Authentic Authorities on the Internet: How to find them, and how to become one.
Who are the true authorities on the
Internet? How do we find them? How does one become an authentic authority on
the Web?
There are so many voices on the Internet,
and as anyone can make claims about anything, it can become quite trying when
attempting to research an issue or subject that one feels passionate about. If
you’d like to become an authority on a topic, or you’d like to find people
whose information and opinions are credible/reputable, then there are some
definite ideas to take into consideration.
How do you prove that you know what you’re
talking about, or that your depth of knowledge and experience outweighs others?
If there are thousands of people discussing photography on the web, how do you
show people that you’re worth relating to? How do you make connections with the
right people and not charlatans or novices?
As all things in life, the Internet isn’t
different in the sense that stripping things back to their simplicity gets us
to the real essential point of things. The first step to creating an authentic
presence online is simple: Be yourself! What does this mean? It means, share your opinions; your point-of-view, the one that no one else in the world has.
How do you become an authority? Simple. Get
to know one area of interest/subject matter as well as you can. Research. Read.
Discuss. Google search your topic of choice and then read what the highest
ranked people’s blogs have to say about it. Then have a look at some of the
lesser-known sites. You never know what hidden pearls of wisdom and experience
lurk beneath your fingertips. Look for voices that are creative and original.
If they have a blog and it’s getting a lot of valid comments from other people
whose sites show genuine credibility, you know you’ve found a source of
knowledge, as well as a possible connection to relate with, share, and learn
from.
One key to becoming learned about anything
is to relate with those who already are. Look for websites and blogs where
people back up their opinions with facts. Find places where conversation is
occurring based around interesting topics. There are plenty of blogs who have
great topics, but whose dialogue deviates from the source content. Look for
blogs who have links to other respected sites. You have to take time and do
your research properly. There are a lot of fake’ blogs out there who have huge
lists of other people with whom they link’ to, but in reality never have any
real deep interaction.
What is one of your passions? Think about
how you went about learning about it. I’ve been training in martial arts for
many years. It’s a hard road. I’ve had many teachers, spent a lot of time
training, and read many books on the subject. When I talk to a teacher who is
experienced, you can feel the wisdom in their words, in their voice. If I was
to search for martial arts websites, I know what kind of voice’ I’d be looking
for in someone’s written text. It would need to be humble, positive, friendly,
and focus on all the fine details in respect to how to progress with lifelong
practice.
If I wanted to show that I was an authority
on martial arts on the Internet, the first step would to become one in reality.
Besides regular training from a respected mentor, I’d need to know as much as I
could about the topic. After I’d set up a website/blog and started writing
articles on what I know, I’d need to go to others’ sites that interest me and
leave genuine comments about issues that affected me. I’d try to help these
other people, and occasionally challenge their assertions if I didn’t wholly
agree with them. Just as in reality (the Internet may be virtual’, but it’s
definitely part of real life’) we gain respect and interest from others when
we speak and act from a base of truth.
A fine soul once said, “The truth will set
you free. Think of your interaction on the Internet just as you do with
everyday normal living. You want to know and befriend those of similar
interests with standards not unlike your own. You probably get a great feeling
of accomplishment when you help others. Who doesn’t? Do it on the Internet too!
Don’t think solely about what you will gain by having an online presence. Think
about how your knowledge and experience might help others. It’s always great to
achieve reciprocity, but people feel altruism online just as in all other
public spheres, and we appreciate it.
Remember , every person in the world who
knows about some specialised field of interest once knew nothing at all about
it. They searched for truth and then they shared what they’d learnt with
others.
About the author
Jesse S. Somer
is a creative writer working at M6.Net: The web-hosting company for humans.’
M6.Net is working hard to help humanity experience the power and freedom to
develop their own part of the Internet, to share their information and connect
with anyone, anywhere, anytime. http://www.readmine.com/
is their next step towards fulfilling this goal.
Tags: authorities, blog, charlatans, credibility, definite ideas, fingertips, google, many voices, novices, pearls of wisdom, photography, point of view, possible connection, presence, simplicity, subject matter, valid comments
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