–Continued From Part 1
As bloggers, most of our interaction comes with people whom we have never met in person. In fact, our little corners of the internet often involve people from all across the world whom we may never meet in person. On my blog, I commonly encounter people from Europe and Asia as well as in my own backyard in Maryland. Far more readers come who may never involve themselves in the conversation, but will daily read the entries that I put up. That dynamic flow of human interaction is exactly the strongest benefit of blogging.
In other words, there are a lot of differences in thoughts and opinions. A famous radio talk show host, known for his radical ideology, has been known to encourage his listeners to disagree if they wish but to meet him in the arena of ideas. In other words, a dynamic relationship consisting of varying opinions can still be healthy and grow if the respective sides agree to listen to each other and take the time to understand where the other parties are coming from.
Diversity in Thought
As indicated above, my readers come from many parts of the world and as such, their thought process and mentality are shaped and influenced by the culture that they are from. They come from different political systems, family structures and have differences in life events.
Some may be computer system administrators with 15 years of experience, or web designers just beginning in the industry. Others are moms or wives of military personnel. Still others are gamers and entertainment gurus. No matter what the persuasion is, one thing is in common – they are all people with a history behind them that has shaped their world view.
As a blogger, your best assets are these people. Their personalities and views will make your blog stronger and more desirable for others who might otherwise not comment based on a perception that their views may not be accepted.
With each of these varied “cultural†differences (some which may be literally cultural and others not) among our readers, taking the time to understand the situation that your readers come from will strengthen your writing and allow more empathy between yourself and your readers.
Diversity in Opinion
Likewise, reader opinions are as varied as their thought processes are. In fact, some people can have identical thought processes and reach completely different conclusions. Stephen Colbert, of Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report jokingly refers to this as “truthiness,†which is the quality by which someone purports to know something emotionally or instinctively, without regard to evidence or to what the person might conclude from intellectual examination
Joking aside, many of your readers will have access to the same information and sources you do and draw vastly different conclusions. They may be right. They may be wrong. The same way for you. If you keep an open mind when interacting with your readers, you will show them that you appreciate them and value their opinion. After all, they need a reason to invest their time and efforts in you and your blog.
In a recent exchange on a blog I commented on, the author had posted an entry on a topic that was somewhat controversial. It was a topic that I had definite opinions, and those opinions seemed to contradict the author’s perspective. I made a comment that was not hostile toward the author, but yet expressed disagreement with the perspective presented. It was quickly met with a comment that indicated that the entry was not meant for everyone to comment on and that my perspective was not welcome.
This example is exactly the wrong method to approach blogging. First of all, growing a blog is akin to growing a marriage. You may not always like what the other person does, but you embrace them anyway. They may have stinky breath in the morning, fart under the covers or leave eggshells in the sink, but behind all of that there is a person you love.
It’s not uncommon for people to have different mentalities and world views in the blogosphere. But in the end, they are your figurative best friend. Without those differing views feeding your blog, you will have a steeper hill to climb.
Stumble it!
About the Author: Aaron Brazell is the lead editor of Technosailor.com and a social media expert. His passion is to see companies and individuals use the internet and web technologies wisely and effectively to promote their brands and companies. He served as Director of Technology at b5media from 2005-2008 and is currently an independent consultant.
