Only Even Prime…

I’m a relatively unknown person in the blogosphere, so I have not yet had the dubious (mis)fortune of being called out by a blog basher. I know it’s going to happen eventually. Somewhere down the line someone’s going to question what I have to say either because he or she sincerely disagrees with me or wants to take potshots at me in an attempt to boost his or her credibility. Someone’s going to call my validity and expertise into question. Personally I don’t think my feelings are going to get hurt so much as I’m going to be flattered by the attention, but not everyone is prepared to respond that way. I’ve read countless blogs by a great many authors whom I think very highly of, and I have definitely seen my fair share of spiteful comments and venomous posts. I also have seen thoughtful counterpoints and polite disagreements. And then I’ve seen people completely lose their patience and call out the original poster as spouting complete and total drivel.

So let’s talk about these three types of critics.

1. The outright basher: You may or may not be a well-respected expert in your field, but regardless this person is determined to undermine you and any and all respect you built. Anyone who follows politics is familiar with mud-slinging campaigns, and I definitely compare this type of blog critic to that of a politician trying to make a case for his campaign by proving the incompetency of his opponent. An interesting feature I’ve noticed with blog critics of this nature: they rarely blast the original blogger on the commenter’s blog or forum. Instead they leave a derisively scorching comment with a link to their own blog. When they do choose their own blog as a forum for their outburst they make sure to drop as many links to it around the blogosphere as possible. I have never taken comments of this sort seriously, and I don’t know anyone else in my professional circle who does either.
2. Thoughtful counterpointers: These are the people I take seriously. These are the bloggers who politely, but emphatically and with solid evidence to back their findings or opinions post comments or posts of their own that point out discrepancies, misinformation, or another point of view. Their goal is not to build their own standing in the community so much as to make the point that your opinion needs a counterpoint or additional data. I have never noticed posters of this sort make an effort to present the original blog poster as an idiot so much as to point out that the readers should be better informed. As a result they can garner reader interest by being thoughtful, informed, and pleasant to read.
3. Patience losers: I also follow them. Here’s the thing. They are experts in their field. They know what they’re talking about and doing. They have sat by quietly while countless people tried to capitalize on their industry, and they have watched and tried to patiently correct misconceptions when the same capitalizers misrepresented themselves as experts. When they finally lose it and blow up it’s not necessarily as a blog basher; they are more than happy to present and prove their credentials. They have hard evidence to back themselves up- verifiable evidence.

Unfortunately as more and more people find it easy to take advantage of people (as Patrick Curl pointed out in his post Vic the Jackass and the BANS scam), especially with the mass media technology provided by the Internet, the need for checks and balances among general sources of information is becoming more apparent. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t write a blog if you don’t think you’re as knowledgable in your field as others. It does means you can’t be thin-skinned. Your knowledge and expertise is just as important as the next person- as long as you actually have the ability to confidentially speak on a subject and back yourself up.

In one of my earlier posts I talked about the Ringside Club in Durham. It is with much sadness I have to report it is closed. We celebrated its final weekend in the charming (yet slightly- ok, very- decrepit) building it lived in all these years. The good news is that Micheal will open a new location right down the street in the fall, so keep an eye on the website as we get closer to September for more details.