Michael Bailey, creator of future MobaTalk Conversation Studio, has put together a great checklist in warning others of how users of social media tools, such as blogs, microblogs, presence, wikis, and social networks, fake transparency and authenticity on the Web.

We all know it takes time and energy to have a transparent and authentic site. Today, most presence, miniature blogs, have easy interactive tools that allowsa  person or company to automate the process.

Here are my comments to his 10 ways to fake transparency. 

1. Using Twitter is great to message people and keep them updated. But like mass-texting, no one likes to receive the same general message your automated follow-bot that send a (Direct Message (DM) to new followers.

2. Publishing goals are great but they should be realistic. Having super-optimistic goals can grow annoying and tiresome for others. 

3. I despise anything that pops up on my screen. Shiny distractions like “Win an iPod” and banner ads that take away for the content turn me off. Keep it simple and clear. I’m trying to focus!

4. This is just plain wrong for a company to do. Skewing facts for people to quickly believe is just unethical. They might as well be reciting their sales pitch to you instead.  

5. I’m not an expert and I try not to sound like one. Blogging is sharing ideas and expanding information. I try to comment back to create real conversation to others. Interactivity is essential to create dialogue. 

6. Again, I not an expert and to talk to users as if they are behind-in-the-times is condescending. I personally hate to be talk down to or as if I should have known the information already. It’s a continuing learning process for people online. Remember, we are expanding information and  so get off your high-horse.

7.  Exploiting the insecurities of others is one of the worst things you can do to hind your own insecurities. It shows that you don’t have any confidence in yourself or the company.

8. Looking like the hero might work once, if you are lucky. People will figure you out faster than you think. People are watching closer now than ever online. 

9. I like it when people agree with my ideas but to ignore or block those who don’t agree is limiting the different points of views and valid argues others could be making. This is a sharing process but also a listening and responding process too.  I think everyone has learned their lesson from Dell Hell fiasco about ignoring readers. It only backfires in the long run. Check out Alex’s blog for more information.

10. Companies should use these genius suggestions if they ask for them.  To never implement others ideas, the company might as well not have a outlet out all to submit them. Dell’s IdeaStrom is a great example of a company that has used many suggestions from people outside the company.

Bill Breen’s Who Do You Love? article, written back in December of 2007, perfectly highlights the appeals and risk of authenticity. He lists four primary strands that gives a brand or person a emotional connection to viewers that truly make them real. The four stands are:

A sense of place. Authenticity comes from a place we can connect with others and does not need to be literal.

A strong point of view. When people are passionate about what they are doing, they share it to others.

Serving a larger purpose.  Naturally, people tell the truth and others believe them until shown otherwise. A brands’ primary goal is to sell. But, when they can convinces you that the companies’ profit-making is for only a by-product of a larger purpose, then it’s authentic.

Integrity. Authenticity comes to a brand that is what it says it is. When a brand’s actions and the story being told  matches up, then it’s authentic. 

And if you’re still not certain on how to spot companies faking authenticity then take the Quiz.