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I Fight Authority and Authority Always Wins. (And What IS Online Authority Anyway?)

Posted By kellydiels 2nd of February 2010 Miscellaneous Blog Tips 0 Comments

guest post by Kelly Diels

I have a problem with authority.

Step inside my echo chamber. I’m a blogger, and apparently now a ProBlogger (just quit my job and I’m making money!) so I’m keenly interested in bloggers who blog about blogging. Especially bloggers who blog about blogging for money. ‘Cuz, like, I like to eat. And I figure that reading and digesting and applying the bloggingforcash lessons of those who have climbed this hill a little longer, for a little more money, is a good idea.

And up high on the meta-blogging mountain they yodel: get thee some authority-y-y-y.

Yet every time I read that I need to get authority, I recoil, I cringe, I raise my feminine fist to the heavens and wail and curse and gnash my teeth.

My neighbours don’t love this. I’ll probably hear from the authorities, soon.

What’s my problem with authority?

In really precise and technical terms, it icks me out.

First, in real life, my aversion to authority is a philosophical, political, feminist, and don’t-wanna-be-bored thing. I don’t want to do what I’m told because a lot of what we’re told to do by institutions, experts, parents, teachers, bosses, friends and lovers is just patently bad for us as human, feeling, thinking, interesting people.

Second, when it comes to blogging authority, I don’t understand what we’re talking about:

  • What is this authority of which we speak?
  • How do we get it?
  • Why do we want it?

Online Authority. What Am I Talking About? I Have No Idea.

Let’s start at the beginning.

Here’s what I’m talking about:

It might be worth stating that the type of blog that I’m talking about in this series is a blog that isn’t purely about profit or traffic – but a blog that has influence in its niche.

It is certainly possible to build a profitable and/or well trafficked blog without Trust – in fact I know a few bloggers who blog purely for Search Engine Traffic who don’t really care about influence, brand or loyal readers but who just want traffic that they can convert to cash…

What I’m on about is helping bloggers to not only be profitable and have traffic but to build blogs that have profile, influence, authority, credibility, respect and a brand that opens up opportunities beyond quick profit. – Darren Rowse


Good blogging creates authority, plain and simple. Writing consistently about your area of expertise makes you an authority figure within your industry and niche. You will enjoy a definitive advantage over competitors who do not blog, and likely even over those who have been blogging for shorter time periods.

Professionals and other business people have long been writing for trade publications and newspaper columns to build authority, coupled with networking in the community and at trade shows and conferences, all in an attempt to build word-of-mouth referral business. With blogging, you’re building authority and networking all at once, and on a global scale if your business model benefits from that kind of reach.

The goal is not to be on the A-List as determined by the Technorati Top 100 Blogs. Your goal is to be on the A-List for your niche, geographic region or industry. – Brian Tracy

It’s much slower and harder with an authority blog to develop traffic as you have to be more choosy. It’s not enough just to do linkbait or SEO tricks, you have to attract the right people and delight them with your content so they subscribe and come back. Here you actually need to get to know your audience and what they like. You have to treat them as individuals rather than a herd of potential ad-clickers. –Chris Garrett

Authority. The Common Ground (I think). It Is Male Territory (I think).

What do these guys have in common?

  • they’re guys (this might have been obvious from the question) and white, male and pretty ones
  • they ranked high on Google for “blogging and authority”
  • they were who I was thinking about when I was thinking about blogging and authority, because I’ve read them and learned from them
  • and I still don’t know what they’re talking about.

I’ve got a theory about why I don’t know what they’re talking about and it all starts with liberal arts. I’m slandering Socrates right now.

I went to University for a long time and during that time the title of nearly every book and academic paper started with “Beyond ________.”

Beyond Pluralism. Beyond Democracy. Beyond Feminism. Beyond Macrophysical Marathoning and Towards Paper Mâché. I just made that up.

