A Call for Facebook Authenticity

By Jill Kurtz
Online Career Tips Contributor

It is just me or are most of the posts on your Facebook feed these days items that the person who posted them didn’t actually create? At this moment, my most recent newsfeed includes a share of a video, “If This Video Doesn’t Make You ‘HAPPY’… Well, There’s Just No Hope For You,” a picture of a recipe, and other items that were not created by the people who posted them.

My newsfeed is like looking at a sideshow of the world’s quirkiest photos, videos, and stories. What happened to using this social platform to keep up with friends, families, and organizations that we care about?

In my world, your Facebook wall should be about you—your thoughts and your content. Perhaps with all the demands to post frequently to all of our social channels we have all forgotten the importance of being authentic on social media. We just share what others have created as a quick way to add something to our sites.

Here’s a quick test to evaluate if you are being authentic on your social sites: Look at your last 10 posts. What do they say about you? If they are all about cute cats and you are a cat lover, maybe you are OK. If not, it may be time to stop sharing what others have done and start sharing your own commentary.

Whether you use Facebook and other social media platforms to connect with friends and family, to position yourself as an expert, or to meet new people, it is important for your site to be a reflection of who you are. You want to help people to connect with what you are thinking and doing. Although it isn’t face-to-face, these channels are designed to help us to develop connections and relationships.

From my friends that take the time to share their own content, I get wonderful photos of vacations and pets, commentary on current events, and insights into their day-to-day activities. This bridges any physical distance and makes me feel like we are still connected on a daily basis. And, occasionally, these posts allow me to offer some relevant thoughts or advice. In short, it allows me to have a relationship with the people I am connected to.

I welcome your thoughts on what you like to see on your social channels. As for me, writing about this has inspired me to compose my next Facebook post – “I just blogged at Online Career Tips!”