No, I'm not asking you if you're a Hollywood freak that's invisible. I'm talking about a different kind of transparency. When most people hear the word "transparent" they think of something they can see through, like a window. Like a window, some people are transparent in their attitudes, beliefs and desires. That's still not the kind of transparency I'm talking about.

Transparency, in the business world, is the full, accurate, and timely disclosure of information. As a blogger, transparency would be closer to the concept of "nothing to hide". Believe it or not, readers are drawn to the blogs where the writers appear to be transparent. As a reader, as opposed to a writer, I know I am. Nothing pleases me more than to read a blog by a writer that's open and honest.

So, how do you make yourself transparent if you aren't already? Simple things matter a lot. How many of you have come across a blog that has no contact page? What happens when you want to send the writer an email message, but no email address is given and there's no contact form? You have to make a comment for an article you may not be interested in, just to get the writer's attention. It doesn't always work. Some writers don't read the comments and even if they do, they may miss your attempt at contacting them. I find a lot of blogs that are exactly like this.

Do you want to engage your readers or do you want to lecture them? If the former is what you want, then you need to make sure your readers don't find you unapproachable. Be clear and precise about what you believe when you offer your opinions. If the latter is what you want, you don't need to do anything but preach. The former is what I try to do, even if I'm not always successful.

Every time you sit down to write, ask yourself this question: Am I transparent enough? If you can't answer the question, it's time to ask someone to analyze your blog for you. Normally, if you interact with your readers on a regular basis, you'll already know the answer to the question.

Do you have anything to add to this? Are there other things we can do to increase our transparency? In your own opinion, does it really matter?