Why I'm Trying LinkedIn After Avoiding Social Media for Years
I've largely stayed away from social media for years. Not because I don't understand marketing, and not because I think visibility is bad for business. In fact, I spend a lot of time helping clients improve their online presence. The real reason is much simpler: much of what happens on social media is fake.
I don't mind people promoting their businesses. I own a business. I promote mine. I don't mind people sharing ideas, asking questions, writing articles, or talking about their services. In fact, I like it!
What bothers me is the pretending.
The networking that isn't really networking.
The humble brags disguised as lessons.
The revenue screenshots that are somehow supposed to impress me.
The carefully crafted online personas that bear little resemblance to real life.
Recently, though, I've started rethinking my position. Part of that is practical. I finally have help in my business, which means I have more time than I've had in years. Part of it is personal. I genuinely enjoy meeting interesting people and hearing different perspectives. And part of it is professional. I think people deserve a way to get to know me before they decide whether they want to work with me.
IN THIS POST YOU'LL LEARN:
Why social media has always made me uncomfortable
What I think is wrong about networking online
Why revenue posts leave me completely cold
Why I'm willing to give social media another chance
How I plan to show up this time around
The Problem with Social Media
The problem is that many of us have learned to treat social media like a stage. Instead of showing up as ourselves, we create polished versions of ourselves. We present our highlights, our wins, and our carefully selected successes while avoiding the uncertainty, mistakes, and ordinary reality of running a business.
I've had conversations with people who openly admit that they embellish their profiles and posts. Not necessarily with outright lies, but with just enough exaggeration to create the appearance of greater success. They want to look busier, more accomplished, and more in demand because they believe that's what attracts opportunities.
The reasoning makes sense. People want to work with successful people.
But most people can tell when someone is trying a little too hard to manufacture authority. And frankly, I think authenticity is becoming increasingly valuable because it has become increasingly rare.
FAQ
Q1: What's my opinion on personal branding?
A1: I don't think there's anything wrong with personal branding. I just think some people become so focused on creating a brand that they stop acting like a person.
Q2: Do I think people intentionally set out to be fake?
A2: Usually not. I think most people are responding to incentives. Social media rewards attention, and attention often rewards exaggeration.
The Networking That Isn't Really Networking
We've all had this happen. Someone sends a connection request, you accept it, and before you've even had a real conversation they're telling you about their service, course, coaching program, or revolutionary new framework. At this point, most of us know exactly where the conversation is headed.
The thing is that everyone knows what's happening, yet people continue to pretend these interactions are about building relationships.
To me, networking has always meant something different.
Real networking looks more like:
Meeting interesting people
Learning from people with different experiences
Sharing ideas and perspectives
Building relationships over time
Looking for ways to help one another
What networking is not:
Collecting connections just to grow your numbers
Automated direct messages
Immediate sales pitches
Pretending to care about someone so they'll buy from you
And just to be clear, I have absolutely no problem with selling.
I sell.
Every business owner sells.
Selling is part of running a business.
What bothers me isn't the pitch.
It's pretending there isn't a pitch.
I'd rather someone tell me they're interested in discussing their services than spend three messages pretending we're becoming best friends.
FAQ
Q1: What's my opinion on cold outreach?
A1: There's nothing inherently wrong with reaching out to someone. The problem starts when people disguise a sales pitch as a relationship.
Q2: Can social media still be useful for networking?
A2: Absolutely. I've met some wonderful people online. The key difference is that networking, not selling-disguised-as-networking, was the intention.
Why Revenue Posts Don't Impress Me
This one may be unpopular.
I genuinely do not care how much money you made last month.
Ick.
I don't care if your business generated six figures. I don't care if your latest launch broke records. I don't care if you doubled your revenue or hit some impressive milestone.
If I'm considering hiring you, none of those things answer the question I'm actually asking.
What I want to know is:
Did you solve your clients' problems?
Did you help them achieve meaningful results?
Did you help them generate more revenue?
Did you help them save time?
Did you make their lives easier?
Can you do the same for me?
Those are the things I care about.
When I hire someone, I'm not buying their revenue. I'm buying their expertise.
If you're a marketing consultant, I want to know what happened for your clients. If you're a website strategist, I want to know whether your work generated more leads. If you're a business coach, I want to know whether your clients achieved the outcomes they were after.
Your revenue tells me very little.
Your results tell me everything.
FAQ
Q1: What's my opinion on sharing revenue numbers?
A1: If that's important to you, go for it. It just isn't information that helps me decide whether I want to work with someone.
Q2: What impresses me more than a revenue screenshot?
A2: A detailed case study showing how someone helped a client achieve a meaningful result.
Most business owners know they should be collecting testimonials and client feedback, but they aren’t sure what to ask—or how to ask in a way that actually produces useful, credible proof. Vague requests lead to vague responses, and great client experiences often go undocumented.
That’s why I created Proof Builder—a strategic feedback system that shows you exactly what questions to ask, when to ask them, and how to turn real client responses into strong, trust-building testimonials.
Instead of awkward requests or unusable blurbs, you’ll walk away with clear, permission-based proof you can confidently use across your website and marketing.
Most business owners already have credibility—but their website doesn’t always show it. Some overlook authority they didn’t realize they had. Others know their expertise but struggle to communicate it clearly in a way visitors can quickly understand.
That’s why I created Authority Signals—a practical, fill-in-the-blank workbook that helps you uncover the authority you may be missing and clarify how to convey the authority you already know you have, using proven website signals like testimonials, statistics, credentials, logos, awards, and press.
Instead of guessing what to say or overloading your site, you’ll identify the proof that actually matters—so visitors can recognize your value quickly and feel confident choosing you.
Why I'm Coming Back Anyway
I enjoy meeting interesting people, hearing different perspectives, and giving potential clients a chance to get to know me before they decide whether they want to work with me. My website explains what I do. Social media gives people a chance to see how I think, decide whether they like me, and reach out if they want to. It also gives people a place to vet me while helping more people discover my business.
As I started thinking about posting again, I realized something important: I'm not against promotion. I've never been against promotion.
Some of my posts will share opinions. Some will ask questions. Some will highlight a testimonial, point readers to a blog post, or promote a resource I've created. And yes, some will promote my products and services.
I have a business to run, and I'm not pretending otherwise.
What I'm against is pretending promotion is something else. If I'm promoting my business, I'll tell you. If I'm asking a question because I'm genuinely curious what people think, I'll tell you that too. I think that's a lot more honest than disguising every post as "just trying to help" while secretly hoping it generates business.
Will I post regularly? Maybe.
Will I love it? Probably not. But if I can show up without pretending to be someone I'm not, I don't think I'll hate it either.
I don't want to manufacture authority, exaggerate how busy I am, or create a fake version of myself just to attract attention. I simply want a place where I can share ideas, connect with interesting people, and occasionally tell people how I can help.
That's my plan. Show up honestly, share what I think, and let people decide for themselves whether they want to stick around.
FAQ
Q1: Do I expect everyone to agree with my opinions?
A1: Not even a little. In fact, disagreement is often more interesting than agreement.
Q2: What's my goal for being on social media?
A2: To meet interesting people, share useful ideas, and make it easier for someone to decide whether they'd like to work with me.
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