Robert Hernandez asks this question about journalism, and it's a great one.
I left my comment on the site, but I want to apply it to your career. It was an answer on how journalists can build credibility, but it applies to you as well. In a social world, we are all self-publishers. We can write our opinions, and people like the flowery language, and sometimes they like agreeing with us or being challenged. That's how you build friendships. It's how you build readership.
But credibility? That's a different story. Credibility suggests trust built on some aspect of your work. That could be your employer's brand - it could be your school - it could be your portfolio. Or it could be your writing.
Links to your original sources make a difference. Even if people don't click the link, they know who you're linking.
Corrections on a page show you're not afraid to admit mistakes. Remember the old marketing story about the company that deliberately messed up so it could fix problems quickly? It's told because it illustrates a point that people want the truth more than they want perfection.
Don't make it all about you. Even if you have impeccable credentials, the real story isn't about your experience. It's about what you learned in your career.
We have Ivy League credentialed elites who couldn't see the 2008 crash coming. We have brand name executives whose companies crash and burn. We have venerated institutions whose public images are tarnished by scandal. We live in an age that rejects authority - an age when credibility has to be earned, instead of assumed.
If you want credibility, back up your writing and statements. Engage in discussions. Publish data. Post pictures. All of this shows that you walk the walk.
Here's an example:
You're an IT manager for a small business with 250 million in revenue. If you were at a larger company, you would be listed as a Director or a Vice President, but your firm isn't big on titles. How do you show credibility? How do you differentiate yourself as more than network tech with two direct reports?
You talk about budgets. You upload presentations on enterprise software. You attend conferences and post photos of your appearances. You comment in industry publications about budgets and large software purchases and you link to hard data. In short, you demonstrate your expertise as you live it.
Another example:
You're a social media manager for a large advertising firm. You are not allowed to post your work, and you can't discuss your clients. You're not really even supposed to tell people what you do or where you work. how do you differentiate yourself from the entry level copywriter who interned one summer at a rival ad agency?
You talk about other people. You engage in discussions where your expertise details experience in working with clients, budgets, and co-workers, while discussing landmines and political problems that prevent success. You link the discussions to your writing. Your link your writing to the discussions. Your credibility is that you're involved - even if you can't upload your portfolio into slideshare (oh by the way - upload something to slideshare, because it's great SEO and visibility).
Credibility is earned. So earn it. More from Quora on the credibility issue, a link I saw in the comments of the original story (and yes, i copied this answer into Quora, to take my own advice).
hattip: @PRNewsWire
