I’m often amazed at how some measure authenticity in social media. Utterly amazed.

I’ve heard some people say that if you don’t push the publish button on your blog, type and publish your tweets in Twitter and update your status in LinkedIn, then you’re not using social media authentically.

Really? Is that how we’re measuring authenticity? By being push button communicators? This is a silly way to measure authenticity and this is what’s ruining social media.

And this quest to be the most authentic and the most transparent is killing productivity. If I have to push out every tweet, every blog post and every status update on the kazillion social media websites I belong to, when will I ever get work done?

That’s why I don’t have a problem with automating and outsourcing some social media tasks. In particular, I typically say:

“Outsource the tasks, not your voice.”

This has helped me to evaluate what I should and should not outsource when it comes to social media. And it’s helped me to become more productive and less bitter towards the very tools that were once eating up so much of my time. Because having tons of followers on Twitter, tons of connections on LinkedIn and tons of friends on Facebook mean diddly-squat if it means that I’m not making money.

That’s the honest truth. If I add a new marketing tool to my marketing arsenal and my business doesn’t grow – or worst – things start to decline, then I have to re-evaluate the tool and how I’m using it.

And sadly, many are so disillusioned with social media right now because they put all their hopes and dreams into Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and have seen little return on their investment.

Social media is still very important. It’s important to my marketing plan and it helps me stay connected to my clients and customers. And that’s why I’m hosting the 2010 Social Media Telesummit for the last time in January 2010. Out of the 14 speakers, there are only 3 I would consider social media experts. The rest are business owners who have used social media to really boost their business. Non-social media gurus giving you social media tips. I can’t wait to hear their advice on how to do a social media “do over.”

So, at the end of the day, I do believe I’m being authentic even if I outsource and automate some social media tasks. Just as long as I don’t outsource my voice, then I can happily use social media tools with vigour and enthusiasm.

How would you answer the question – Are you being authentic when you outsource or automate social media tasks? Leave your response below.