Congruence + Consistency = Credibility

I see all sorts of people making posts that say
one thing and then doing something that's
completely at variance with what they say. It's
like watching someone say "No" while they're
nodding their heads in agreement.

I see all sorts of people who recommend a
specific course of action one day and the very
next day their recommendation is that you do
the complete opposite. OK, I accept that things
change; and online things have a habit of changing
more quickly than anywhere else. However, I get
very suspicious about people's intentions when
their messages lack consistency.

When you lack congruence and consistency, you
lose credibility. When you lose credibility, you lose
the trust of your target audience.

Several people have lost my trust because of what
they did to their credibility of the past few days.

They'll never know about it, I simply decided that I
no longer wish to do business with them. I'm no
longer on their lists, I'm not following them on twitter,
I won't participate in any JV's with them.

Just remember.. people that frequent the same forums
will also connect on other sites such as Facebook,
Myspace, Twitter and a myriad of other places. Screw
up your credibility on just one site and you can virtually
guarantee that your screw up will spill over to other
sites too.

The real lesson is that it can work to your advantage too.

People who walk the talk, who are congruent and
consistent will build their credibility and online reputation.

Hint: Think globally, act locally.

John