I have wanted to meet fellow bloggers offline for a long time, but my schedule generally prohibits it.  When it comes to local real estate agents and other professionals, business ends up taking priority and meetings can be put off too easily.  So, I have been on a quest to meet people while I am out flying around.  Again, that is hard to do since most of my nights are spent in other countries.

Finally, though, I managed to get to Philadelphia and meet a fellow blogger.  Jeff lives just across the river and was nice enough to take some time to meet with me Saturday evening.  Jeff was exactly what I was expecting him to be like, genuine.

You see, Jeff gets what blogging is about.  It is about educating the masses, showing your level of expertise, and being genuine about it.  Jeff met my expectations because I got to know him through his blog and he didn't disappoint the image he exuded.  That is what blogging is about, building genuine relationships with fellow professionals, clients and even beyond that, through the "extension of yourself" style blogging allows.

Too many bloggers don't get it.  They blog for business, prospecting if you will.  While that is a benefit, it should not be your focus.  Focusing on prospecting leaves out too much details someone needs to know about you to truly trust you and want to do business with you. 

Your focus should be more on providing value, educating your client, presentations being such as if you were actually talking to a client in your office or on the phone.  Blogging in this fashion will naturally bring business in.  More importantly though, it will bring you business and relationships you want and these people will be sold on you, assuming you have been genuine.

When I mean genuine, I am talking about portraying your true self.  Many bloggers feign being an expert and regurgitate knowledge they truly do not understand.  You can see it all over AR.  However, if you were to contact them and enter into discussions on a subject they wrote about, you can see their level of expertise is superficial.  Moreover, many bloggers do not exude their personality within their blog posts.  Maybe they just don't have one, but again, when contacted your perception of them is destroyed and now the relationship (or business) is lost.

Jeff Belonger represents one who has taken his blog, his level of expertise and his personality, rolled it all together and was not afraid to put it out their in cyberspace.  As a result, he builds relationships with fellow professionals, many referrals as a result, all because he is genuine.  The image you see of Jeff's extension of self portrayed in his blogging is exactly what you get when you meet him face to face.  Jeff gets it, do you?

(PS:  If you want to meet with me don't forget to let me know.  I have a list that I started last year, but it is in need of updating.  Next month should be LAX and LAS as I will be actually flying domestic trips for at least 1 month.)