My point: all of the writers arguing beyond a concept were reacting to a history or an asserted wisdom that constitutes the canon. They were suggesting that there was more to their field than the regular, accepted arguments and outlines.  They were saying, yes, that’s true, but there is so much more to this story.

I have a suspicion that the reason I’m not grasping ‘authority’ is because that’s what these bloggers and social media thinkers are doing, here, too, with online authority. They’re saying things like “it is not enough to…”, “the goal is not…”, and “isn’t purely about profit or traffic” – all of which makes me suspect there is a discussion or core knowledge animating these beyond-ish arguments.

So I’m convinced that they all know something I don’t – which is easy, because I know nothing. And I know it. Thanks, liberal arts.

(For this I paid an average of $17,000 a year for six years. Ah, higher education.)

And because I think there is a core idea underneath these discussions, I keep asking this question: when we’re talking about online authority, what are we talking about?

Is authority

  • internal, like mastery of your subject and therefore of your domain and possibly the world?
  • an external perception, assessed by others based on your contribution?
  • Empowerment?
  • Knowledge?
  • Expertise?
  • Reputation?
  • Search engine rankings?
  • Some bundle thereof?

Questioning Authority and The Tautology Thereof.

So I asked, directly.

I went to the Misters and the Masters (because sometimes – a lot of times – they are the same and I know this from real life and Women’s Studies, thanks liberal arts) and asked them by e-mail,

What is authority and why do we need it?

Yes, I questioned authority by going to the authorities on authority for advice about authority. Ahem and a’men. All men. Again.

Chris Brogan: Is authority the same as trust? A great question. No. Authority is that sense that someone knows enough about something as to be useful. Trust means that PLUS the sense that you’d take this advice, implement it, and follow one’s recommendations on some things (not necessarily all) without much question. I think authority is to the left of trust on a spectrum, so to speak.

Chris Garrett: Authority could be credibility, could be based on your expertise, experience or results, but it is often simpler than that.It is the answer to the question “why should I listen to YOU?”

Can you demonstrate that you have valuable knowledge, insights, ideas? Have you done something that I would like to be able to achieve too? Do other people look to you as the go-to person in your subject area?

What it absolutely is not is beating people over the head with your credentials and calling yourself an expert – in fact that would work against your authority rather than in favour of it. Labels do not create authority because what a badge gives we can undo in moments as soon as we open our mouths :)

Chris Guillebeau: Authority matters! All authority is perceived authority, meaning that it is determined largely by personal interpretation — but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. When people look to you as an expert and trust what you say, you have a powerful relationship with them, either as a blogger, a marketer, or just a human being. Credentials for credentials sake aren’t that important anymore, but authority is here to stay.

Jonathan Fields:Depends who’s asking. If you’re a kid, it’s the folks who make the rules. If you’re a grown up, it’s the people who refuse to be constrained by the rules. Those who question authority, create their own paradigms, push envelopes and buttons, then bring others along, opening doors, expanding world views, crafting experiences and solutions and, most importantly, walking the walk.

Real authority is also about aligning words with deeds. It comes from those who dare to live. Those who dare to be judged. Those who open themselves to failure and swap spewing for doing. Real authority takes work and risk. Because if it was easy, everyone would be doing it…and everyone would be an authority, leaving the word so diluted as to have no import.

Honestly, I’m Still Not Getting It. WTbadword is Authority?

These are some smart answers from some very smart people – but I’m still not getting it.

So I posed the question to my friends, family, lovers and stalkers who then proceeded to break Twitter and blow up my blog comments.

Neat fact: the people who answering my question “what is authority and why do we need it?” are not all men (nor are most of them named “Chris”). Holy revolution.

