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Disagreements teach us new things. Agreements tell us that someone else agrees with us. Would you prefer one over the other?

Disagreeing with someone because of logic does not make you evil, nor does it mean you are disrespecting. Disagreement shows that you have the ability to look at things differently. If your disagree logically, others should actually appreciate your disagreement as that allows them to look at things differently. To have a good relationship of any sort, the hard thing is not to find the right person who agrees with everything you say. The hard thing is to find the right person that you can co-exist with in the face of any disagreements.

If you try to find someone who agrees to everything you say, you are basically finding someone who will not show you anything new in life. The two of you will not learn much together, let alone teach each other anything new. Why would you look for relationships if you wanted to find someone exactly like you? Why not buy a mirror instead?

Disagreements online can help co-exist with others better

Making friends online should not depend on finding people with similar tastes. Making online friends should be based on how you feel around others. I notice a growing trend on many blogs where many people keep agreeing to everything many high profile profile bloggers have to say, even if requires giving up realistic logic. It is as if many people cannot think uniquely and differently, or are not strong enough to disagree and say “I have a different opinion.” Is friendship or respect supposed to be mostly based on feelings of trust and respect, or does friendship and respect depend on how much you agree with someone?

How being friends regardless of us agreeing or disagreeing works for me and my friend

Take Valerie as an example. We have less similarities in life than most offline friends do, yet we are good friends and communicate effectively on an almost daily basis. Why? Because we have one important similarity: we realize that we have differences, and we realize that having differences do not only amount to bad things. How do we continue to be friends? We always talk about the differences in opinions while focusing on the similarities and also understanding the different logics and reasons in things we explain and tell each other.

Disagreements make us realize that the other person has feelings and the ability to think on their own also. Valerie and I respect each other even more because of that realization. Similarities can bring people closer, and so can differences. Acknowledging the differences and realizing that we can co-exist with people who are different than us can create better levels of trusts than usual.

Maintaining friendship in a sea of agreements is good. Maintaining friendship in an ocean of disagreements can be even better.

When it comes to communicating with others, it does not matter whether or not there are more agreements or disagreements. The only thing that matters is if people can get along with each other even when there are differences or disagreements. That is one of the only ways to have a good friendship, a good long-term relationship, and even marriage, not necessarily in that order though. And not necessarily all of them with the same person either.

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Your blog represents you

Every part of your blog should represent a quality found in you, like a puzzle piece. Blogs can have some of the biggest puzzle pieces of your life because you voluntarily write so others can read your writing. A person can easily write all the nice things in their “About” page without actually being those things. When I run into blogs that talk about the nice things happening in the author’s past or the offline life, I think to myself: “That is probably nice, though my concern is how you act in front of me and other readers at this very moment, and how and why you tell me about your life through your writing.” As a blog reader, do you want to treat online people based on how they act online or do you want to treat online people based on how they act in their offline life? You decide.

Your blog shows more about you than your “About” page

Your blog, your site, any page you own on any site is a representation of you in some way. Your “About” page is something you write to convince people who you are. The rest of the blog is there to allow readers to figure out on their own who you really are. Your readers will decide on their own what kind of a person you are based on how you act on your blog. How you treat your blog readers, how you respond to comments, how you approach topics you yourself do not believe in and how you brag about your own self shows your readers different things about you.

How you blog, shows who you are

The next time you read a blog or blog yourself, try to keep in mind that whatever you write indirectly tells people something about you, even if you copy paste a passage or entire entries from somewhere else. That means the way you act on your blog, through your blog and through your writing is viewed by online people as being something you would do in your offline life also. Your blog is who you slowly become in the mind of the blog readers. You are how you blog. Keep that in mind and act accordingly, the same way you would act accordingly for the same thing in your offline life.

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An example of how a link post helped the blogger, reader, and me tremendously

Daniel recently shared Reader Tips with his readers that included a link to my article that talked about my thoughts on treating blog readers equally, and so did Dan. While reading those posts, I realized a few things. The posts allowed the bloggers to share some useful link with their readers. The readers found different perspectives on different blogging issues, probably written in different writing styles compared to how the bloggers usually write. The readers probably found that change refreshing.

