Social Cache.
A Nemo blog. Dealing with uncommon cents.

On his blog Marketing | Truth, Mark Olson has a very interesting post that includes opinion from some like-minded smart people discussing the notion of authenticity vs authority across the social web. I left a comment of my own over there but I felt my initial thoughts may be worth expanding upon here.

In the comment, I ask first “Is social media marketing now just a channel where marketers are missing out on the Social Web?” My argument being once someone opens a browser they are participating in the social web. Also, as heated discussions arise around the idea of real-time search and its value versus indexed search, where experiential awareness and reputation management become all important, where does authority and authenticity fall in user perception?

Seth Godin kicks things off and arguably takes the laurels with his short, incisive paragraph:

“If it’s a word game, then authority wins, because authority is about the perception of the consumer. If they believe you are an authority, you are. In the long run, of course, authenticity will trump it, because your authority fades without it. The converse is not true. And yes, it’s a word game.”

Brian Solis has his say too. Anyone who cares about the idea of web communications, PR 2.0 along with social media marketing and advertising must know Brian Solis.

At its heart my response was really just my thoughts based around their opinions. Here is my comment [slightly edited]:

“Seth Godin begins his smart, short answer with “If it’s a word game…” as if planting a stake in the ground. He knows it is a word game and he knows that we know it too. Brian Solis proposes a list of new definitions but the problem is that they are more words. He suggests switching out new definitions such as ‘believability’ for ‘transparency’ where transparency is already perfect; transparency says it all very clearly, whereas believability makes me think of the possibility of opaqueness.

This search for ‘authenticity or ‘authority’ is an extension of television in my mind – who would we trust to read us the news? In the past it was always well spoken, handsome, gravelly-voiced white men. It is no coincidence that we view the web through the same lens, a rectangular screen, but it’s worth remembering that technology simply shortens the distance between us. As Marshall McLuhan has written “any history of technology is filled with unexpected reversal of form resulting from new advances.” Now we have the social web.
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Tacky Souvenirs of Pre-Inaugural America.

“As Ice-T implies, the thing called authenticity seems self-evident: obvious in its presence, glaring in its absence. As a question of being true—to beliefs, institutions, and traditions—authenticity strikes many as worth defending, or mourning. The epitaph “Hip-hop is dead,” for instance, is almost as old as hip-hop. Typical is the reaction of Ice-T, a rapper since the heyday of beatboxing, against Soulja Boy Tell ’Em, who’s still too young to drink. Soulja Boy, who produced his breakout singles in a home studio and became famous through social-networking sites, is emblematic of a new and notably independent moment in musical promotion. But to Ice-T’s aged ears, he’s complicit in the desecration of hip-hop’s authentic essence—the raw sound, the social message—in favor of the saccharine hook.

……authenticity today, in the expanded field of media, is more deeply in crisis. This crisis does not involve mere negation, but inversion. Inauthenticity, which looks a lot like the opposite of authenticity, is actually its successor—or its mirror.”

If you want to have a truly great blog, transparency is a must. Yes, that’s a bold statement, but it really is the cornerstone of building a solid following.

WHAT IS TRANSPARENCY?

1. Transparency is about being trustworthy.

The easiest way to earn a reader’s trust is to tell the truth. Dave Allen states simply that ‘Being authentic means [that] the blog’s author is a “trusted source” and this trust can never be abused.’ The last thing a blogger should do is fake it because inevitably they will get caught and called out. Once your image is tarnished, it may be close to impossible to regain that former glory. The internet nearly guarantees that past sins will live on forever.

2. Transparency is about being upfront about your sources and affiliations.

If your post is influenced by a promotion or advertising agreement, always practice full disclosure. “Pay per post” takes place when a blogger is offered products or cash to promote an advertiser in their articles. Going down this road can be tricky if you aren’t upfront about it and it has the potential of alienating readers. Clearly differentiate your main content from that of which is paid (and make it clear if there’s any crossover between the two). Most readers understand that bloggers have to make a living too, but it should be an honest living.

3. Transparency is about being upfront with who you are and why you’re blogging.

Give your ‘About’ page some serious thought. After spending some quality time on your site, readers will probably want to know more about you.

Also, what are your reasons for blogging? Are you trying to make new friends? Is your goal to gain new clients for your business? Do you want to earn enough ad revenue to turn your blogging into a full-time job? Is your aim to make new connections in your industry? The more open you are with your readers about what you plan on gaining, the more trusting they will be to what you have to offer.

AVOID CENSORSHIP UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY

One of the biggest slip-ups that bloggers can make is to censor those who want to interact in a two-way conversation. The Opinionated Marketers are right when they say that “It’s one thing to write a blog saying great things about a celebrity (or a company or a product). But if you’re going to invite the public to participate, you need to be ready for the bad as well as the good.”

Dave Allen expands upon this concept by explaining that “once a company [or person] opens the doors, it can not close them. If a company starts a blog [and it should] it can not moderate the comments. And the CEO and other executives should not be contributing to the blog if they do not have the right “authority” or “voice”. By that, I mean authenticity. It’s an overused word at times but in the right context, it is completely accurate. If a CEO were to jump on the blog to blow her own trumpet non-critically about a company’s service or product, the readers would see through it immediately.”

Many of the popular bloggers today with massive followings have done so through developing a personal connection with their readers. When readers trust the blogger’s ‘voice,’ chances are that they will want to contribute to an ongoing conversation via comments, email and possibly even a follow-up article on their own blog. For a real conversation to occur, both sides need to be allowed to communicate. Silencing one of the sides won’t allow that organic conversation to develop.

There are times when the deletion of a comment should be considered, but this stance should be practiced sparingly. Obscene comments that contain no value to the conversation and attacks on fellow commenters may warrant action, but if you let everything else flow, chances are that the people who are really passionate about what you do will jump in and defend you.

Transparency can’t be bought and it can’t be earned overnight. Transparency takes equal amounts of time and honesty to develop and is worth its weight in gold. Because, with transparency comes trust and respect. And, with trust and respect, loyal fans will follow. And, with loyal fans, a tight-knit base for your brand credibility evolves.