Authority to me, and based on my experience, is that you believe what someone says without having to verify it from a 2nd source. It’s half trust, and half faith that someone knows what they’re talking about. – Nathan Hangen

Authority is earned on some level. Chris Brogan became a social media authority when everyone believed he was. My question is…when did HE believe it? – Kelly Livesay

Authority is also respect. Have learned that, (in my culture anyway.) a person must choose between authority & respect…or will we choose rapport and communication and transparency? Rapport encourages connection, a lack of fear and a sense of security. But there is a cost – often a loss of respect comes with rapport if it’s chosen over authority, especially if that person is a woman. – Franis Engel

Authority is in the eye of the beholder – Mary H Ruth

“Authority” squelches innovation, originality, unconventional acumen. It keeps us looking 4 the same answers in the same places.  “Authority” says that “they” are experts when actually “they” might just be louder or more privileged, male, white, pretty.”Authority” can have sumptuous merit – lived experience, deep digging, TRUE interest. It leads tribes. Bottom line: ALL AUTHORITY NEEDS TO BE QUESTIONED, including one’s own, for true freedom and creativity. Never stop asking. – Danielle LaPorte

I think we are moving to a new place about what constitutes authority, so I am glad you are writing about it. The etymology of authority goes back to the word “autor” -from the Old French for “father”. So there are the patriarchial roots….My new definition of authority is authenticity + clarity (haven’t figured out what to do with the o yet). When I show up as fully myself – with my beautiful flaws and mistakes and fears, and say “this is my truth” from a place of clarity – that is worth listening to. This type of authority is on the rise. If your authority means getting people to listen to you, to follow you, that’s fauxthority. You’re just looking for clones. If it means showing people the possibility of authenticity + clarity to find their truth, now we’re talking. –Lianne Raymond

Authority and Women. That’s a No Go, Boys.

Rich, gorgeous stuff, yes?

And a bit thematic and consistent.

Did you notice a point that kept emerging from the women weighing in on authority?

Authority might be a bit off-putting to women: it feels pretty linear, competitive, male,  and exclusive. And – again with the precise language – kind of icky.

(Bloggers and internet marketers, take note. There is an ISSUE here. More than one woman talked about how authority doesn’t resonate with them, or how it signals all the wrong things. It might be as simple as speaking a different language or it might be more.)

No wonder I can’t get my head around what authority means. We all mean different things by it, and it resonates and triggers wildly different associations in each of us:

  • Credibility
  • Trust
  • Respect
  • Experience
  • Rapport
  • Influence
  • Connection
  • Social Proof
  • reputation
  • Accountability
  • Google

I don’t really know what to do with that. How does one systematically go about attempting to manufacture influence and manipulate perceptions?

(Actually, I think this is called “branding”).

Still: fertile ground.

Wherein It Turns Out Online Authority is Way Simpler and Less Sexy and Sexist Than I Thought.

Buried in all of this yummy, complicated, thinky hummus were two great potatoes:

Authority is landing on 1st page of Google for search term. Preferably in the top 3 – Dave Doolin

Normally “Authority” online is a reference to how Google values your website / pages. Google considers a Site more authoritative if it has the keyword in question in the site’s URL, if it is an older site, if it has plentiful backlinks from other sites considered to be high value sites, and if the content relates well to the search (among other things). Not too differently from how one might look for an Authority on a topic — who does everyone else look to / listen to (link to) for information on a specific topic? – Bruce Nunnally

Oh well, okay then. Now we’re talking. Now we’re sheering off all the emotion, politics, genitals and gendered intersections and just talking about results.

Search engine results.

I think we just figured out the old school (really old school – as in Platonic) online authority that everyone is obliquely telling us to get beyond.

Authority is the Goddess Google via John Mellencamp. Worship Accordingly.

So at its most basic, Platonic level, online authority is search engine results.

And contained in this most minimal of definitions is an action plan. Here’s how you get online authority:

  • backlinks (guest posts)
  • backlinks (commenting on other blogs)
  • backlinks (great content and value aka “linkbait“)
  • backlinks (community. Play nice.)
  • backlinks (relationships. Be nice.)
  • and all the stuff bloggers advise you to do to build traffic, dominate SERPS and create online authority is about…backlinks

I must confess that my inner feminist, idealist and fist-shaker just died a little for the 47 millionth time since I started this essay approximately six hundred years ago.

