I got another one of those emails the other day. You know the ones. The emails that start with “You won’t believe what is happening!” or “You have got to check this out!” Well, I do check them out, and the vast majority of the time they turn out to be false, or at the least, very inaccurate. I can usually learn the truth behind these “important” messages in only a few minutes.

The sad part about this is, by not taking a few minutes to check their facts before forwarding the email to everyone they knew, they lost a lot of credibility. The next time I get any emails forward by that person, my first instinct will be that it isn’t true.

The point is, words do matter. When I post something to this blog, there is a chance that what I have written will be seen by people around the world. If what I have written is not accurate, my credibility suffers. First time readers that might have become subscribers will click away to someone they feel they can trust.

Always check your information before you post it. Even if your source is a “guru” in your niche. They are human too. They can make mistakes just like the rest of us. If you can correct some misinformation that is making the rounds, you build a lot of credibility, and it may even lead to some guest gigs on some of the bigger blogs.

Words matter. Make sure yours are accurate.

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