Tuesday, I shared with you the qualms one of my clients has about “being personal online.” In case you’re too lazy to click over to the original post, here it was:

I’m an introvert. The people I work with are introverts. I don’t feel comfortable putting personal stuff online. I don’t know how to “have personality” on the internet without being unprofessional. I’m just not sure this is going to work.

My stance: Find a way. Even big business is getting the idea that trust works better than no-trust. Just watch all of the pathetic attempts at humor that plague tv advertising. They’re trying to get on our level…be one of us.

Our advantage? We are one of us. We don’t have to go all cheeseball or fake-funny to build trust. We just have to be ourselves.

Your stance (because you’re so stinking brilliant)

David mentioned that you’ve got to expand your comfort zone over time (which is completely true…you really can’t rush change), but that change is necessary. (His whole perspective here.) But what I really liked (which Felix pointed out) was this:

Being authentic in a public way is, for me, at the heart of being an entrepreneur. If you can’t be yourself when you’re pouring your soul into your work, maybe ownership isn’t for you.
David Mann

That is so true. I read The E-Myth a little while ago (really excellent for entrepreneurs on the edge of burnout), and it reminded me that some people aren’t entrepreneurs…they’re managers. Some people are neither…they’re technicians. But you’ve got to have that entrepreneur fever somewhere, even if you have to bring someone onto your boat who can take that over for you.

Maybe being an introvert isn’t the problem

If introvert means being shy around new people, hating the phone, needing at least an hour by themselves every day…that is me. Online, I am completely, 100%, no-holds-barred ME. In business, I’m the same way. Not only because I’m passionate and confident about what I do. It’s also because I’ve found my voice. And finding your voice is actually much easier online than in person. Like Jeff said (his whole perspective here):

So if the introvert wishes to move into higher levels of relationship with prospective customers, it’s not the terrifying handshake, introduction, or phone call. There’s an online paving that makes it simpler.
Jeff Timpanaro

Online paving. Exactly. And like Christy said (her whole response here):

Having an online presence for an introvert is MUCH easier than doing the painful face to face networking.
Christy Schell

So maybe this isn’t a question of being introverted or extroverted. Maybe it’s a question of learning to find your natural writing voice, or finding someone who has “it” to be the voice of your company. Unless your company is you…in that case, there’s no way around it.

Except maybe there is.

The lovely Heather Allard brought up a truly unique approach (her whole stance here).

Use your introversion as a selling point–market yourself as the creative introvert trying to show the world her product without revealing too much of herself. Private creator in a public world. Something like that.
Heather Allard

If you’re determined to be the voice of your company, then work your introverted-ness. There are all sorts of crazy, weird, witty, sarcastic people out there, but a severe lack of openly introverted types. Of course there’s a reason for that (uh yeah…because they’re shy), but if you can overcome it and just be honest about your shy-ness, then go for it.

But what about the freaks and crazies?

When you’re offering something to the public, you become public. That doesn’t mean that you share all of your kid’s potty stories or tweet about the intricacies of your life. You’re still a professional. You’re still an expert in your field. And you have boundaries. Take Danielle LaPorte, for instance. Real? Yes. Personal? Yes. Do you know anything about her family and her personal situation by reading her blog? No, not at all.

Some people do share more of their life as part of their brand, and it works for them. It’s just not necessary. Like Lidy says (her whole response here):

I don’t post photos of my family, or tell all, not on my blog either! Because it is open, and the internet makes it possible for anyone, friend or foe, to find you.
Lidy Baars

I’m not usually scared of that type of thing, but I’ll admit to wanting to wipe out all record of my existence after reading some scary book or something. I’m pretty sure it’s too late for that, but hey. If you accomplish anything worth mentioning in your life, you’re going to deal with being in the public eye. I’ve acclimated myself to that.

But if you’re concerned, there are precautions you can take (registering your domain name privately, using a P.O. Box, using a phone number that’s not a landline in your house). It’s not fool-proof, but it might make you feel a little better.

Wrapping this up like candy

1. Using your company’s small-ness to your advantage means building trust in a way that Big Business only dreams of.
2. Building trust requires being real. Being un-corporate. We don’t trust corporate.
3. If you’re coming across as stodgy (but not on purpose), work on finding your writing voice.
4. If you’re just not finding that voice, hire someone who is good at this stuff to be the voice of your company — unless your company is you.
5. Introverted people might be able to use their shyness as a jumping off point in finding their voice. But don’t confuse introverted-ness with a lack of confidence in your professional competence. You must be confident in your value, or you’ll have a hard time coming across as “worth it”.
6. Don’t let the creepy people scare you. Being personal doesn’t have to mean sharing all of your private information.

I couldn’t fit all of the insight you guys had in this space, but if you want more, check out the comments.