Fortunately, all of my alter egos are resilient. And persistent.

So is John Mellencamp, from whom I unabashedly stole the title of this piece. His 80s old school words of wisdom, in song:

I fight Authority, Authority always wins
oh, I’ve been doing it since I was a young kid and I always come out grinning.
I fight Authority. Authority always wins.

And Authority is Google and I’m pretty sure she’s a woman.

To woo her, you’ll need backlinks. To keep her (and her friends, the ones she very kindly sends your way), you’ll need plain ol’ likeability, credibility, and respectability.

You know, exactly what everyone was telling me but I just had to keep questioning. Curse you, liberal arts.

_____________________

Kelly Diels writes for ProBlogger every week. She’s also a wildly hireable freelance writer and the creator of Cleavage, a blog about three things we all want more of: sex, money and meaning.

Comments
  1. Hmmmm. Darren this post has a different angle to it.

    It might only be me, but I found this post a bit harder to grasp compared to other material on your site.

  2. Authority = credibility and trust thanks to demonstrated expertise that is recognized and cited by others.

    Or what Kelly said. ;-)

  3. Lots of opinions! Love it!

    I think it is thoughtful how you get things said, I really like it. I see the real purpose of authority, but hey? What do I know? I’m a man! /kid (;

    Take care, keep it comin’!

  4. Thanks Brian – I graspped your explanation!

    Building authority is a priority in our job as bloggers!

    Got it! Thanks!

  5. Authority = Being knowledgeable about a topic and thereby being respected because of that knowledge.

    I think that that will do enough to make you show high in Google as people will be willing to link to you and use you as a guest poster.

    Thanks for the insight!

  6. Nice long post!! Kelly this post really makes sense and is very useful. Though I didn’t get time to read the entire post, I think I’ll read part by part.

    http://www.dumblittleblogger.com/

  7. Smart and funny.
    I have been thinking about what makes me ‘trust, believe and follow’ someone. It’s not just authority but charisma too and a certain lack of ego. Those ‘me me me’ experts are a turn off, especially for women.
    Quietly charismatic, knowledgeable and brilliant does it for me.
    Know anyone ?

  8. It’s nice to see your post after hearing your summons to everyone on twitter:)

    I think you’re right that semantics plays a big role in how people feel about the word. There are so many shades of gray when it comes to “authority”.

    Nathan Hangen and I had an interesting conversation about the word “rules” a few days ago. We were looking at different definitions of the word. But, same concept.

    Interesting food for thought, Kelly.

    Debbie Ferm

  9. Interesting masculine/feminine insight.

    The word authority makes me cringe as much as authenticity (especially when people talk about how authentic they are being). You can be an authentic jerk just as much as you can be an imaginary expert (someone who deemed themselves expert and slapped the word next to their name to claim their spot on the “authority” track. Having spent most of my life in the world of academics “authorities” have never been taken lightly and we had pages and pages of poured over research and studies to prove it. Today when someone says so and so is an authority on the subject my first instinct is to roll my eyes.

    Clearly the definition and perception of authority is changing. Does it matter? Probably not.

    Loved this post Kelly. Thanks.

    Melani

  10. You know what? I wasn’t sure about this post when I began reading it but I quickly found myself enjoying it, so thank you Kelly Diels for highlighting the matter from a ladies point of view and expressing the opinion in such an interesting and tongue in cheek way.

    (I think your hitting the Irish funny bone here with your little pokes at the Status Quo).

    To the first commenter, “Eat Smart Age Smart”, I cant resist, but by any chance are you white, male and pretty?

  11. I really loved the post. Although personally I think authority is great. As long as it does not force me to do anything.

    Authority is also something like a magnet that shows you where the collective focus is at a certain moment in time. Which is fascinating.

    So for me it is more something to play with than to fight. Because as you say, in a fight it always wins.

  12. Authority comes from reputation.
    Reputation comes from the sum total of words or actions.
    A persons words or actions portrays who really are inside.

