true to herself, I appreciate this post very much!

Wow this is so true. There are times when we get carried away that we sometimes forget to ‘behave’ ourselves. It drives home the phrase ‘I told you so”. Thanks for remind us to think before typing away because when words are sent out, they could not be taken back. And when feelings are hurt then the potential for friendship is futile.

I don’t blog for money. I admit to doing different things to try and bring money in but I don’t truly work on it. It’s not very meaningful to me and I think that shows in my writing.

The things that are meaningful to me I work hard on promoting.

I can’t be something I’m not. My personality reflects in the way I write. I am the same person online as I am offline. I think I am more me when I write than when I am in person. I am more the person I want to be.

Introversion gets in the way way too often in my real life. When I want to tell my husband something and I want to get it all out I find myself writing letters to him.

Loved the post TT. I can always enjoy reading your posts and thoughts, because just like you posted in here, they are you. I don’t get any sense of monotony that some people end up with when talking about things, or the robot factor and “Must. Be. Professional.” act. Your posts are incredibly helpful and interesting reads, but they still have a nice human touch from you which I love.

But it’s true about trying to find that line between being yourself, and risking offending or putting off others. But in this day and age, while it’s good to try and find a comfortable level of “netiquette” , I wouldn’t stress over it too much cause you’ll be left with nothing that’s apart of you, because just about everyone is liable to be offended by anything you say.

That’s why I like what I write about though. While a person could disagree with my opinion on a game or console, overall I can be as brutally honest as I want about it (while making sure not to push through the Libel zone). I guess it’s easier with mine because I’m not reviewing a person or my opinions on a people, culture, or section of society, but just a product. But on another note, I see a lot of people who hide what they really think and try to cater to everyone because the fear of video game enthusiasts among their peers is to be made out as a “fanboy” of that particular console brand (PS3, Xbox, Wii), in the end being disregarded as a reliable source of information.

But to wrap all this up before I start rivaling your post in word count on a comment (lol) you have to be yourself in my opinion. Especially if you’re writing about a specific subject, because if you can’t be yourself, how can you consider yourself a reliable source of information if there is no “you” truth behind it?

I enjoyed the post and as usual with your posts, there is so much good information and advice contained within the article. Your writing is concise and I find the message presented is always valuable to me as a blogger.

Like you and Shirley (my name is also Shirley) my writing reflects my offline demeanor. I’ve learned a lot about netiquette from working in a corporate world for years — Lotus mail was a staple for internal communication and project management. You learn how text is not the same as a face-to-face meetings and can often be misinterpreted. And that a message gives a first impression. Always a good idea to re-read your post or social networking message. Again as another introvert who can be very humorous with friends, I find it helps to write things down.

Sometimes I may be ‘too honest’ in a ‘helpful’ way on social networks or blog comments by suggesting things for other people that are off-topic — so I have to watch that. I am a ‘nice person’ by nature but I can also be a ‘hulk’ if pushed (case in point, confronted a Twitter user who kept sending the same post in different tiny urls! — but it was done in a netiquette way. LOL)

As always your posts are full of references and personal examples to make us feel we’ve learned something or been given a chance to reflect on a worthwhile point. Thumbs up!

I’ve already blabbed in your discussion, but here I go again. This is a very interesting topic.

In my office today, two employees went at it by email. They sit approximately 20 feet away from each other, but they chose to flame back and forth. So why am I telling you this and what has it got to do with online presence and netiquette?

First of all, like it or not, we are evolving into a digital society. (I say evolving because we are far from there yet. We have much to learn.) The fact that two women who have known each other for over five years would not get up from their desks and speak to each other directly over an issue of dispute seems incredible. But is it? For introverts, or those who have never been comfortable with conflict, the written word creates a shield to stand behind when sticking up for oneself. The internet provides the immediacy. Without email, I am certain both of these women would have remained silent and hurt.

