A couple of days ago, Dino Dogan guested on here with his awesome post, F***ing and Punching: The Moody Side of Business.

It looked at how he came up with the idea of Triberr and how he shared this idea with Dan Cristo, and together they came up with what is one of the best social media automation tools around. It’s a great read, and the comments after the post add to it even more, and offer some excellent tips on starting a business.

However, because Dino used some fruity language – and I published his post as was, cussing title and all – a few folks unsubscribed from the blog, and commented that they weren’t going to read any more, or share across their networks.

Fair enough – I understand that for some folks, swearing and coarse language may not be their cup of tea, and I completely respect that.

However, some also suggested I wasn’t respecting my readers, and that a blog is no place for dropping the F-bomb.

That’s where I’ll have to disagree.

One of the core points to this blog – if not the core point – is respecting my readers. It’s why I have an open commenting system with a fairly easy-going comment policy, for example, and also support other bloggers who read this one with the CommentLuv plug-in.

But perhaps the biggest way I respect my readers is by keeping this blog authentic.

That means allowing guest bloggers to write as they would on their own blogs; protecting my community and deleting comments where they attack other commenters; and telling things as they are, as opposed to the white-washed writing that sometimes happens around the blogosphere.

If this costs me readers, fair enough. I know my writing – and that of my guests – isn’t for everyone, and I’d rather lose readers to blogs where there’ll be a better fit, than have unhappy readers. That’s what’s so great about the blogosphere – there’s so much choice out there that no-one needs to stay where they’re not enjoying the company.

There are many ways to respect your readers – for me, authenticity and allowing an open space to “breathe” is one of the best ways there is. If that means losing numbers, so be it – numbers has never been high on the agenda anyhoo (otherwise I’d be doing subscription runs every month).

Here’s to authenticity – you in?

image: Marc Wathieu

Choosing Authenticity Over Numbers Every Time originally appeared on Danny Brown | Social Media Marketing Blog - The Human Side of Media and the Social Side of Marketing under a Creative Commons license.

For anyone that’s connected to me on Twitter or Facebook, you’ll have probably noticed that my profile avatar for both sites is blacked out.

Far from being the results of a broken browser, it’s blacked out for a reason (the basic gist is a week-long protest at planned Internet laws in New Zealand). It’s led to questions why it’s blacked out, which has led to more knowledge about the cause it’s in support of – so, that’s good, right?

Not necessarily, it would seem.

One of the reactions my avatar received today was the suggestion of a principle-based unfollow on Twitter because my face wasn’t on show. Ari Herzog, someone I have shared numerous great conversations with, mentioned that I wasn’t being transparent or authentic. My avatar being black meant I was hiding. Does an avatar say all that?

One look at my Twitter profile shows you all the main information you need to know. Name, company, what I do, contact details, blog, website – basically the works. So that should cover the transparency angle. As far as authenticity goes, I’d hope that this would be down to people’s opinions through their interactions with me, rather than an avatar.

But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe the real power is in the avatar? Certainly, my blacked out one has raised many questions so people obviously notice any changes. So what’s your take?

Is the power in the picture, or the words behind the picture?

photo credit: Torley

Picture Perfect (Or The Power Of The Avatar) originally appeared on Danny Brown | Social Media Marketing Blog - The Human Side of Media and the Social Side of Marketing under a Creative Commons license.