{"id":1137,"date":"2012-09-17T00:00:36","date_gmt":"2012-09-17T05:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.walkingwithcake.com\/?p=1137"},"modified":"2012-09-16T21:47:27","modified_gmt":"2012-09-17T02:47:27","slug":"the-genuine-article","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.walkingwithcake.com\/?p=1137","title":{"rendered":"The Genuine Article"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Monkey see, Monkey do.)<\/p><\/div>\n

Authenticity<\/em> is a word that gets thrown around a lot these days, and I kind of hate it.\u00a0 Not only is it hard to say, but it just sounds pretentious, at least the way it’s currently being used<\/a>.\u00a0 People talk about living authentic<\/em> lives, having authentic<\/em> friends, and blogging authentically<\/em>.\u00a0 But what does that even mean?\u00a0 It just sounds very canned and Oprah-esque, in my opinion.\u00a0 An antique watch is authentic, or it’s not.\u00a0 Chinese food is authentic, or it’s not.\u00a0 People are real.\u00a0 Right?<\/p>\n

As I’ve worked to improve and promote my blog these past few months, I’ve thought a lot about the issue of authenticity<\/em> and what it means in the blogging world and social media.\u00a0 Sure, everyone wants to put their best face forward, and there’s always that delicate balance between revealing too much information and not enough.\u00a0 Some bloggers choose to air their dirty laundry in public and get reamed for it, while others put on bright and shiny faces, even as the very weight of the world beats down upon their shoulders, and they suffer the consequences, too.\u00a0 Sometimes it seems like we can’t win for losing.<\/p>\n

This past week, I had two unusual experiences that stopped me dead in my blogging tracks and opened my eyes a bit more to the reality of social media and the online presence.\u00a0 One was the culmination of months of strange behavior by someone that I have watched from the relative privacy of the internet, while the other involved an online purchase that I planned to blog about.\u00a0 In both cases, I was left extremely disappointed, and I can’t, in good conscience, write about either in detail, for very different reasons.<\/p>\n

And while that may sound incredibly vague and even bizarre, it’s not the first time I’ve witnessed what some would call inauthentic<\/em> behavior, or for the realists among us, dishonesty<\/em>.<\/p>\n

My writing background is academic, and I’m used to citing sources and providing references for thoughts and statements that are not mine.\u00a0 I like to think that I bring that same sensibility to blogging, and it’s important for me to provide real and honest information and photographs.\u00a0 I also believe in giving credit where credit is due, and, because I read many blogs that inspire me, I will always link back to the original source.\u00a0 If I write a review of a product or mention another blogger, I will let the company or blogger know, usually in advance, and their response is typically very cordial.\u00a0 I love interacting with other bloggers and developing friendships, and when I profiled my favorite fashion bloggers <\/a>(something I felt compelled to do after another disconcerting instance in the blogosphere), all five women were thrilled to participate.<\/p>\n

While it’s easy to get hung up on readership numbers and monthly pageviews, I think it’s more important to remember why we blog and write in the first place.\u00a0 I love sharing pieces of my life with others, and I’m so grateful for the friends I’ve made and the followers I have.\u00a0 I love taking blogging classes, live, in the comfort of my home, knowing all the while that others are doing the same thing alongside me.\u00a0 And I love connecting with people across the world and learning about their lives and stories.\u00a0 This, to me, is what blogging is about.<\/p>\n

We’re all in this together, and we need to remember that.\u00a0 Honesty is always the best policy, so let’s try to keep it real.<\/p>\n

I would love to hear your thoughts on this, so please feel free to share them.<\/p>\n

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