Comments on: Be Confident

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 23:30:10 +0000

Never has their been a time in history where human kind has been able to demonstrate just how little confidence it has. Confidence does not need a Social Network to make a point. Need anyone say more other than “Follow the people who want to find the money and you will find the hype machine that pushes a negative self-image as a way of generating revenue”. All of this is served up on an anonymous platform where people say things and marketers do things they would never consider doing face-to-face. Pardon me. I need to go tell the world that I am about to purchase a mountain bike, drink a cup of coffee and run with scissors.

By: Scott Ellis

Scott Ellis — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:55:52 +0000

Aaron, I think you summed up confidence pretty well by saying that “confidence” knows when to ignore the voices and when to listen, but in either case does not do so with disregard. Arrogance is what people perceive not when you haven't done something their way but but when they feel like you didn't even listen to what they had to say. Social media has become an outlet for anyone to have a voice but will continue to evolve to a place where we can add lot of value to the here and now. My personal take on social media as I approprach it personally and profesionally is that it is an opportunity to share information that might be useful, entertaining or otherwise meaningful, in an interactive manner. And by creating that feedback loop we can consistently improve what we choose to share making it more valueable to those who choose to listen. Either way, it always starts with sharing (or giving), without expecting something in return (at least not always). For business, I see social media as a way to connect with clients and customers who are passionate about their products and services and give them a voice as well as a way to give something back. A business which does so looks confident because they either weren't afraid of what people might say, or may have been afraid, but gave them a voice anyway. They are the executives who choose transparency over the ivory tower through blogging, etc… Confidence then sits at the intersection of sharing information, giving a voice and hearing it while understanding how to filter out that which would disrtract you from your goals; and social media is a great tool to that end. Of coures the occasional “I just had too many margaritas on the patio” will slip through twitter but a little of that is what keeps it human!

By: Aaron Brazell

Aaron Brazell — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 20:03:12 +0000

Totally. Thanks.

By: Jerry Loggins

Jerry Loggins — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 18:18:28 +0000

I happen to know my skills and limitations. Knowing this makes me confident in my abilitites. I have found that teachers love confident students. I have found that potential employers love confident applicants, but that once hired the employer hates that confidence! Co-workers interpret that confidence as arrogance, and feel threatened by it. Confidence can bite you in the rear end!

By: Ricardo Bueno

Ricardo Bueno — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:15:00 +0000

I agree that a certain level of confidence is necessary. Of course there's a fine line between confidence and arrogance but exceptional brands know how to stay in line and deliver a good experience.