On authenticity in social media

I have been reflecting on this issue for a long while now, particularly because for me, it is an important and relevant topic. I had a meeting this morning with a number of government representatives who were interested in social media strategizing. I mentioned the phrase “be authentic” as one of the key elements of success in the implementation of any social media strategy. Even if my primary professional activity isn’t social media, I *always* get asked a question that I always answer with “well, I think it’s because I’m authentic both online and offline”. The question is – “what has made you so successful? why do people follow you on Twitter and why do they read your blog”.

I don’t particularly think of myself as successful, but I would attribute any success I’ve had in social media (and in general, in every single realm, but particularly in the ones where social networking comes to play) has been the fact that the Raul you meet in person at a meetup/tweetup/social event or on the street (I bump into people who recognize me quite a lot these days) is the same Raul you read online both on Twitter and on this blog.

How do YOU, my dear reader, identify authenticity online? Comments, as always, very welcome.