Am I happy that Daniel and Dan linked to me? Of course. I got more people to come to my site and see through my post what I think they should know about. In addition to that, I read the other Reader Tips and thought of 23 topics I can write about. I have not had any other occasion in my life where I read 2 short blog posts and any links in them in less than 10 minutes and came up with 23 topics that I could write about along the way, without even finishing reading all the links. Thus, I benefited as a blogger since the two bloggers linked to me, and I also benefited as a reader since I learned new things through the link posts. I can now apply the new knowledge to at least 23 different posts which would be 23 new perspectives on different things for my blog readers. For me, that is very interesting.

Daniel, thank you for linking to me again, I really appreciate it and am happy that you continue to find my posts interesting. Dan, thank you also for linking to me.

Link posts share knowledge

Link post can be used to share knowledge with people, something that is vital to the success of anyone who wants to put an effort to it. We can all stick to our own posts and keep talking about things we want to talk about without offering alternatives to let people decide on their own. However, is that not selfish? Not telling our readers that other sources of information exist on a regular basis is, maybe, trying to make our users dumb so that they can only stick to our own posts or ideas. Sharing knowledge through links is a way to make everyone look for different perspectives on similar and different issues in order to come with our own understand of different things.

So go on, write link posts and link to all my posts.

Should I also start link posts on my site?

Now the big question is: should I also start something similar to a link post on a regular basis? I do not know. What do you think? I think you are way too important for me to let go through link posts, even though I love posting external links in articles I write. Should I hold on to you, like a baby holds on to yummy chocolate, or should I sometimes send you off to wander in new gardens so that you and I both can try new fruits? Please tell me. I am too hungry right now to think of the answer.

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Today, many people seem to treat others who make a lot of money online with extra respect, while not paying much attention to the people who have been reading and commenting on their sites for a while. I have noticed bloggers going to other sites a lot when they start blogging, and then after a while, they start commenting only on blogs that are famous, forgetting most of the other people that commented on their site before.

Treat all your blog readers equally

Appreciate your readers the way you want to be appreciated. Yes, it may seem amazing responding only to a comment by a famous blogger on your site, but it also shows others in the long run what kind of a selfish person you are. Treat everyone equally; otherwise, you are telling people that unless they make money through their blogs, you will stop respecting them in the long run.

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I found an automobile companion to kill boredom while driving

While driving up the 5 North, I noticed a silver Acura that had been driving in front of me for about 40 miles slowing down and turning on the right signal when I was behind it, telling me to go in front. After I was in the front, the Acura driver sped up when overtaking a truck and started showing the right signal light again. I realized he or she wanted to play a game where each car had to overtake a truck and then allow the other one to do the same and get in front.

After about a 120 miles of playing this game, the Acura followed me to an exit where I had to fill gas. The Acura sped up and went into the first gas station nearby. I decided to go to the farthest gas station because of this. After finishing filling up gas, I noticed the Acura driving into a nearby Carls Jr. drive-thru. I decided to rest there for a while, thinking the Acura would probably be on its way to wherever it was going. I woke up about half an hour later and noticed the Acura parked next to the Carls Jr. by the road. As soon as I got out of the gas station to get on the freeway again, the Acura started driving and followed.

That got me thinking: maintaining blogs is similar to this scenario. No, I do not mean blogging results in being stalked by strangers with Acura’s. What I mean is this: when you are blogging [driving] and it seems that you are all alone [night] with your blog [car], you can interact with other blogs [cars] that are also focusing on similar topics [driving in a certain direction]. Having such a company of another blog [Acura driver] can not only make your online experience [driving] more fun, it can also motivate you to focus on your blogging [driving] more.

If you feel bored as a blogger, find someone or something to spice up your blogging

If you feel the goals for your site are taking too long to achieve or are too boring, find other blogs who have similar goals, or try to find other blogs which are also going through the phase of trying to get on the right track to achieve certain goals. It may be hard to get noticed by big websites and blogs, so you will have better chances of trying to interact with other people who are running blogs and sites that are about the same size as your blog. That way, you can learn from their mistakes while at the same time learn new tricks.

