editorial

Why do People put Embellished Bios on Websites: For Credibility and Justification?

Irene Watson

The other day I received an email from a colleague alerting me to a specific website that gives book reviews and has a book awards program.  As I perused the site I came across the bio of the owner and was perplexed  at what I saw.  The bio was embellished, and when I say "embellished" I'm being gentle.

My psychology background quickly kicked in and I wondered why this person needs to justify her position with lies.  Why do people lie? There are several reasons and the first is fear - fear of not being accepted.  If, for example, this person said she volunteered at a local library it wouldn't sound as good as saying she worked in a university library. (However, the university was not named.)  Or, if she said she has been reviewing books for 3 years it wouldn't sound as good as 6 years.  In her mind she is justifying her qualifications to the visitors of the site and feels she can get away with it, because, more than likely, anyone that knows the truth (family and friends) wouldn't be checking the site.

However, as we know, lies, pardon me...embellishments...do catch up to us.  As authors, and as reviewers, we are putting ourselves "out-there" and no different than anyone else in the limelight, we are open to scrutiny.  And, rightly so.  When I check out a new service, or a new site, the first thing I look for is the "about us."  Those that don't have a page to expose who they are, I move away from them. If there is a page talking about who they are, where they got their experience, and who they previously worked for,  I take interest but don't take their word.  I proceed to check out the person/people further.  Trust me, there is nothing that isn't available on the internet.

So, what do we put into our bio or our "about us" page?  The truth.  For example, using the above information, the "reviewer" should have said what university she worked at.  This gives credibility.  Adding links gives even more credibility. Credibility isn't gained through embellishments, it's gained through honesty.

Okay, time to re-visit your bio and your "about us/me" page on your site.  Are you giving your reader everything they need to know about you?

Irene (my author bio)

PS - New book giveaway and last month's winners announced. If you would like to give a book away in the monthly giveaway let me know.

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Nonfiction - Self Help, Inspiration, Abuse Recovery

Breaking Through Betrayal: And Recovering the Peace Within

Holli Kenley, MA

Loving Healing Press (2009)
ISBN 9781615990092
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (1/10)

Synopsis

We are living in a time where betrayal abounds. Tragically, most of know or know of someone who has been scarred by the betrayal bandit. In whatever form it takes (financial, political, personal, social, legal, environmental, cultural, etc.), no one is immune from the infectious waves of betrayal moving through our society. Breaking Through Betrayal by Holli Kenley is for any individual who has experienced or is experiencing betrayal, who carries the wounds or scars of betrayal injury, and who is struggling to break through its bonds. Betrayal has known us far longer than we have known it; it is time to change that.

Read review of Breaking Through Betrayal
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Fiction - Novel, Suspense, Mystery

The Friday Night Club: A Novel

Jacob Nelson Lurie

BookSurge (2009)
ISBN 9781439262474
Reviewed by Ron Standerfer for Reader Views (01/10)

Synopsis

The Friday Night Club by author Jacob Nelson Lurie is a coming of age story for adults in the spirit of "Stand By Me." Davis Robertson is in mid panic attack. His fiancée is walking down the aisle, the love of his life is sitting with the guests, he's sure an attack by vengeful strippers is a gun-wielding tow-truck driver who wants to kill him.

He wants to run, but doesn t know how or where. He feels he is without a role model; his generation is without guidance. His whole life, Davis believes he has battled a culture war in which the stoic, macho image of the traditional male has struggled for control with the metrosexual, sensitive-new-age-guy. And now that he is about to take his wedding vows, both parts of himself are cowering in fear.

Read review of The Friday Night Club
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Fiction - Fantasy, Adventure, Children

The Lost Secret of Fairies: The Crystal Keeper Chronicles Book 1

Tiffany Turner

Trafford Publishing (2007)
ISBN 9781425146719
Reviewed by Avery Largent (age 9) for Reader Views Kids (11/08)

Synopsis

Wanda had always read about adventure. Now in The Lost Secret of Fairies by author Tiffany Turner, she is in the middle of one. The World of Fairies is real, and she is their new Crystal Keeper, humancaretaker to the World of Fairies. But the Fairy World is introuble. The fairies are falling ill from the pollution that ravishes the world above. Wanda has to find the key to their cure, before it's too late. But like in all adventures, there are a few unanswered questions to solve. Join Wanda on her adventure, while she finds out that sometimes the best solution to a problem is the one you find within yourself.

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Visit author's website

This week's video

Born Smart: Unlock the Potential in Your Baby's Genes

Jeanette Bolvary

Lulu (2009)
ISBN 9781409252382
Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (2/09)

Synopsis

The World's first book on how a pregnant mother can help her baby increase his intelligence before birth. Why do some babies develop faster than others? Even siblings can differ greatly in appearance and developmental milestones. Searching for answers, after an unusual pregnancy, delivered an out of the ordinary baby. Jeanette Bolvary discovered research published in 2007 about copper. This nutrient, potentially fatal in excess amounts, is also responsible for the development of the hippocampus and dentate gyrus (the higher learning and higher thinking areas in the brain). The discovery in 2007 of a gene and its transporters, responsible for the delivery of copper to an unborn baby, provide us with the information we need to help our baby develop the higher thinking and higher learning areas of the brain, increasing a baby's intelligence before he is even born.

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