Internet Half Truths

The problem with half truths is you don't know which half you have a hold of. And the world appears to be full of them. Especially on the internet. Here are just 7 of many.

1) Internet Experts
Many on the internet are now an expert and they have reinvented themselves into something or someone they would like to be without paying the price. Who is the person behind the picture. What is their background?

2) Internet Marketing to Get Rich
Get rich schemes on the internet are some of the biggest half truths. You can easily tell when they show you their bank account growing but they never show their expenses. I don't care how much is coming in. I want to see the bottom line. How much did you spend on Google Ad-words to drive that income.

3) Friend Requests
Social media friend requests when the truth is they don't have time to be your friend or build a relationship. They have something to sell. Why do they call them friend requests? Why would I trust any of your recommendations? I don't even know you. Facebook needs a "Net-worker Request"

4) Automated Twitter Replies
Automated adds and replies from a Twitter account in order to build traffic. I find Twitter very useful to find useful links to useful information quickly. Information that I may not have found by myself. So as soon as I find out the other half of the truth about the person and get spammed then I remove them.

5) Dating Profiles
Dating site profiles. Of course who is going to mention that they are really a slob or they are rude to waiters and an arrogant, self centered, controlling jerk, on their profile. And you can bet that the pictures are the best shots ever taken and may even be dated. Remember the vacation brochure that set your expectations? Now remember the vacation? Don't get me wrong. I know many honest people that put up honest profiles.

6) Authors
Everyone is an author now. This is the information age. I am very careful what I read unless it is fiction. It could be a book full of Half Truths!

7) Salespeople are Liars
The misconception that every Salesperson is just trying to sell you something and that they only tell Half Truths.

So what? We all do it. All sales and marketing and advertising is a Half Truth. You have to entice in order to even get a chance to tell "The Rest of the Story".

No you don't. And what I have learned in my 35 years in Sales and Marketing is that if you are representing a product or service that you cannot lay out all the facts then maybe you should find another product or service to sell.

Many companies advertise ethically. But the world is changing into a world where ethics do not matter. Many individuals and companies do not have a foundation of right or wrong and only care about themselves. They may act like they are listening to your needs but are really thinking about the next thing to do or say to persuade you to buy what they are selling.

This hurts us all. And in the long run means less business. Everyone is chasing viral marketing. Referrals come from meeting the needs of the customer. We can disclose all the facts and still show the customer how the product will meet needs.

Your customer will appreciate you for it. Will be pleased with their purchase. And may even tell their friends or give you a referral.

Personal Branding

A common mistake made by personal branding agencies is the attempt of transforming people into something they can not identify 100%. The goal in choosing our personal brand is always to discover the strongest and most appealing aspect of our character and then promote that part of us until we become the embodiment of that trait. And there has never been more ways to promote that part of us than nowadays - especially online.

When you decide to promote your brand identity there is one golden rule: You must never try to be something you are not, something you do not represent or have interest in. Your personal branding must always be a true reflection of who you really are. If you do not believe in yourself and your plan the others will not believe it either.

What really amazes me is that we now have a term, "Personal Branding" for a way that we should be anyway. Otherwise we are plastic and phony and liars. This evolved from re-inventing yourself without putting in the effort to do so. Re-inventing oneself is a whole separate subject of its own.

Should I wait for the iPad 2 ?

The iPad 2. With the successful release of the iPad last year, it is rumored that a new version is coming out in 2011. iPad 2 will have more features and capabilities. I even heard there will be 3 versions of the product.