If your daily blogging task seems too redundant and boring, try doing something new with what you are already doing, or try accomplishing your daily tasks with a different set of tools or in a different manner. This will also allow you to add more flavor to what you are already doing and create an increased interest in your blogging activities. Trying to do something with another blogger involved helps a lot. Once two people are working towards a common goal of bringing something to certain blogs, it will become easier to come across more ideas and theories that can help you avoid the boredom you face while engaged in routine blogging activities.

Be selective when adding other people as elements to spice up your blogging

In the case of the Acura, usually one would think they were being stalked. I kept driving and continued playing the game until I noticed the Acura driver flashing their lights. The driver was basically bidding farewell while taking another freeway to head east, while I continued heading west. I do not know whether the driver was a guy or a girl, a young or an old person, and I also do not know whether the driver was alone or with a group of people. The Acura driver also did not know who was inside my car. I made sure of this by not filling gas or eating together.

Apply the same selectiveness to your blog also. Do not rush out and find any blogger out there and start making them your online buddy. Be selective. First see how both of you can benefit, and then see what you can offer. After that, see what you can get in return and whether that return is something that would help you get rid of any boredom. Once you do that successfully, you will realize how boring blogging tasks can actually be fun.

Try new things to make old things feel fresh

The whole driving experience added a lot of fun to driving. You can try the same thing on your blog by adding interesting elements like new people or ideas into your normal routine that you may otherwise find boring. That should help you keep away the boredom from your blog and blogging.

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When it comes to writing, the only thing that differentiates one form of writing from another is the level of passion that drives the writer into writing. The success of blogging depends on how much you enjoy it, and how well that enjoyment overrides any negative aspects of blogging. The enjoyment can exist in the form of your love for writing, your choice of the blogging platform, or appreciation from others in the form of comments from your readers. Andy from “Andy, ITGUY” recently realized that his passion for blogging paid back when his posted complaints about a certain company resulted in the founder of that company contacting him to see if the issues had been resolved. Sometimes achieving certain results can supercharge your passion for writing and result in an even higher appreciation for blogging compared to before.

Since many people usually stereotype against things that involve money, it is usually thought that a blog that focuses on earning money usually does not have any enjoyable passion behind it. In my opinion, blogging to earn money does not mean your blog may not have a driving passion behind or an enjoyable aspect to it. Darren from “ProBlogger” has explained that he blogs by having passion for both enjoying what he writes and earning money at the same time, depending on the writing topic. Blogging can take a lot of your precious time, but if you enjoy doing it regardless of whether it involves money or not, your posts will be different from all the other people who blog simply because they can, and your readers will appreciate that difference.

Even if your writing does not make enough money, as long as it satisfies that inner craving inside of you, your blog will reflect quality. Take James from Apple Matters; blogging takes a lot of his time and doesn’t earn him as much as his other jobs, but James enjoys blogging and thinks writing is fun. If you do not enjoy writing on your blog and you do not enjoy any other aspect of blogging, you are simply jumping on the blogging bandwagon. And like all other things in history that have people jumping on any bandwagon simply to mimic others, you will fail in your objectives unless you have an enjoyable passion that drives your efforts. Such an interest and passion will somehow be evident in the overall results of your blogging efforts.

When doing things that do not appear to attractive, if the results satisfy your passion for something, those things are worth pursuing. Take childbirth as an example. A friend of mine told me that even though having twins meant she had to endure the worst of pains, the fact that she loves kids means that she “would go through having kids again.” Blogging should have any form of an enjoyable driving passion behind it. That way, you can feel satisfied about blogging. Realizing the reasons you blog and figuring out the existence of any related passion will make you appreciate all the efforts you put into blogging. That realization can do wonders, as finding a passion for some aspect of blogging within yourself is like finding batteries within ourselves that get recharged simply by being discovered.

When you realize the reasons behind your blogging and the passion that drives you to blog, you will have a clear focus as to where you would like your blog to take you, and where you can take your blog to make that happen.

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