Once, while reading through a journalist friend’s nonfiction memoir, I asked him if any parts of his story were romanticized or fictionalized.

“Naw,” he told me. “People want real.”

I’m not sure if he realized how profoundly his seemingly obvious statement resonated with me. He was right: people are attracted to realness. They are attracted to authenticity. Though he meant it primarily in a journalistic context, I have found it equally important to branding, public relations, and the Internet. Continue reading →