The View From Here: Authenticity

Today’s question is: What Does Authenticity Mean to You?  How Are You Authentic in Your Blogging?

This is a topic near and dear to my heart, and one that I take very seriously as a blogger.  First, I have to say (as I’ve said in the past) that the word Authenticity makes me bristle every so slightly when I hear it, simply because it is so overused in everyday language.  And now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, I’ll say that, to me, being authentic as a blogger simply means keeping my voice real and honest.

Even though I like pretty things, I’m no-frills when it comes to my blog, and what you see is what you get.  That’s the message I want to convey, and I hope it comes across in my writing.  Sure, I post about happy occasions and trips to Dairy Queen, but I also mention more difficult things sometimes, too.  I’ve shown you outfits that didn’t work and you know I have a little junk in my trunk; and once upon a time, those were things I might have been embarrassed to share online.

But I am a reader of blogs, and if I had my way, I would read them all day long.  And now, as a writer of a blog, I want mine to be at least as good as the blogs I love reading.  To me, that means being true to my readers by being true to myself.  My English teacher background compels me to cite sources and link back to original ideas, and I’d rather post a crummy picture I took than one I borrowed from another site.  On the rare occasion when I do post a picture that isn’t mine, I’m practically pedantic about crediting the original source.  I just can’t help it.

I realize the issue of authenticity is incredibly loaded, and I can only do what works for me.  While I find inspiration for posts as I’m going about my day and living my quiet little life, there’s still a bunch of stuff I choose not to tell you.  But rest assured, the stories you read are genuine and true, and they come from my head and my heart.

Sure, sometimes a girl’s got to fake it a little, like when I’m modeling my new winter coat in the oppressive autumn heat.

(It’s HOT, y’all!)

But I’ll always be sure to tell you!

What are your thoughts on blogger authenticity?  Do tell!  And don’t forget to check out the blog of my co-conspirator in this weekly discussion, Shayla from Northern Exposure.  She’s keeping it real all the way up in Canada!