Identity is a strange beast. It has been studied, discussed, and remains elusive. It has always been hard to define, even without the online world in the mix. But consider the fluidity and mystery of any kind of existence in the sphere that is the internet, and you have a whole new conundrum to worry about. The internet is everywhere and nowhere. Those that act within it can represent themselves in any way they choose, and often it matters little.
St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa unsuccessfully launched legal action against Twitter recently, saying that an unauthorized page that used his name to make light of drunken driving and two Cardinals pitchers who died damaged his reputation and caused emotional distress. Twitter responded saying that the lawsuit was “an unnecessary waste of judicial resources bordering on frivolous. Twitter’s Terms of Service are fair and we believe will be upheld in a court that will ultimately dismiss Mr. La Russa’s lawsuit.” Whichever side you take on this particular dispute, it does highlight an interesting area that, a few years ago, just plain wasn’t a problem.
Despite Twitter’s insistence that they were in the right, they have this month launched a new feature. Verified Accounts allows Twitter users to authenticate themselves, and prove their identity. Used mainly by celebrities who had previously had no way of stopping fans posing as them, it means that their followers can now be sure of who they are.
Next we can look at online networking sites such as the social Facebook, and the more formal LinkedIn, which both continuously reminds users that they should only connect with people they actually know and trust, emphasising that this will reinforce the credibility of the online network. They are obviously aware of the online temptation to pretend you are something more than you are. After all, isn’t this one of the attractions of hours of online roleplaying games? Last year, a man successfully reported a woman to the police after she terminated his online character. She was charged with illegal access onto a computer and manipulating electronic data. If convicted, she could face a prison term of up to five years or a fine up to £2,500. But this isn’t the fascinating part - what’s really amazing is the reason she did it: he ‘divorced’ her WITHIN the game. This made her angry enough to hack into his computer… could she have been driven to do more?
Some of these more extreme examples aside, what about the content we regularly put online? Chances are, you would be careful about the wording of a book you were planning to publish, the text on the sign outside or the content of a leaflet you want to hand out. So what about writing for a more ‘fluid’ environment? What about the topics you write about your blogs, photographs you post on various online profiles, and the comments you leave in forums, others’ profiles and on Twitter. Companies are starting to build web-usage policies, though too late for some. But what about personally? And what if you are selfemployed? Is it a different situation again?
Based on the informal and incomplete research I’ve been doing in the course of my online networking experiment, it seems like people appreciate honesty and truth. The most popular content (whether entertaining or educational) is that which is relevant to the reader. But the most popular online personality is one which is multi-faceted, interesting and above all, real.
So before pondering too hard over what you are going to write about next, whether it will depict your business inthe right light, be honest first. Think less about what you would like to portray and more about what you have to say which will interest. That’s not to say you should be reckless - basic rules of interaction and decency still apply, and some of your thoughts and photos are best kept private! But on the whole, don’t be afraid to get a bit personal. Interest people in the person, and give them a personal connection they will continue to come back for, ready to be led where you want to take them.
