Today I saw a post by a fellow writer at Anderson Media Group, a student-run media firm, on the difference between Facebook's focus on transparency with followers and the rising community on the anonymous bulletin board 4chan. The founder of 4chan was quoted in saying, "The cost of failure is really high when you're contributing as yourself."

When you are contributing as yourself, though, your reputation, integrity, and expertise and knowledge all come alongside your contribution. Whether they compliment or take away from your contribution is another story. The fact of the matter is, a quote is only as good or as famous as the person who said it and an injection of your knowledge onto the digital or social media canvas is only as good as its qualifications you bring with it. Yes, the cost of failure is extremely high, but it causes people to think twice before posting online and it causes people to only make remarks that actually contribute to the discussion and society as a whole.

Take a chance, let your qualifications, knowledge, and integrity speak for you when you post online.