As this topic went on the idea of authenticity really developed for me and transformed. It isn’t a simple process to grasp. At the start I saw it as being true to yourself in nature and that was reflected in my post. However now I am not quite so sure.
In my comment to Hannah I raised this view of being different online to offline. However her reply was one that was very interesting which states in our offline life we still withold things dependent on the person, using the example of what she talks about with her manager and her friends. This was very interesting as I’d never considered this and really reflects how we are online, we are constantly trying to sell ourselves for the situation we are in.
This video sums it up very well in how someone is always watching and that you being authentic is important. You need to sell yourself and one avenue of doing that is online, which is essentially a little window into your life. Basic marketing looks more deeply at the importance of authenticity in marketing (Winstead, 2015) and how you brand something should truly reflect it and tell the story. That was the message I got from Arthur’s post, as he talks about being seen with a beer and what that says about you. Increasingly businesses are taking a look into our lives, and that is something we need to be protective of as it can make or break an opportunity.
From this I have learnt a lot and deeply considered and now understand how to be authentic. There is limited difference between your online and offline life, the only real difference is online has a traceability factor involved.
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Blogs Comments
Arthur’s Blog– Topic Three-Online Professional Profiles, published 10th November 2016
Hannah’s Blog– Best of the bunch or authentic?, published 11th November 2016
References
Winstead. R (2015), Being Yourself: The Importance of Authenticity in Online Marketing, Available online at (Last Accessed 18th November 2016)
YouTube Video, Professional Online Profile | Brand your business by branding yourself (BeMyBest), Available online at (Last Accessed 18th November 2016)
Joe’s Blog (my blog), Are you getting in the way of you, published 11th November 2016
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