Recently, I took to my usual social media hunting ground (LinkedIn) to reflect on a week where I was put in my place by one disgruntled non-connection, to learn that “posting on LinkedIn should be about business”.

Posts stating my often controversial views about work and words? “Take a hike to Twitter!”

Posts centring around my small child? “Move your ass to MumsNet!”

Posts involving my mother’s inability to understand or get behind my career choice? “F**k off to Facebook!”

Well, what a waste of all my posts!  And there I was, thinking that injecting a little bit of personality, humility and (attempted) wit into my posts may somehow showcase my writing skills as a writer of stuff and build a relationship with my connections. I know… what was I thinking?

But, I’m a writer, and so I decided to play ball.  Here’s what I posted:

I run a business.

My business is to write stuff for other businesses.

Another part of my business is to train businesses to write stuff for their own businesses so that they can develop their own businesses to do better business.

I do well with my business.

If you don’t like the way I go about sharing values surrounding my business, feel free to make it none of your own. Business.

That post in itself may have rattled some troll-containing cages, but the response I got was the one I pretty much expected. People by from people, and so if you’re using LinkedIn, then it’s not enough to announce your special offers or to list your many awards (I have neither). Show people who you are, because if the worst that happens is that your personality or style offends someone, then take heart in the fact that you’ve not wasted any time in trying to build a relationship with a client you never would have benefitted from working with in the first place.

My god, can you imagine being stuck in a working relationship with someone who you don’t get on with, can’t have a joke with, and who you’re permanently uptight with whenever you’re around them?

It’s not for me.

Now, back to, erm…