Our culture is changing and as Marshall McLuhan wrote, “the medium is the message”. What we are doing here is less about the content and more about the means in which we communicate. While we may find the navigation of this medium a challenge, one thing is certain: social networking is changing the world. This medium is allowing the individual, the silent, the overlooked, the disenfranchised to have an equal voice. But the internet is also indifferent. It gives equal empowerment to predators, loudmouths, lunatics and the antisocial. And before we think it holds the promise of being the great equalizer, let’s not forget that we still have a huge digital divide. Currently, knowledge of the digital world is power. There are many people in this world who have neither access nor knowledge of this medium. What will become of them?

But back to this most excellent post and discussion. We are renegotiating the rules of communication in a relatively new medium. Leading by example is the responsibility of those who break new ground. So, in my view, we need to direct our energy into being present and authentic, constructive and helpful. We’ve got everything from soup to nuts in this medium. Over time, it will sort itself out, but every single person who takes positive steps to connect with others globally, while respecting personal and unique individual boundaries contributes to the greater good.

You sure know how to get people talking, tt. You are doing exactly what I described in that last paragraph. Your thoughtful work is greatly appreciated by this blogger.

Hola TT

As always a very informative piece. It does seem easy to slip into this unauthentic “blogging personality” in order to garner readership and acceptance among fellow bloggers. While I would like to think everyone likes me for the wonderific person I am but that isn’t the case in real life so why would it be true in the blogging world.

It’s my opinion that I should stay true to the material I write about and the person that I am. While I don’t blog for money and it’s nice to have people make comments you should never lose your integrity as a person to conform to what you think others want. At the same time you shouldn’t be a jacka$$ just for the sake of being one because the internet allows a certain level of anonymity. The should be a fine balance.

Not only that with the internet touching just about everyone, you have the ability to link up with like minded folks. Basically stay true to yourself, find your niche topic and people who are looking for that will find you .

Very nice TT – good resources.

Wow very well said TT. I have just started my blog last week and it is my very first blog. You know what? I hate writings. That’s true but it change when I tried joining social networking and blogging. I am trying to love writings now and I can already see the difference and improvements on my writings, it isn’t too bad now. I am a less outgoing type of person too. I preferred to stay at home than going anywhere else. I am glad that I found you in BlogCatalog community or else I don’t know where to get such inspirational articles. I’ll try to do all your inspirational advices. Thank you for this very informative article.

The bloggers with the strongest online presence appear to be those who are just being themselves; which is great because that’s the easiest thing to do. :)

You pose an excellent question about authenticity. I have been thinking about this topic over the last week because I read a great blog entry by a female pilot. Her blog is anonymous, but discusses important issues of sexism in the workplace and what it is like to be female within a male-dominated profession. I could think of many other similar “minority” or “insider” situations where the message is important to convey, but discretion is what allows us to continue to survive as a participant in that world (admittedly it isn’t perfect yet). I realize some might think it isn’t worth participating if you can’t be complete all the time. However, I also believe that change can emerge from positive influence from the inside. Authors who have published under a pen name have made important contributions to social change. I express a lot of public opinion and critique, but some of my private world remains inner. I suppose sharing some of the inner world would be interesting to others but has to be done in a “safe” context…probably anonymous. I know that personal fulfillment is harder to achieve when you can’t be completely “you” in every situation. But managing face to face social interaction or public speaking is also very much a negotiation between the private and the public. It’s not just a desire to please others, but also a desire to be able “to continue to participate” in selected contexts. I was very struck by some quick reading I was doing about facebook when I came across an idea that “it is important for companies to be able to research what others think of you moreso than what you present about yourself.” It gives me pause to consider the possible ramifications of that idea.

Thanks for sharing such a great info and resources.

Lots of good points here. I’ve found that the lack of tone of voice/body language information can really be misleading at times. Humor, for example, can easily be misread.

I found this article very informative as well as inspiring, since i started blogging last month only and i was able to understand that authenticity matters the most.
For me blogging is about a little humility, straight talk, and a genuine point of view.

Very well said, TimeTheif.

I am concerned by authenticity because one might ask himself/herself why we blog in the first place? Is it because to ‘kill the time’ or ‘to share something with people’? It’s important to know why you are blogging. On the other hand, it’s also very important to be yourself; you are doing this because you are so, not placing a mask to hide behind.

Pretty cool post. I just came by your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed browsing your posts.

Any way I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon!

Thanks for the great information. I will definitely be following your advice!