[quote style="boxed"]Dear friends, let me introduce Vivek Krishnan from CollegeFallout.com with his wonderful guest post for SEO MMO Tips blog. Krishnan points out the interesting scenario being more apparent in blog-sphere of faking identity as if the blogger is super big guy. Please enjoy the post and don’t forget to leave your feedback on the comment box below! ~Suresh Khanal[/quote]
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his article was not meant to happen, but after reading so many posts where bloggers talk about faking it till you make it in the blogging world, I felt compelled to write this post. Faking it till you make it is becoming rather popular in the blogging scenario. It is of course rampant in the dating scene, but, more recently, it has become the mainstay of most new bloggers. However, what many bloggers who fake it don’t understand is that when they fake it, they are basically insulting the intelligence of their readers. There really is no definitive way that you can fake yourself to be someone you are not when it comes to blogging. Also, fakers can never survive too long, they will eventually lose interest and quit blogging.
If you are looking for the testimony of the statement above, then you can probably have a look at the litter of make money online blogs around the internet. Almost all of these blogs will call themselves “Guru’s” or the “No.1 Website with six figure income” – well I don’t buy it. And if you are a person with a fair sensibility, you would not either.
What most good authors really mean when they talk about faking it till they make it is basically about presenting oneself well.
There is a very fine line between “Faking it” and Presenting oneself well!
Interestingly, fake it till you make it is basically all about presenting yourself well. It is not about going overboard with nonsensical achievements that no one will believe, instead, it is about letting out a subtle message to your readers that you are sort of a big deal.
The best example to show the difference between faking it and presenting oneself well is this way:
Suppose you have a blog on Making money online, if you were a faker – this is how you would brand yourself: “Learn to Make a Six Figure Income from the MMO Guru!“. Which is frankly, an insult to my intelligence, because one look at your site and I would tell the blogger hasn’t earned a penny from the internet. A blog which makes six figure income has its tell-tale signs.
However, if you were a cut above, then you would probably brand yourself with: “The premier destination to learn to make money online”, so if I were to read a tagline like this, I would stop a moment to think that although you may not be the highest earning blogger on the internet – you know what you are talking about.
Key takeaway: In the example above, even if both the blogs had the exact same content, the blogger who used the second approach would win my respect.
In conclusion, I really don’t see the sense in faking it. Because no matter how you fake it, the end result is always going to be the falling apart of your brand image. Building a reputation takes time, otherwise, everyone who fakes it would be a millionaire. There is a thin line in faking it and presenting yourself well.
I thank Suresh for the opportunity to guest post at his blog, I am looking forward to your comments and making new friends.
Image Credit: farconville / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I think online users are intelligent enough to differentiate between genuine and fake. If you’re really serious about your blogging then you should be honest and genuine as it’ll help you in long run and build your reputation.
Andy recently posted…Making Sense of Data
Hi Andy,
Yes thats true. Online users are definitely much more intelligent than you assume them to be.
Vivek Krishnan recently posted…5 Surefire Ways to Get Audited by the IRS
Hi!
Uniqe and genuine blog must be a unique style of writing and an interesting way of putting the knowledge in a short but in clear , easy way to understand. sincerirty is the key of success in any profession or field.
I really loved your post! I’ll be pinning this on pinterest!
Kenneth recently posted…8 Quick Web Design Tips
Thank you Kenneth. Much appreciated.
Vivek Krishnan recently posted…5 Surefire Ways to Get Audited by the IRS
I agree, it is now easy to recognize those fake sites offering
easy making money.People today are now more intelligent but still there are deceitful people.
Creating a fake name is very unprofessional, from my point of view. Throughout the years I’ve learnt that if you want to succeed on the long-run you have to be very respectable, creative and honest.
Jack Sander recently posted…How to patch a hole in drywall
Yes, you got that right. Honesty about your failure and struggles is as important as your success. And it is much more fun to be creative and original. Thanks for your commment Jack.
Vivek Krishnan recently posted…5 Surefire Ways to Get Audited by the IRS
Hey Vivek!!
I didn’t think regular and sensible visitors face any problem in judging genuine and fake.But very honestly if we use our skills so it’s great for earning point of view rather than copying others ideas.
Rizwan Sultan recently posted…Iphone Suppliers
Yes visitors are very smart and they have no issues in realizing which bloggers are faking it and those who are original.
Thanks for reading the article and commenting Rizwan!
Vivek Krishnan recently posted…5 Surefire Ways to Get Audited by the IRS
Many bloggers who make money blogging says that the best thing that you can do is to own your own domain and hosting when it comes to blogging. This way, you do not have to worry about the owners of the site pulling your blog or any rules that they may have about certain advertising.
Renea recently posted…Article Writer Devon
That is true Renea, that is why Self-hosted WP blogs are the best options for every blogger.
Vivek Krishnan recently posted…5 Surefire Ways to Get Audited by the IRS
Unless you are really good at it then “faking it” would work. I do not have the confidence to try it though and I prefer writing about something I like, I enjoy and skillful about. You are right about “faking it” would provide a probability of losing the trust of our readers. Thank you for the reminder.
