In Chris Brogan’s free eBook on personal branding , he writes “Try not to brag, ever. Be humble. Not falsely so, but truly, because a lot of what we do isnʼt as important as saving lives.”
Its’ a great point to make. I keep thinking about it. But – I’m trying to get my head around something.
What is the difference between merrily sharing your achievements online without a hint of snobbery …and bragging about your online self and sounding like a self obsessed, attention starved narcissist? Which achievements can you share? What about blog rankings? Career highlights? Speaking engagements? Same thing applies when you write your bio. And publishing photos of yourself, or posting videos. Is it all just a matter of getting the ratio and attitude right? Confidence without conceit. What do you think?
By the way – look at what I found in the garden. I’m amazed considering we never water our garden (water restrictions.) These roses simply screaaamed out “look at me! ooh la la! take my foto pleeaaze.” Talk about show-offs 
Garden Rose
Would love your thoughts on ego and bragging….
So here are a few of my thoughts:
- I share conference presentations, articles, random ideas. Each of these can offer someone some value – it’s isn’t just about me – there’s something in it for you.
- I try to give other people the props they deserve.
- People have different tolerances for promoting themselves and receiving the self-promoting activities of others. You will never get it completely right and you will never please everyone. You’ve just got to get on with it.
- I tend to take the p*** out of myself a lot – because I am egotistical but I am also (sometimes) aware of it.
BTW Love the photos.
Good question – and one I believe goes to “intent”. This is really one of those “I can’t define it, but I know it when I see it” issues… I think there’s something to consider in the area of “self awareness” – the attitude with which the information is shared. Matt seems to do it with an attitude of “it’s all *not* about me”, even though the information is *clearly* about me. That works.
Jasmin, I honestly believe that authenticity and intent will ultimately be conveyed regardless of the communications medium. In other words, you can’t fake it. There may be a few very talented individuals who can craft a seemingly genuine false image online but as soon as that online image meets their offline life, people quickly pick up on the insincerity.
My partners and I believe that personal branding is essential in today’s e-era but you cannot afford to risk destroying your credibility by creating a false image either. It’s a bit like SEO spamming. Sure, you can try to beat the search engine algorithms but eventually the mathematical geniuses in Google’s basement will catch up with you.
@matt thanks, yes I think you need to be able to laugh at yourself
good point
@thinkerdog I like how you sum it up. I think you also pinpoint the crux of the issue that bloggers (like myself) need to “be aware” of
@dave totally agree with you about the authentic voice. I wonder though, what happens when good intent and authenticity might be misunderstood, for instance due little too much enthusiasm
You could always write a post titled, “Me, me, me … it’s all about me”
The thing I like about social media is that it is not about what you say, but what you do. It’s less about you and more about the communities in which you participate. And because of that participation, you are adding value to the conversations that circulate in your area of interest/expertise.
If you are going to talk about your conference presentation, share the materials. Write about what surprised you during question time. What you learned and where you need to improve. Ask questions of your readers and invite them to participate.
Same with rankings and lists. Write about the lists you are on or ones that you aspire to. Explain why. Question your motives. And muse on the answers … just like those beautiful roses, we all like a little sunshine. But not everyone wants the blazing heat that can come along with it
thanks Gavin -that’s a great practical tip.