A reader recently asked me how to avoid sounding too ego-centric online through writing. Great question! I certainly don’t have all the answers (an important attitude to remember with your readers), but I do have some thoughts that can be applied to a variety of social media settings like Facebook, Twitter and blogs like this one. Hope you enjoy 5 Ways to Avoid Being An Online Know-it-all:
Great questions! I certainly don’t have all the answers (an important attitude to remember with your readers), but I do have some thoughts:
1. Don’t claim to have all the answers. You can do this with language (ex. Saying things like, “While I don’t have all the answers, here are a few thoughts…”)
2. Encourage participation from readers and feedback. This is your way of saying, “I don’t own the market on this topic, but am simply a part of a larger conversation.”
3. Balance confidence with humility. This is easier said than done. Writers have to write with confidence. Otherwise, you can come across as insecure about what you are saying. Humility, however, says, “I am confidence, but not perfect. I think this balance is an art more than it is a science, leading me to another tip….
4. Be you. Don’t try to be someone you are not. Just be you. If you are educated or experienced in an area, share what you know. People sniff out posers.
5. Lastly, mix in posts about your mistakes, what you are learning, what you are thinking. Even the word “learning” indicates that you didn’t know it all to begin with.
Bonus…. Ask yourself the question, what value am I adding to my readers’ life? Unless you are a celebrity that people will follow regardless of authorial content, you have to earn your way into trust and authority with them by adding value to their lives.
How else can we avoid being an Online Know-it-all? Love to hear your thoughts in the comments…
