I think it’s against most of our nature to voice opinions that others will disagree with – isn’t it? As a general trait of humanity, we want our ideas to be accepted by others. This can be a big concern for many bloggers – especially business bloggers – who don’t want to spark controversy and create a PR mess by taking too much of a stance in their postings.

But sometimes it pays to disagree. In a post on Marketing Hipster titled Seth Godin Disagrees with Me! the very funny Cord Silverstein writes that he is excited as “a little school girl” about the fact that not only did one of his heroes, marketing Guru Seth Goodin, mention him on his blog, he completely disagreed with him!

Public Disagreements and Business Blogging

Exciting blogging is all about sharing your opinions and personal experiences. If it were a section in the newspaper, blogging would be the “op-ed” section. Many business clients that I speak with are terrified about sharing opinions on their blogs to the point that their posts amount to little more than just bland articles. But where do you draw the line between well received and ticking people off with your opinions?

Nate and I discussed this topic in our conversation last week where he brought up some very good points about controversy. Nate says that as a newer blogger, he feels that it is wise to not go out of your way to spark controversy if you are running a professional blog. He’s not suggesting that bloggers should hold back on voicing your opinions, but rather not be so overly opinionated that they turn off readers.

Finding the Sweet Spot

Whenever you share opinions, someone is bound to disagree. But approaching topic in a way that is too ‘vanilla’ can take the fun and excitement right out of blogging. There is a fine line between controversy and healthy debate. Nate says that he likes to write about topics where people have a difference of opinion because it insights lively conversation that allows him and his readers to gain new perspectives on topics. The trick is finding that sweet spot.

There is no magic formula for finding that sweet spot, but I think what it all boils down to is ego. Coming across as the be-all end-all of information distribution and challenging everyone who doesn’t share your opinion is probably not an effective blogging method for most. You probably know someone like that in your life. These kinds of people manage to get into lots of heated debates where they adamantly defend their position without any intention of changing it. Others, like Nate may put an idea out there that may be controversial but genuinely want to hear various opinions to broaden their perspective.

Almost every successful blogger I’ve talked with says that if you want to become successful at blogging, you’ve got to be willing to put yourself and your opinions out there. Don’t be afraid to spark some healthy debate – as Cord points out, a disagreement can have positive results in the blogosphere.

Tags: Blogging //