Don’t Fall in the Expert Trap - Strive for Genuine Authority
Being fascinated with experts and preferring them to others when it comes to educating ourselves on something, when we need to consult someone for advice or need to make a decision is perfectly natural. However, at the end of the day no one knows everything about everything. Therefore is it wise to check what those possessing the most knowledge within a particular field know and not least what they can teach us so that we also know more about it before dealing with something within the field ourselves. If you want to start a blog you check the meta bloggers, if you need financial advice you check the financial blogs and if you need advice for a better and healthier life you check the blogs writing about that. Each segment has its own prominence and this prominence is most likely those you could call experts.
They key is that you are the one making the decision. This can be a collective you or just you alone. You can thus consider those that they majority calls experts to be experts or you can consider all those wiser than you to be experts. In either case will you fare better by sticking to those than by listening to the self-proclaimed experts that much is certain. My advice is to apply the same logic to yourself when you are blogging. Mind you, I am no expert, but I do feel that the following articles collectively make a very strong case for it. You should thus also aim at becoming an authority by consistently passing on your knowledge within your chosen scope. While never referring to yourself as an expert should you strive for constant learning and development. Eventually you will be recognized and rewarded.
Why Authority Blogs Are the Hardest But Most Worthwhile
“Anyone who has actually tried any get rich quick scheme will know how unsatisfying it is. Even when you do make money. I would much rather build something of lasting value, something you can be proud of, yes that makes money but by providing something people actually want and need.”
Establishing Authority Through Blogging
“While many people still think of a blog as a personal journal, many businesses and individuals are now using this powerful marketing tool to establish authority in their respective niches and to produce record-setting profits in far less time that had ever been done previously. How is this so?”
Define Expert, Please
“What you consider an expert? What are the characteristics that make a personal qualified to be called an expert? When you are blogging about an expert, do you know for a fact they are “thee expert”, or because their blog told you? How did it tell you? Did you verify the facts?”
So You Want to Be An Expert . . . the Secret Ingredient
“For folks who want to be the next Darren Rowse, Lorelle VanFossen, or Brian Clark, look very closely. Every one of these heroes work every hard even today. If you look back through their archives you will see that got to be something special one well-written post at a time. Each of them knew that to do the work they were investing in their future and themselves.”
Who In Their Right Mind Calls Themself An Expert? Or, Why The Hierarchical Pyramid Needs To Be Turned On It’s Head
“No, no one in his right mind would declare himself to be an expert. People simply know what they know, and they are happy to pass on what they know to someone who might not know. At the very least, one may be striving to attain a certain level of expertise - but this is vastly different from any declaration of being an expert, or even the desire to attain expert status.”
Personal Branding and the Expert Status: Why You Shouldn’t Call Yourself an Expert
“Sometimes humility goes a long way in this blogging/marketing business. People naturally prefer working with and supporting humble people, instead of ones who blow their own horn at every chance they get. The Rich Jerk strategy may work initially but it is still a novelty that people move beyond very quickly.”
How Not Knowing Something Makes You More Of An Expert
“The only expert on a topic is the one you know. And that expert may not be the most knowledgeable person on the topic. But to you, they are. And that’s the important point. If you have some knowledge in an area, it’s easy to deduce that while you don’t have as much knowledge as some, you do have more knowledge than others. And to those ‘others’ that makes you an expert.”
The true expert knows what he knows and what he doesn’t know and consequently sticks to what he knows. Only non-experts think they know everything and that they have something valuable to say about every topic. The only way to become an authority is to act like one. Blogging about everything as if you knew it all will bring neither you nor your readers much reward.
Write about what you know and regardless how little that is you will be helping those knowing less than you. Starting out you may not know a whole lot, but writing about your learning can really be helpful to those who want to walk a similar path. Knowledge is fragile, but experience less so. No one expect you to know all the answers unless you tell them to. Do not sell yourself short either though. Your experience and knowledge is worth as much as anyone else’s.
Comments
6 Responses to “Don’t Fall in the Expert Trap - Strive for Genuine Authority”
Leave a Reply
BRILLIANT!
Excellent resources and fantastic summary. You are so right, as usual, my friend.
Great post. Like sun Tzu’s Art of War for Experts. I love your site - it’s well-written and I like the design too. Nice work!
I couldn’t agree more. I say, forget titles. Just do what you love for the people who love what you do and everything will fall into place. Clearly know what you do and forget about what you call yourself.
Thanks Lorelle
Dawud, I am not surprised that we agree as I found your article absolutely brilliant. In fact it was reading it that made me realize that this topic had to be highlighted.
Thanks Molli Fire. I’m glad you like the design and even happier than you like the content
Lots of people consider me authorities on my subject, but I think its an overstatement, and lack of their understanding of my area of study.
When I hear the word expert, I think, top 1% - 5% of the class. Guru would be like top 1% or less. Of course, I also mean results. I don’t think someone is good unless they make make delivery on their talk.
[…] Don’t Fall in the Expert Trap - Strive for Genuine Authority by Jan […]