Disagree With Me
In the 2+ years I’ve been blogging I think I’ve only had a couple readers disagree with me. Either I haven’t been controversial enough (quite possibly) or… people may not want to post a comment that would be in disagreement with me.
It’s OK if we disagree.
Yesterday, I talked about how this social media thing is a conversation. I want you to know, dear reader… it’s OK to disagree with me. I welcome education in all forms. We all have something to learn and something to teach. I certainly don’t have all the answers. I’m just like you… I just happen to have this platform to share business-y type things.
Why bring this up?
A friend of mine posted a comment on a blog (not in our industry) and it was not approved by the author. She is a very respectful professional. In fact, she gives some of the most insightful comments on wedding and business blogs. (Yes, I notice!) But, she did disagree with this blog post. Apparently the author didn’t want any contrary opinions to be shared with their readership. It’s a shame, really. This is all part of the conversation. When you have a conversation there are points where two individuals may disagree. It’s an opportunity for one side to learn from the other and vice versa.
Be respectful.
On the flip side, I’ve been witness to some blog posts that become very unbalanced in the comment arena. The comments take on a life of their own where the writer is bashed for expressing his or her opinion. This is disrespectful. Comments should be insightful and helpful and should ADD to the conversation. If you find yourself disagreeing with the point-of-view of a blog, be respectful in the opinion you share. It’s easy to hide behind our screens and say things we’d never say to someone in real life. But, on the other side of that internet is a human being with real emotions. Be respectful. Be kind.
What do you think about this? Have any of these scenarios happened to you?
m, the only part of our conversation i regret was not being able to go to your simple plan when it came to nashville. everything else has been amazing.
Ahhhh Lindsey! You’ll have to catch The Simple Plan at some point! I think you’d love it. (I KNOW you’d love it!)
So agree with you! As the great Guy Kawasaki recently said in a webinar he hosted on “How to Enchant People With Social Media”, the 1st thing is to “always be likeable”; he showed a pic of him shoe shining Sir Richard Branson’s shoes with a big smile on his face, you got to love that! 2nd thing he said was to be “trustworthy” which I believe also means respectful; we need to share our ideas, and the more the merrier, just be a nice person about how you express differing points of view. Elaine
Thanks for this Elaine! I love Guy. You are right – he is so likeable! When I was new on the Twitterverse, I remember reading a thousand articles trying to figure our “how it works”. HA! One of the best things I read was that Twitter is much like a cocktail party and you want to be the “nicest guy in the room” (maybe it was an article by Guy). I think being likeable is soooo important on social media. Some people seem to be doing all the “right things” on there. They converse, they RT, they comment. But, there may be a tone of arrogance that is just NOT likeable. Thanks for sharing!
As usual Michelle this is a great conversation that I want to be a part of. Best business tool I know: learn to disagree well.
It’s counter-intuitive,but being able to disagree skillfully is what drives trust, respect and connection. All of which are part of the recipe for building relationships that make you likeable and drive success.
Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress. ~ Gandhi
A great big thanks for asking me and your readers to think and examine ourselves and businesses more!