As many of you know, I’ve been making YouTube videos for a couple of years now. I’ve had a few that have done really well, but some haven’t quite gotten the type of traction I’d hope they would get.

who wouldn’t like this!

There’s always this question about how to promote videos, or blog posts, or things one posts on Facebook. The thing I see happening most often, and I see it on YouTube more than anyplace else, is “liking” one’s own video.

The thing about liking a video on YouTube is that, for most people, it automatically shows up on both the person’s YouTube channel who likes it and on Google Plus, since Google owns them. If you have lots of people following you it’s another way to reach many of them who might not immediately go to your page when you post something, and if you have few people it gives you another opportunity to spread the message that you have a new video.

I remember having a conversation with someone a couple of years ago about this practice, only we were talking about blog posts. She said that whenever she wrote one she shared it everywhere, including Facebook, and then if she could “like” it she would because it would not only help spread the message but, in her opinion, if you didn’t show you liked your own stuff why should anyone else like it.

My response was that it seemed narcissistic and looked kind of goofy, especially if you ended up being the only one liking your own stuff. However, she pointed out to me that whenever we created a new page or group on Facebook that we had to like it, otherwise we couldn’t follow it easily. She was right on that front… but I still have problems with it.

I believe in marketing. I believe in selling. I believe that there are many opportunities to do both, and that probably most of us are bad at these things. I’m the guy who did a video telling people that the ultimate secret to success is selling. So it’s not that I’m against any of that stuff.

I just personally have a problem with trying to tell everyone that I think everything I put out is great. Truthfully, I don’t think everything I write here is great. I don’t think all my videos are great. Pretty good most of the time… yeah. Are some things great in my mind? Yeah. 🙂

With that said, if I click on everything I write or record and tell the world that I think I’m great… am I lying, promoting, bragging… what?

Once again, this is something I don’t have the answer to. Maybe I’m the only one with this issue; I’m not sure. So, on a relatively short post for once, I’m asking you, the blogging public, what you think about liking your own stuff in public. I’m not saying sharing now… I mean visually liking your own stuff.

This should be interesting; I can’t wait to see what y’all come up with. And, as a special treat, how about one of those “great” videos of mine, on the topic of influence? Go ahead, I’ll wait… 😉