Important Trait of a Successful Blogger: Be Yourself

There is one important ingredient of a successful blogger and that is a trait of being “Yourself”. In my observation, famous bloggers like Darren Rowse (Problogger), Shoemoney, John Chow and Steve Pavlina all have this trait in common which makes them very successful. Their writing styles have a personal touch on the audience and it’s like they are casually conversing with an individual that is why visitors are quickly attracted to them. So what does it really mean? Those two words look very simple but for me it’s hard to comprehend and to do.

Like for example, when I was still employed, I remember the day when I was having a conversation with my co-worker/friend in our department, he is telling me out loud to “Be Yourself!” No, he is not angry with me or anyone. He was just joking and teasing our jerk boss. I know the message is not for me but to our idiot boss because he is a great pretender, so to speak. He always acts that he is the smartest person in this office and always showing off to the management that he can do everything even though all of us know how incompetent he is. But little that I know that I’m also not being myself and pointing the finger to the other person. Why? Because the mere fact that I’m employed and working for somebody else means I’m not myself anymore. I’m doing a job that someone is telling me to do and acting on a position that was given to me.

And with regards to making websites, even those who are already self-employed fall to the temptation of acting like somebody else. For example, in my own experience, I always hiding behind my website and showing to everybody an entity that is not me anymore. A figment of my own imagination. People are looking for information on the internet and don’t want just a piece of book or a catalog. In my opinion, the reason why people were online is to seek those who can help them coming from human beings, someone that will understand their situation.

If you have read Steve Pavlina’s How to Build a High Traffic Website, he suggested 10 tips to be successful creating that massive traffic.
1. Create valuable content.
2. Create original content.
3. Create timeless content.
4. Write for human beings first, computers second.
5. Know why you want a high-traffic site.
6. Let your audience see the real you.
7. Write what is true for you, and learn to live with the consequences.
8. Treat your visitors like real human beings.
9. Keep money in its proper place.
10. If you forget the first nine suggestions, just focus on genuinely helping people, and the rest will take care of itself.

Of all the wonderful suggestions, number 10 is the most important because it summed up items 1-9. But how can you be genuinely helping people if you pretend and not showing the real you? If you are not honest to yourself, then how can you be honest to other people? So it is obvious that being yourself is the key.