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This is part of the the book BLOGTASTIC! Growing and Making a Difference Through Blogging. You can read the table of contents and follow the book on this page:
See the table of contents for the book here: BLOGTASTIC project
Previous article: Help others succeed first!
BLOGTASTIC!: Avoid mudslinging
Some bloggers generate traffic by slinging mud at other bloggers. This strategy can work in the short-run, but you won’t be able to retain quality visitors for your blog.
Think about it. It does not require a lot of brain power to tear someone else down. Quality readers look for insights that will improve their professional and personal lives. They lead busy lives, and they’ve seen plenty of flamewars. In my experience, when a blog resorts to mud-slinging, quality readers quietly leave and focus their reading time elsewhere.
When you have a blog, it can be tempting to use it as a platform to vent your frustrations. This habit leads to a misuse of your time and resources. You’ll devote your time to describing other’s faults when you could have created something of your own.
Think about these questions:
1. How will your friend describe you to someone that does not know you?
2. Is that description powerful enough?
3. Is your blogging strategy helping or hurting that description?
The important question becomes:
Do you think it is the right use of your time, energy and resources to engage in bringing down other people? How could you invest the same amount of your time towards the goal of lifting yourself up?
Blogging Tip: You can demonstrate thought leadership without hurting anyone
You don’t have to walk over someone to prove that you are smart. There are enough opportunities for everyone in the world to stand out and make a difference. You have a calling, and you just have to find it.
Rajesh Setty is an entrepreneur, author and speaker based in Silicon Valley. He maintains another blog called Life Beyond Code and tweets as @UpbeatNow