    A blogger is not tied into the established norm.
    By not being tied into the established one is free to
    write the truth as they see it to be.

  13. I have to disagree a little bit here. It’s not that you want to “have” authority. You want to *be* an authority. Meaning you’re recognized as someone who knows what they’re talking about. To say that “authority = Google ranking” means that you’re focusing more on the “recognized as” part than the “being” part.

    Yes, there are plenty of people who know about their topics, but no one knows about them. Some SEO would really help them. Unfortunately there are plenty of other people who know how to game the system to get the Google rankings, without actually knowing anything *except* how to get Google rankings.

    If in your mind authority maps to “someone you *must* listen to” then of course you’re going to resist it. And not want to be that yourself. But if it maps to “someone you *should* listen to, because they know what they’re talking about”, then it doesn’t sound so bad, does it? In fact, that’s kind of a good thing to be, don’t you think?

  14. Interesting article.

    It seems to me that there are two kinds of authority, with perhaps a rather fuzzy line. I’ll borrow some ideas expressed above.
    Perceived authority: the most common kind, seems to have to do with having been studied, having statements of credence. I find this kind to be less important, despite it being common and used by the holders and beholders of it quite often.

    True authority: Less common, it is created, not granted by the public. This authority is sometimes unrecognized, because it doesn’t have anything to do with being well-known– it might be, it might not. Instead, the AUTHOR of a new idea or synthesis of ideas has authority about said subject, largely because they created it.

  15. I totally agree with you! I too think Google must be a women. Since I started reading articles and articles and more articles on SEO I came to realize that all the men in the blogasphere are struggling to figure Google out. Men do the same to us too. They write poetry, songs, and there are a gazillion books trying explain us. I would not be surprised if Google already has at least one song, and a couple hundred poems by now lol

    And yeah authority, I am with you on that one. I never ever want to be an authority on anything. At all. Ever. This is proven by my lack of knowledge about everything. But now it seems I have to know something about something, then make people believe I am the one to go to get their answers; or even convince them that they have questions to ask.

    sigh*

    It’s Pro D today, I am already going to answer a zillion questions by 5pm. Usually the answer is No, but then they always ask why.

  16. If Google is a woman then she’s like the high school cheerleader I always hated, or envied. Or hated for envying, I can’t be sure. And it’s still so annoying that the best flirts in the class (read: backlinkers) get all the attention. But does attention equal authority?

  17. If you take a clear realistic view of your competition and see that is it all just HYPE and that the competition is weak then You GO for it people will realize your an authority when your whopping ass :)

  18. I’m not so sure there’s a disagreement over the concept of authority as a disagreement over what concept the work “authority” represents.

    In my opinion, the different people (male and female) you quoted here all agree on the importance of connecting with people and being an empathetic leader with something to give, not a dictator with nothing but rules. What they disagree on, however, is whether or not to label that “authority.” I would argue that many of the contributors you quote as coming out against authority are fixating on the old meaning of the word, whereas the ones coming out for authority have learned to use the word in a new context.

    Am I criticizing those who dislike the word authority? Yes, to the extent that they’re drawing the focus away from the real question, which is: “How do we become empathetic, helpful leaders, rather than destructive, restrictive dictators?” They didn’t really address the heart of the question, choosing instead to fixate on the archaic meaning of the word (and how it threatens their worldview).

  19. It was a long road to the answer, and worth every entertaining step. It’s good when a post not only simplifies a seemingly complex subject (Authority and what that really means), but entertains you with witty, smart writing along the way. Thanks, Kelly

  20. Florida Sandy says: 02/02/2010 at 3:11 am

    6 Things This Post Made Me Do
    1. Gasp as soon as I started reading because someone besides me was going to mention the white maleness of “authority blogging”

    2. Love you and make me subscribe to your blog even though I’m too old for your target market

    3. Worry that people will think the authority-gaining process isn’t sexist after all, because of your closing paragraphs about it really being all about Google

    4. Simultaneously swell with hope and sag with despair about the possibility of the world becoming less patriarchal through young women like you

    5. Admire Darren a bit more for having this post on his blog

    So tired of the patriarchy. Thanks for, as you young folks would say, rocking my Monday.

