Something I Forgot About Authenticity

I recently stumbled upon a great blog about one of my favorite topics, the future of newspapers journalism, called Invisible Inkling by Ryan Sholin. Ryan has been in the industry for a while working with newspapers and other publications but what I really like is that he’s trying to figure out how to make this thing work. By “thing”, I mean how to make sure that there is a sustainable business model to support quality journalism irregardless of the medium that delivers it.

In his latest post, Ryan gives his view on the key to authenticity. He provides five great points, which I suggest you read, but #5 – Show Your Work, was one that I never thought about in terms of a way to be more authentic. It’s not that I wasn’t putting in referral links or attributing flickr accounts, it was that I was simply doing these things as a process and because I thought it was the ethical thing to do. But it’s more than just ethical – it’s a way to pay respect, provide a service, sustain an intangible system, and ultimately be authentic.

Sure, authenticity means being original but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t draw inspiration from somewhere else. When I think about quality blogging, I think about taking in what is going on in the world around us and twisting it to reveal something else (@carlosmic ’s OwlSparks does a great job of this).

As always, the real excitement is the journey and not just the final destination so by showing your work we have a way of seeing the process and not just the product.

What are your sources of inspiration and insight?