Betty recently posted…DTS Home
Thanks for commenting Betty. I am glad you found it useful.
Vivek Krishnan recently posted…5 Surefire Ways to Get Audited by the IRS
Very True.
Many “Make Money Online” niche sites market them self as the top earner in the internet , only to make other believe they are the Gurus and buy products from them.
A true online marketer and experienced one never does this. This is only to gain cheap popularity for newbie.
That is true, most newbies try to fake it to gain cheap popularity that never lasts too long. Thanks for commenting Subhash.
Vivek Krishnan recently posted…5 Surefire Ways to Get Audited by the IRS
This world is all about authenticity these days. I hope that continues. I can’t stand fake bloggers. I usually can tell fake from real, but I know there has to be a few times I’ve been fooled. Shame on me, huh?
Haha…of course not Brian, it is nothing to be bothered about if one has been fooled by fakers as long as you realize in the long run that you are being had.
Vivek Krishnan recently posted…5 Surefire Ways to Get Audited by the IRS
I’ll feel no shame now. And I’ll probably always look now at blogs with a suspecting eye : )
Brian@pizza jokes recently posted…Top Ten Pizza Jokes and Stories
I guess, that would be Paranoia 101.
Vivek Krishnan recently posted…5 Ways to Show Appreciation to Your Fellow Bloggers
The persona you show at the start of your blogging stint will be the one that will stick in the minds of many people. The first impression’s going to be hard to change, in my opinion. If I’m going to “fake it,” I’m going to have to work hard to keep that persona, but I don’t see the point of faking things from the start.
There is no sense in faking from Day 1 as it is certain that readers can see through it.
Vivek Krishnan recently posted…5 Ways to Show Appreciation to Your Fellow Bloggers
It’s usually quite easy to spot the fakes, but even with the good fakes the cracks soon start to show and they expose themselves rapidly.
As the faking it can become to difficult to keep up with, why do people fing it so hard to just be theirselves?
Lucy recently posted…Employment Vetting
I agree, it is sometime very frustrating to understand why some people cant be themselves. Thanks for your comment Lucy.
To be a genuine demands positivity in the blogging career. For earning wait a lot and at each step show your positive attitude.Fake leave the struggle in the very early stage.
Maja@fantastic sams recently posted…Fantastic Sams Promo Codes
Thanks for your comments Maja.
Vivek Krishnan recently posted…5 Surefire Ways to Get Audited by the IRS
I think that faking it doesn’t work. The audience deserves it to be honest with them, And of you don’t play roles or don’t lie, your success is guaranteed.
Julie recently posted…cerec crowns
True, thanks for commenting Julie.
Vivek Krishnan recently posted…5 Ways to Show Appreciation to Your Fellow Bloggers
Faking it, especially online in the MMO niche is a bad idea. No respect. It may have worked for many in the past, but those days are slowly fading, minus the impressionable newbies.
I’d have more respect for someone who posts their income showing they lost money for 1 year straight and what they learned from their mistakes, than some poser with a crap blog who is teaching how to make $44,874.56 a day on 2 hours of work.
Right Jeff, you got the essence of the article. A blog that is really honest with their success and failures alike are worth respecting rather than stupid blogs that teach on making millions of dollars while they themselves are struggling to make a couple of bucks.
Thanks for your comments.
Vivek Krishnan recently posted…5 Surefire Ways to Get Audited by the IRS
Thank you! Faking it until you make it helps absolutely no one. The readers don’t get any helpful knowledge, more likely they got something that will hurt them. The writer is not going to get rich or whatever their incentive is just because they are not going to provide any new information.
Elena Anne recently posted…The Power of Beets: 10 Reasons You Should Try Them
Hi Elene, that is a valid point that faking it will in fact hurt the person who reads the blog and tries to implement the things they have mentioned. It is really unethical.
Vivek Krishnan recently posted…5 Surefire Ways to Get Audited by the IRS
Vivek-
Very relevant article. I agree going to far with faking you online persona can be very unfortunate especially if someone really believes me. If you say your are an expert or this is your niche I just hope you at least know what you are talking about a little bit.
thanks
sean
sean @blogs with dofollow recently posted…Mirasol Serves Side of Social Engagements with its Homes
Rightly said Sean, thanks for your comment to this article. Much appreciated!
Vivek Krishnan recently posted…5 Surefire Ways to Get Audited by the IRS
I am surprised how many people actually do something like this.
Shalu Sharma recently posted…Introduction to buying services on Fiverr
What you said about there being a fine line between being presentable and faking it is really true. Marketing yourself means being able to present yourself favorably, which can sometimes mean embellishing a bit, but one should always strive for honestly. The best policy is simply to be what your audience wants in the first place, so no falseness is required.
All-in-all, though, one shouldn’t fake it until they make it if that means faking it severely for for a long time! Ultimately if what you really are isn’t marketable, there is little sense trying.
Steven Papas recently posted…Webhosting Plans
your post about the blogging is really good but my thought is by using this fake blog writers would not write the rich information which will be more useful to all.. fake blog did not receive much people and its people also would not get much knowledge.