Those of us who regularly use social networking sites, know that it has never been easier to spot a fake.
It’s hard for people to hide who they really are and what they know (or don’t know,) when they regularly update their social networking accounts.
Yes, anyone can fake it for a little while, but in the medium and long term, we get so much information that it’s very simple to build up a profile of the people we regularly see sharing.
Fakes, saying and seeing
Ironically, many of those people believe that the Internet makes it easier for them to fool the marketplace, because social media gives them the chance to say anything they like. They can pretend to be experts, leaders or visionaries, so people will ‘just believe them’, right?
Wrong! The exact opposite is true. Today, we can see what the fakes are doing on social networks, regardless of what they say.
Some common examples we see all the time include:
- The web designer, who talks every day about the need for great design, yet whose own site has rookie design errors.
- The leaders on Twitter, who ask you to follow people on Fridays because that’s when everyone does it.
- The thought leader, who never shares an original thought.
- The business development expert, who feels compelled to scream “TGIF!” to everyone who follows them every Friday, because they can’t wait to get away from their own business.
- The marketing expert, who uses social media to pester people for their attention, rather than attract their interest.
- The social media guru, who shows they have no idea about being social.
- The business networking expert, who works behind an avatar photo that was taken 15 years ago.
- The copywriter, who is unable to write interesting social media updates.
- The work-life balance gurus, who go missing for months, because their own work-life balance is totally out of control.
Thankfully, the same visibility that exposes the fakes, makes it easier than ever for genuine people to demonstrate their knowledge, professionalism and consistency. It has never been easier or more rewarding, to be your unique self.