  21. Florida Sandy says: 02/02/2010 at 3:11 am

    Hey, that was only five and I said there would be six! Whoops. There goes my authority.

  22. Authority equals Darren,Yaro,JohnChow,Copyblogger…etc I think they all have there unique way of getting that authority and it all comes down to all those things you mention, but I think its more from there core influence.

    I think the real authority comes from the people…yea the rankings all that too, but there’s no point in being number one on google if no one likes you. For me that authority is earned through being useful,unique,and common interest.

    I like your points:Justin and Jeffrey

  23. If authority is building trust, then this post lacks authority.

    The author’s choice of exercising a hermeneutic of suspicion carries responsibility. Feminists, regardless of where they are on the spectrum of that term, know that to utilize this technique requires one to offer a range of solutions that are specific.

    For example, in specific terms, what should these “men” do to quit being men or otherwise improve on that situation? The post’s implied charge of androcentricity fails to hold up by the willingness of the pretty while males in question to be interviewed. The same holds for having this post featured on a pretty while male’s blog (adjectives used are based on the author’s description).

    In terms of liberal arts and moving “beyond” a topic: It is necessary to first have a clear knowledge of the topic you wish to move beyond. Thus, the last section of this post is where it should have actually started (if the topic was about authority).

    From there it could have successfully moved further into the “beyond” questions of gender. And not merely the tag phrase of feminism, but the different constituencies within feminism.

    I may have missed the point here if the post was meant to be humorous or satirical. But I feel strongly about the fact that all women posses an essential inherent worth and dignity (see Genesis 1). Some may find the assertion amusing. I, alas, do not.

    This post could serve as a case study, but probably not for what the author intended.

    Yes, gender is an important topic. It deserves a better treatment than it received in the above post. Semper Pax, Dr. Z

  24. I think that this article is terrific because it gives us no answers. Instead allows us to question the word “authority”. If we question this word we can find an answer that will get to know our goals as blogger’s little better. For instance I have read a lot of articles begging the reason for blogging – readership or financial. If a person answers her question, they may realize where they want to take their blog.

    I also felt this article was honest and witty. I was glad to see that I am not the only one who is a little confused about authority, and see that Google must be feminine.

  25. Sorry but @John Zemler – I’m just glad you didn’t write the post. Im still wondering what the hell your on about.

  26. A terrific post that is very thoughtful. I can see why you are a pro Kelly.

  27. Hi Justin, It’s just that I take the term feminism and the importantce of gender equality very seriously. I am involved in a lot of triage on that level.
    I don’t expect my comments to be understood by everyone, and nor did I choose to write the post. If a person is on the periphery of feminsit issues and scholarship, then much of what I wrote will not resonate.
    Within feminism, and people who employ the term, there are responsibilities. In this case they were not met. it is fair to point that out.
    If it came down to defending the author’s “right” to express her views I would certainly defend it. But implicit in this is also a reader’s right to disagree and express it – like you did to my comment, for which I am grateful.
    Hell has nothing to do with it.
    Semper Pax

  28. Interesting article! I think a major point Kelly made here is a fundamental difference in the way men and women feel about authority. I think it is evident even in the way men and women blog.

    For the most part (stripping away the science niches), women are more thought and discussion facilitators, saying “I feel this way, my day goes that way, and all the world is full of wonderful contrast.”. Then great discussion arises about the issues raised, and how other people think and feel differently or the same. Women are better “niche” sharers because we don’t feel like the ultimate expert in our topics, so we love open chats. True, there is teaching going on, but it’s more about sharing.

