How To Be Authentic Online #AuthenticME
This is a Domain.ME sponsored post.
Last month I shared why it is important to stay authentic online. I bet you are now wondering, how do you stay authentic online? Very good question. That’s what I’m about to tell you…
Today I will share 6 tips to be authentic online plus the Golden Rule of Sharing.
How To Be Authentic Online
Tip #1: Post about the good, the bad and the ugly things in your life.
If you only post about the great things in your life, you may seem fake. We know every day in life is not a good one. That doesn’t mean you have to share your dirty dark secrets, but we want to see the real you!
- The you without makeup
- The you after a workout
- The you eating a hot fudge sundae
- The you after you ran through the ran into the store
- The you with a messy desk
- The you that is the True Self!!
Tip #2: Never intentionally lie about your life to create a persona that isn’t you.
Let’s say you train for months to run a half marathon and you take your followers along with you on the long training journey, but you do not finish the half marathon. Do not lie and tell everyone you finished. That isn’t YOU!
We want to know sometimes things do not turn out the way you want…and that is OK!
There are times when you may lie a little online, but it doesn’t change who you are online. For example, you are planning a vacation to Hawaii in August. Do you really want everyone online to know that you are gone for two weeks in August? For safety reasons, probably not.
So how do you authentically share your vacation? There are two ways to do that:
- Do not share that you will be going on vacation away from home. Set up updates to post during your absence so it doesn’t appear you are gone. When you get back, you can share your vacation photos and experiences online.
- Tell your audience you are going on vacation in September. During a two-week period in September, share the photos from your August vacation.
Neither one of these will change who you are and what you did. It doesn’t change your online persona.
Tip #3: Get permission from friends and family before you include them online.
You may be comfortable having your photo online, but everyone has a different level of comfort. Before you post photos online, ask your friends and family if it is ok to post their photo online.
When I am uploading photos of my kids with their friends, I will be sure that I’m not showing any faces. I take photos from behind or just show hands. Especially when I’m using photos for posting on my blog.
And if you did not get permission and you MUST use the photo, blur out their faces or try to crop them out if possible. If someone asks you to take down a photo of them, apologize and take it down.
Tip #4: Share interesting facts about your everyday life. The Real ME!
I know that some will argue that sharing your everyday life is boring, but I do not agree. I LOVE to see what people are eating, or wearing or what their living room looks like. The everyday makes you REAL. The Real ME is always interesting!
Only share what you are comfortable with and be sure not to share anything that would put you in harm’s way. If you share your car, do not show the license plate. If your child has on a t-shirt with their school’s name, crop the school’s name out.
Tip #5: Engage with your followers.
If you are not engaging with your followers, it is the same as a conversation with only one person talking. If you invite your neighbor over for lunch and she spoke to you and you just went about your business and never gave her the time of day, she would think you weren’t very nice.
If you did that a few times, she probably would decline any future invitations and be friends with someone else.
Talking with your followers and not always AT your followers will show that you are a genuine person. The Genuine ME is the me we want to see! Being genuine is being authentic.
Tip#6: Purchase a domain name that shows who you are personally and professionally.
When you are personal branding yourself authentically online, you need a place for others to find you. Purchasing a .ME domain online is the perfect way to stay authentic. You are being ME instead of someone else.
I own the MicheleMcGraw.ME and scrappinmichele.ME because I have been known as scrappinmichele online since before my blog. It goes back to my scrapbooking days. Both are me.
What is Domain.ME?
Domain.ME is a domain name provider that allows a person or business to create a unique, safe identity online. Having a .ME internet domain can help you build an authentic personal brand online.
Click on the button to get your own Domain.ME!
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Golden Rule of Sharing Authentically
Bonus: Never say or share anything online that you wouldn’t say or share in person.
There are going to be times where you are not sure if you should share something. The Golden Rule is my guideline for what to share. If it is something that I would never say or share in person, then I won’t say or share it online either.
Don’t forget! Click on the button to get your own Domain.ME!
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Disclosure: This post was inspired and sponsored by Domain.ME, the provider of the personal domains that end in .ME. As a company, they aim to promote thought leadership to the tech world. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Golden Rule is so universally applicable, isn’t it?