This is a short post, but first, a shorter rant:

<begin Rant> The “2″ in the title is in protest against all the “10 things, 8 points & 5 best” blog-posts out there. Research might say something else, but sometimes we need to forgo them “clicks” for the sake of some sanity. <end Rant>

Now, coming to the point. Much has been said about authenticity and how it is the new social media mantra, basically reiterating the old saying:

for every lie you will need 99 more to cover up

Talking from the perspective of personal online presence, we need to be authentic not because we can be caught cheating, but because the world knows us by what we put out there. Every word we publish is like a mental hook for people to latch on to and slot us. If we have certain passions and perspectives, we should express them as they are, instead of searching for the most politically correct and professionally sterilized form. These hooks or magnets will attract like minded individuals. I know, it’s obvious, but what is not obvious is how much stuff we say just because it’s cool to say it, would make us look intelligent or simply because the popular guy said it too.

Very few of us can really say whatever we are engaged in right now is exactly what we have always dreamed to do. Leaving the right hooks around increases the chances of being roped into the right kind of activity, community or job. In other words it increases the odds of serendipity.

So my new mantra is:

Be authentic, leave a few breadcrumbs around, leave the rest to serendipity.

< disclaimer: This might not work if you want to run for President, one day; but is awesome for the rest of us.  >