Blogging with an Authentic Voice

A bit more "authentic" than necessary this morning. (nice hair)

When blogging, it sometimes feels as though you lose a piece of yourself as you send your words out into the Internet for the world to see. Most bloggers are interested in more than merely sharing their thoughts on a topic; most are looking for engagement. To facilitate this aspect of technological communication, blogging experts typically dispense with a singular bit of advice:

When you blog, do so with an authentic voice.

I doubt there are many bloggers that set out to do otherwise, but sometimes, under the pressures to provide continual content, efforts to find ways to monetize, bring more traffic and blog promotion, it is possible that an authentic voice can get pushed aside.

In May, when I went to Blog World Expo New York, I went to a panel by Jodi Beck of MomTalk and WomensForum.com fame entitled "Why an Authentic Voice Rings True." She spoke a lot about how she started (back in 1996!) and built up to such an enormous venture, but the most valuable part of the panel, for me, was her break-down of what an authentic voice is and is not.

An Authentic Voice IS

• YOU in print. As basic as that sounds, I agree with this. Does your printed word reflect YOU? While you do need to keep your readers in mind as you write, and those for whom you are an affiliate, these two aspects should not have you being insincere to yourself. Select your affiliate programs carefully - do you truly enjoy this product? Will you be able able to sell it sincerely? There are plenty of programs out there, simply find the ones that work for you.
• Honest, transparent first person. If you are going to sell, let your readers know. If you have an opinion about a topic, share it. You will not make all of your readers happy all of the time, but that is normal, that is human. Wouldn't it be nice if your readers remembered, even for one post, that there was an honest-to-goodness human being behind all of your beautifully designed digital masterpieces? However, from a creative writing standpoint, I am not sure one actually has to write in first person to have an authentic voice, but I do believe the perspective should be yours.
• Emotionally connected. I agree with this point if, for no other reason, that it too brings in the human aspect of blogging. This does not mean that every post needs to be some emotionally charged work that leaves your readers requiring a monthly supply of Kleenex tissues just to get through your feed. This simply means, in my opinion, that blogging does not have to be objective reporting one would find in a newspaper that's interested in "Just the facts, Ma'am!" (Unless, of course, your blog is serving as a news source and your portfolio for a future in journalism!).

An Authentic Voice IS NOT

• Preachy. This can be difficult if you feel strongly about a topic. In fact, a reader of Grist actually wrote into an advice column about the issue after a difficult situation in real life. There is some good advice in the response that I think can be transferred to blog writing in Umbra on talking about environmentalism without being preachy.
• Arrogant. Here's another one to be careful with bloggers! Did you start writing your blog because you are an expert in your field? Do you feel that you know more than the average man/woman on the topic at hand? Do you have a litany of references that can be furbished upon request and awards and accolades to prove just how much of an expert you are?! Well, that is just AWESOME! That is why we, your readers, come to your blog in the first place. Find a way to incorporate all of that into your "About Me" page. There is absolutely no need to be arrogant in your posts once we have arrived. We don't need to be reminded of how amazing you are all of the time, we simply need you to share a bit of your awesomeness with us - if you do that, we'll be back and we'll tell our friends about you, too!
• Perfection Oriented. Machines are perfection oriented. Humans have this cute little thing called "human error." Everyone knows about it, statisticians even account for it in their big studies about really important stuff. If you try to pretend that you are above error, that makes you a tiny bit less human to your readers and less relate-able.
• Manufactured. This speaks mainly to the blogs that expand and become joint ventures, or posting with an enormous frequency. If you have gotten to this point, it is important remember how you did so - even if you bring on guest posters, or start to collaborate with other bloggers, there is no reason for you to ever shift your voice and sound "manufactured." This can create a quick and slippery slope - why would readers stay? In short, Jodi Peck's point here was, the authentic voice of a blog is important no matter what level of blogging your are at. (And she could speak to that point a heck of a lot better than I can!

Remember: 

It is YOUR VOICE, more than anything else, that sets you apart from the crowd and makes you truly unique.

How do you maintain your authentic voice when writing?

Other Blogging Lessons I've Learned

• The Birds and Bees of Your Blog Life
• 3 More Lessons From Blog World 
• 3 Lessons from My First Day at Blog World NY 
• Your Book Proposal from a Publisher's Perspective
• How Darren Rowse Has Forever Changed My Life in 10 Days 
• Where Do I Get My Degree In Blogging?

Check out Blogworld in LA in November (click below for up to 30% off if you register by 9/21)!