Everyone these days seems to have a lot of advice about how you can find success in the online world. There’s advice about how to create compelling content. There’s advice on how to get the best results from Twitter, Google Plus, Facebook, and Pinterest. There’s advice on how to make loads of money using affiliate marketing, and there’s advice on how to create a compelling email campaign.
The best advice I have to offer can be boiled down to two words. Two small words.
Don’t lie.
Every problem I’ve seen in the online world could have been avoided had the folks involved heeded this advice.
Don’t lie.
Don’t tell me you’re interested in community building if you’re having someone else communicate for you.
Don’t say you’ll do something if you have no intention of doing it.
Don’t say you like someone only to turn around and bad-mouth them to other people.
Don’t lie to yourself about what you know or about what you are capable of, and don’t lie to other people about that either.
Don’t offer false advice because you don’t have the real answer.
Don’t offer advice that you don’t follow.
Don’t lie.
Even if the truth may hurt. Even if you are afraid people might think less of you. Even if the lie is so much more attractive.
Don’t lie to me. Don’t lie to other people.
And most of all, don’t lie to yourself.
That is the most straight path to online success and contentment I can think of.
Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/juehuayin/4654551155/ via Creative Commons