How To Show Your Authenticity Through The Web

Social media is all about connecting to other people through the World Wide Web. Part of the process of connecting and socializing with other people is being human. After all, who would want to connect with a robot, right?

However, some people find extending their human-ness (for lack of a better term) from a distance. There’s always going to be some degree of disconnection when you can’t see the other person face front. There’s always going to be an air of doubt as to how “real” the person on the other line is.

Just how can you extend your human-ness from afar?

The simplest way I could think of is to add a face to match the name. Of course you have to post your real picture on the web to do that. If you’re planning to be a thought leader in, say, agriculture, it’s going to be hard to get people to believe you if you put a picture of Grr from Invader Zim as your profile picture.

Seriously, would you have faith in what I post here if I put a picture of one of the Happy Tree Friends as my picture? It would look kind of ridiculous, wouldn’t it?

One more thing that can help is to properly fill out your profile. I don’t mean that you should be so thorough as to share you exact address in the form. What I mean is to fill it with as accurate information as you possibly can publish without, of course, jeopardizing your privacy and security.

Another tip you should take note of is to get into conversations. Your followers need to know that you’re out there, reading and tuning in to what they say in your blog or Twitter account. Take the time to ask people for their thoughts and comment back to them if they do share their ideas. Relationships don’t flourish if it’s always a one-way communication deal.

Commenting back tells your readers that you check back on what they have to say to you. When you do check back, make it a point to take down notes on what you can talk to them about the next time. Something as simple as asking how they are is one quick way of reaching out from one “real” man to another.

There are still other ways for you to get your human-ness across through the net. I’ll add a few more on the next post. At this point, I’d like to ask for your thoughts on this matter.

How do you extend your real-ness on the web?

Some thoughts on Twitter vs. Facebook Status Updates (zephoria.org)
How to maximize revenue through social media (socialmediatoday.com)

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Tagged as: Communication, Happy Tree Friends, Mass media, online communities, privacy, Social Media Tips, social network, Thought leader, Twitter

yapatoots

This is an interesting post...it got me to thinking about my own habits. I realized that I do need to work on building a better relationship with those that read my blog. I don't often get the chance to comment and reply to what my readers say to me. Perhaps that's one way I can build a better readership.
Rob Angeles

Hi! I think replying once in awhile is a good thing and it shows your readers that you value their comments. With this, it gives them a glimpse of how much you care.
Guest

I'm sometimes guilty of this because I bloghop but I tend to forget to get back on the previous post and concentrate on the blogger's next post.

But nevertheless, I do my best to keep in touch with the blogger by going back to his/her blog more often whenever I am online. :)