I agree with our friend that “profiles” can get in the way of good ideas. But for me, the stumbling block is my own self-absorbed distractions about Web presence. OMG, my LinkedIn profile is months out of date. I’m not using my Twitter account, ergo I don’t exist. Yesterday I was in our local Starbucks with my young daughter and she observed that the girl next to her was online with 50 of her Facebook friends. If I was that socially agile, would I ever have a coherent thought again?

So as a first step into 2010 I’m going to remove the LinkedIn pointer from my blog page.

Happy new year.

She doesn’t get it, and for every one of her, I hope there are several of me. I get that your ideas should bring their own merit (or not), and sound bites of what you think or parading your credentials may effectively shut someone down.

Even though I’m a fairly new blogger, it’s become very clear, very quickly that my “profile” can be a filter I have to overcome. Labels taken away from it can too often set expectation where I don’t want it to be. I don’t blame the readers. They can’t help it that they superimpose their frames of reference over what I’m saying after they’ve taken the trouble to “view my complete profile.” So why do that to them if all I’m really interested in is getting them to think about what I’m saying? Hence I’m saying less and less in my profile, and the darn thing may disappear anytime now.

Link to the stuff you’ve written. That’s why I’m here — to read it. But don’t beat me over the head with your credentials or seemingly pithy comments. Not that I would expect you to do this. But in a world where credentials are still clout and conspicuous cleverness is often used to administer knowledge, it’s a struggle to keep a healthy perspective.