Internet Marketing and Bragging

I think Internet Marketing is an absolutely fascinating field full of some extremely imaginative entrepreneurs. But I just have to ask, what is it with all of the bragging that seems to accompany this particular field? People are constantly talking about or posting about all of the money they make from their Internet Marketing ventures.

I get it. I really do. Internet Marketing is all about making money, so when people achieve this goal, they like to shout it from the mountain tops. But it gets kind of tiresome after a while. Think about it. In most fields and social settings, it is considered kind of tacky and inappropriate to talk about how much money you make. In the Internet Marketing field, however, bragging about how much money one makes simply seems to be par for the course, and no one questions the practice or calls people out on it. I suppose that at this point boasting is simply considered standard operating procedure.

But would someone please tell me when bragging became the “cool” thing to do?

It can be pretty alienating to a lot of people. I also get that hyperbole (and that annoying big, bold red print that you find all over the ad copy of sales pages) is how people sell products. And of course when people are selling something, such as their abilities as Internet Marketers, they tend to toot their own horns so that people will buy their products.

But isn’t it preferable (on about a thousand different levels, including the social tact level), to have other people toot their horns for them? Rather than bragging about how much money they make (whether they actually do as well as they claim to or not), why don’t Internet Marketers consider letting other people “talk up” their abilities on their behalf? It is so much more appealing when other people talk about how talented certain individuals are rather than hearing said individuals brag about their own talents.

I’m guessing that they would not boast in other social situations, such as when they are at a party or just hanging out with their friends. (Their friends would probably mock them mercilessly if they were to do that.) But when they jump online, they seem to feel that it is perfectly fine and dandy to brag to their hearts’ content. What's up with that?

I would love to hear comments from other people on this subject. What do you think about Internet Marketers always talking about how much money they make? Is it bragging (as I describe it), or is it just part of the Internet Marketing game and maybe I just need to chill out?

Maybe these folks don’t even believe their own self generated hype. Maybe they just do it for kicks (or to make more money). No matter the reason, should they consider trying to do things differently? Perhaps bragging is simply a fixed part of Internet Marketing culture that is never going to go away. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this topic?

A quick aside: I also have a pet peeve about all the screenshots that people like to post with their earnings. It's great that they are doing well. However, it has been well documented that screenshots can be faked. In addition, this practice just seems like another form of boasting.

I think that sometimes the Internet Marketing veterans think it will motivate newbie Internet Marketers and "put a fire under them" if they (the vets, that is) boast about their "mega earnings" (without talking enough about all the hard work and time that it takes to get to that point). And perhaps this loud, boasting approach does in fact motivate some Internet Marketing newbies.

But I also think that it might have the opposite effect on some other newbies, who might get intimidated (or even turned off) by the sheer bravado and showiness of it all. It's just something that those who like to "broadcast" their earnings time and again may want to consider. (Sometimes it's a more effective marketing technique just to do well in a quiet, unassuming way without bragging excessively about earnings, though this quieter, more sedate approach may "go against the grain" for some marketers.)