    Blogs by men seem to be more about establishing expertise in a subject. The perspective is that there is some important fact that can be taught to other people and it is expected that the blog author have a good reason to be proclaiming themselves that expert who can teach. Again, that’s not to say there isn’t discussion and sharing, but the emphasis is different.

    I think this is a great thing – the world needs both perspective to run well. So does the blogosphere. And either one of these types of blogs can do well gaining “Google authority”.

    I applaud you, Kelly, for bringing to light such an important point, and doing so without mincing words. Much food for thought.

  29. As I was reading I kept thinking about how men and women communicate differently and how it relates to authority. Men tend to say “It is…” while women say “I think it is…”.

    Then, at the end, you flipped me around like a good final plot twist in a movie.

    I think Google is a woman too…complicated, a little mysterious, and all about the relationships. Nice post.

  30. @Eat Smart – Brian has a report on authority. Check it out – it is on his site.

    @Brian – thank you.

    @Debbie – I’m transcribing (oh my, TEDIOUS) that raucous, fabulous Twitter thread and I will post it on my site this week.

    @Justin thank you. I’m having fun and I’m glad you are too.

    @Annamieke – you wrote “for me it is more something to play with than to fight”. YES.

    @Drew – you wrote: “To say that “authority = Google ranking” means that you’re focusing more on the “recognized as” part than the “being” part.”

    I agree with you that the ‘being’ is really the core. But I could be that forever and ever in anonymity, and by myself, if I didn’t kiss up to Google. I am absolutely going to learn how to get some Google love.

    Still, I think we’re saying the same thing. I wrote: “To woo her [Google], you’ll need backlinks. To keep her (and her friends, the ones she very kindly sends your way), you’ll need plain ol’ likeability, credibility, and respectability”

    Likeable, credible, respectable = being. I think.

  31. I’m pickin’ up whachu puttin’ down Kelly. Authority is exactly what I will be working on growing in my blog, not through tricks or quick fixes but by doing exactly what I am preaching. Taking steps into my future out on faith, wisdom and hard work. Thanks for the inspiration. I have been unfocused in this vital aspect of blogging successfully.

    and I think your solution at the end was placed just fine. It was there for every reader who felt validated by your choice to share your own struggles with understanding this concept at the start of the post. I imagine that’s who you wrote it for in the first place.

  32. To me the word authority connotes confidence, influence, and domination. You can consider yourself an authority – but unless other people recognize you as such, your ideas could get lost in the ether.

    It’s interesting to think about – what authority means today in the context of the google-tubes vs. what it meant just 20 years ago. Today – people have the option of being fast-tracked into an authoritarian role, whether or not they really know what they’re talking about – they might really just be a marketing authority. Scary then – if it really is all about the backlinks.

    Maybe the challenge should be for us to use our powers of critical evaluation… to decide for ourselves who the real authorities are – Mary H Ruth said it – Authority is in the eye of the beholder.

    Great post!

  33. Illustrating authority is this way reminds me of the different learning styles.
    -auditory
    -visual
    -kinesthetic

    Just as we can’t teach all people the same way we can’t create authority with our audience the same way.

    I think that quote was from Brian Clark not Brian Tracy ;)

  34. Annabel says: 02/02/2010 at 5:29 am

    Thanks for this very insightful post, Kelly. It’s interesting (but not surprising) to see how some people still don’t get what you’re saying and are reacting quite defensively.

    This discussion brings to mind an interview with Beverly Slade on EnlightenNext.org (formerly called “What is Enlightenment) on why women don’t like the word “Mastery”:
    http://www.enlightennext.org/magazine/j15/slade.asp

  35. I agree with Brian that authority is credibility and trust. Also, you missed Beyond Good and Evil :)

  36. Wow, this is a huge post with lots of content and perspective. I’m similar to you Kelly in the sense that I have a knee-jerk reaction to oppose all forms of authority. I am very defiant, even with my parents. Part of the reason I am not immediately going to grad school is that I hate the authority that teachers expect over their students. It’s even the reason I am currently unemployed and pursuing income through blogging. HatehateHATE authority.

