I don’t think this problem is limited to online, but it’s made worse by being online, where so many people who don’t know you can pass very quick judgement on what you post. Despite the advent of web 2.0, commenting and tweeting don’t match a real conversation.

While it’s true that loving what you do gives you the confidence to talk about it, I don’t think it prevents you from looking like an idiot. Just go to any football match and you’ll find thousands of people who love the game all talking absolute rubbish.

What does safeguard against idiocy is being informed and not just re-hashing what’s been said elsewhere, usually in the style: “4 bullet points of the breathtakingly obvious”.

But if you actually want to look good rather than just not looking like a cock, you need to have style. There are plenty of people out there who post well-informed content on subjects that they’re passionate about, but who write it badly.

I think the ingredients of personal brand are passion, expertise and style. Hopefully expressing that thought doesn’t make me sound like a complete cock.