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?

On Friendship and Social Media

Is it possible to make real friends on Twitter and other social media sites? How do you distinguish between real friends and "twitterfriends" or "facequaintances?" Is it ever okay to claim friendship with a celebrity who follows your updates on Twitter?

These are a few of the questions I took on in my new post for uTweet.it.

After a long rant against the banal douchebaggery of people claiming to have intimate connections with celebrities on Twitter, I come down on the side of those who believe that yes, it is possible to form real friendships on social networking sites.

How those friendships are defined, how they rate against friendships based on face-to-face interaction, these are important questions. The answers may shape the landscape of friendship in the 21st century.