    That’s not to say I don’t listen to other people. But they have to appeal to my intellect and reason. I don’t accept any forms of dogma…

  37. It’s is what is. I mean the rules are the rules. I don’t see any use complaining about how the rules are set when you have no power to change them. I’m a little confused about the gender issue you pose in your posting and why that’s an issue with authority. I don’t think gender plays any part in google’s rankings but I could be wrong.

  38. thank you, thank you, thank you… what an entertaining way to examine such a vexed question, you pulled together a LOT and then crunched it!

  39. Authority is nothing substantial and isn’t essential.

  40. I think whether you are male or female, most of us who desire to be independent business owners struggle with authority in one way or another. Plus, the flexibility isn’t too shabby either.

  41. Out of all the fine points you made, the one that struck me the most was finding the right market for your niche. I can see where it would be pointless and a waste of time to target a market that wasn’t in your anticipated genre. Thank you!

  42. I think Mykle said it above .. two kinds of authority. You’re either faking it till you make it, or you already have it and you don’t have to fake it anymore.

    I’d like to propose a third authority. Authority in knowing that you don’t have authority. A-la me :)

    Kelly you’re a breath of fresh air. Thanks for making this serious topic fun.

  43. I find it interesting that we’re still looking for ‘an authority’ out there, as if looking for someone to tell us what is true, perhaps a “Father [who] Knows Best’.

    I love what Lianne Raymond wrote, “The etymology of authority goes back to the word “autor” -from the Old French for “father”. So there are the patriarchial roots….”.

    In some cases, when there is factual knowledge to find, an authority might be helpful. In other times, when we’re looking for how to be in the world, what choices to make, etc., the only authority that can really help is the one inside.

    I do think women and men process the word differently. It might make sense we do so, if the word itself stems from ‘Father’. I know many women who eschew the word, simply because authority has been so abused over the centuries, and most often the victims of this abuse have been women and children.

    And maybe, just maybe, women and men have naturally different perspective on what the word means, simple because we are different.

    “Woman, through her descent, touches a deeply feminine authority, as different from the authority of the masculine, as is the moon from the sun. ~Judith Duerk”

    I do know, that i LOVE the fact you’ve questioned the status quo…any status quo can keep us locked in rigidity rather than facilitating flow, something the blogsphere inherently provides for.

  44. I think it depends on how you define authority. Its a case to case basis. Its still debatable. I think that as long you write a sensible blog, you know you are a winner. There are lots of spam sites that still on the first page of google search, I think they pay lots to get to the first page.

  45. I heard that Nathan Hangen guy was pretty cool.

  46. Too much….didn’t even read the whole thing….

    Not my type of writing…

  47. What a great article. And I didn’t start feelin it either until I read what the women thought authority was.

    I’m so grateful someone finally said this because it has been an irksome term and I’ve chosen to my detriment to ignore it for the the reasons that you listed.

    I can also relate to banklinks and to writing about things that keep people coming back and playing nice. I confess my blog needs for me to up the ante. I didn’t start my blog out to be anything other than an extension of what I do, but to really get something out of it, I have to really put a lot into it and I don’t always do that or I’ve shifted some of what I do and how I do it and have probably confused those I was building up my “authority” with originally.

    All that said, the web is changing too just like everything else even for the ones who do currently own the real estate of “new media” and authority. The other shoe has yet to drop.

    But, I will certainly use backlinks. This I can do…..

  48. Respected by others because its accomplishments… really hope to be come one someday.

  49. This was a great article. I read the whole thing and I can relate!

    Authority means to me – that person who can help me.

    There might be a person in a position of authority but if they can’t help me in my life goals how can I respect them or their authority? Skewed definition definitely, but one that essentially defines bosses as anti-authority from one who is struggling to find her niche. The backlinks make total sense too!

  50. Werner says: 02/03/2010 at 4:23 am

    An Authority is a person who’s “been there and done that” enough times successfully that you can bank on their advice when it’s given.

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