Expertise and Authority in Writing: Do you need it ?Do your reader care whether you are an expert.Yes and no.
In nonfiction for some genres both expertise and authority, are crucial. In fiction, it depends on the topic under question.
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
For Health, Wealth, topics Google talks about EAT. Even if you feel you know everything there’s to know about health, be careful while writing about it unless you are Registered health care professional.
If it’s about your experience it can and should be done with a disclaimer. That’s helpful.
Misinformation however well researched is not. Just like researching about planes (I love them) online won’t make Indigo let me fly the plane for a few minutes (I have dreamt about asking).
But you can talk about what’s working for you with the necessary prudence (assuming people will use common sense). Unfortunately, common sense is still uncommon!
So how can you share your authority?
Rememeber your About Me page?Share your educational qualifications and experience about the topic under question.Talk about your work and share things which will help people.Faking it till you make it doesnt work in most cases.Guess why?Because once the trust of the audience is broken ,things are never the same.
Its not traffic,but people you are writing for.Online or offline truth and the grey zones need careful seperation.In the offline world when people come to my clinic with neck swelling , after being treated by a quack for two years and then diagnosed with a papillary cancer of thyroid ,I wonder.When I have to explain to them about the diagnosis the shock on their faces break my heart.But until you choose to do the right thing no one can help you .Be real .
I am an ENT surgeon when I write about Ear nose throat disease and health topics .When I write about them,I have both expertise and authority:
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But I never trained or studied to become a writer .But I have experience writing both nonfiction and fiction.I am creating content online since 2014 .That gives me experience to share,which can help someone.So depending on your education,experience,likes and learnings chart your journey and don’t ever forget to have fun.Because that my dear friend is the good part!
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Funny that we both wrote about writing. serendippity, eh? Yes, we have to be careful about our qualifications when we write about a subject. Lucky for me, I like to write about my experiences.
I like to write about my experiences too. Yes, it’s an interesting coincidence that we both wrote about writing!
I have appreciated your passion and your purposeful nature for a long, long time. it shines through every aspect of everything you do. Kudos to you!
Thank you, Julie. That’s such a lovely compliment.
I totally understand. It is tough to figure out the difference sometimes. You have to be careful about the “expert” label. Even though we have both trained in specific areas, we can find other people who claim to be experts in our areas–who really knows, right? You can’t know who is writing on the internet so everyone needs to be wary.
Good post!
Exactly. Just like the offline world even in the online world, it’s not easy to find out what’s real and what’s not. Thank you, Dominique.
An about page should talk about the author or organization, what they do, and how to contact them. It should also be engaging and informative so that readers will want to learn more about what you do.
This is your chance to show your authority. Be sure to list your qualifications, awards, or any other relevant information that will show readers why they should trust you.
Thanks, Paul. These are very helpful tips.
Nice one. Misinformation is truly rampant out there. Filtering the wheat from the chaff IS very important.
Exactly .Thanks, Ginia.