How to Be Authentic on Twitter and Other Social Networks

I recently wrote an article for uTweet.it, the UK social media (and more) blog, entitled Fakery, Authenticity and Spotting the Twitter Pretender.

While I had to use the first part to get in some shots at twitterfakes and gurus and autotweeters (wow, I hate those guys), the second part is a message about authenticity that I think is pretty valuable.

Here's an excerpt:

Say what you think. Don’t hold back out of fear of losing a follower. I’m not advocating saying hurtful things that drive people away, but if you censor yourself because you’re afraid the truth might not be popular, you’re only a hop, skip and a jump away from fakesville.

Being authentic makes you interesting. It makes you valuable. It makes you a member of a real community, instead of a player in a meaningless game. If you simply “be yourself,” people will follow. Maybe not tens of thousands or thousands or even hundreds, but how much artificial validation do you really need?

It is absolutely possible to form real connections and even friendships on Twitter. But that’ll never happen if you don’t let people see the real you.

Be yourself, follow people who are interesting and real, talk to them, post and retweet things you think others might like to see. This, my friends, is the “super duper Twitter secret to success.” Nothing more.

What side do you come down on? Do you find it easy to be yourself on Twitter? Or are you playing a numbers game just to get more followers?