I wanted to share that rant with the readers of OwlSparks:

From day one I knew what would work online. I knew what I had to do to become popular, succeed, have a community and all that stuff. And for a while, I did it.

Truth be told? I hated every second of it.

Believe me, if I were to keep doing it, I would sky-rocket because it’s more scientific that we are prepared to believe. It’s not about my content, it’s about what other people want to hear. Human psychology and the written word are two very powerful tools, and if you know how to use them, manipulation is a piece of cake.

But I don’t want to do that, because that’s how you perpetuate mediocrity, and the world has enough of that already. I want a smart world, not a world full of micro religions.

I’d rather fail than to lose my integrity. I don’t want to be the Letterman, the Leno of blogging, I want to be the Adam Carolla of blogging, burning bridges all the time for sticking to what you believe in. But those few bridges that stick? Oh, baby, those are made of steel and diamond, you can’t burn those, they will be there forever.

There’s nothing wrong with maintaining a weak tie, I have many in my life, but I’m not manipulating people, telling everyone we are friends, that we are community, that there’s love for everyone. You tell me I need to have drones? That I need to have as many weak ties as possible to succeed? Then I ask you: what comes with that? Instead of thinking so hard and showing us how much they will help YOU, what about them? What happens to them? Where do they go once you cash the check? Who guides them once you win?

Thank you, but no. I’d rather be the lamest blogger that keeps cracking his head open to come up with original posts every time, that keeps trying to make people wake up of all the shit that they are consuming labeled as “great posts” and great communities, instead of just “going with the drone thing” because it’s the utilitarian solution.

I’m a realistic person. Chances are all those people that keep making it about the numbers will grow their audience throughout the years and I’ll have to suffer for being able to see through their crap while I have to “settle” with my little community of real thinkers (which I DO tell them to leave me when they think it’s time). But I don’t care. To hell with the money. To hell with attention, popularity and ego-praising.

I don’t want to do what works. I want to do what’s right.

You can subscribe to Ophelias’ Webb here.

Elisa, one of the nicest girls I’ve met online, reached out to me to write a post about love for her blogging series “All you need is love.” I don’t usually write about this kind of stuff, but it was a good moment to show my cynicism regarding the topic. Thank you Elisa, I had a blast doing it!

Do read my guest post “Love Is Irrelevant.”

You can talk about the things you’re going to do, and then do them.

Or you can just do them.

Sadly, people seem to value more the former way of action.

The one that makes a big fuss about it.

The one that needs selfish justification.

The one that’s fake.

The problem is we encourage this type of behavior. We recognize the “talk-and-doers” more than the “just-doers.”

The moment we stop glorifying those that go “look at my good work!” and start recognizing just good work, the world will be a better place.

No wonder the best ones stay hidden. They choose anonymity over prostitution.

The part that still doesn’t work, that’s not as good as the previous situation. Yet.

They do that, because if they have any chance of stopping you, they have to cut you off at that moment.

Adjusting means usually ending up in a better situation. Maybe you are changing job, girlfriend, or moving to a different country. Whatever it is you are doing, it’s because you consider it the right move.

Cowards see it too, and therefore they acknowledge the little window opportunity that they have to make you stay as one of them. They need the company.

You have two choices: either don’t show them the adjusting part, or realize that most criticism comes at the point where they can still be skeptical.

Adjust accordingly to ignore them.

- There’s a fine but very visible line between disagreeing and calling out.

- People don’t like to hear the truth. The odds that my calling out will spark honest self-criticism instead of a defensive stance are very low. Letting them be is a more time-efficient decision.

- Most criticism is incomplete. I can’t know what that person’s abilities, reasons, limits and values are. I may be wrong, and I would be hurting us both in the process.

- I believe in long term success. Those who are doing things wrong will eventually stagnate. Those who are doing things right will thrive.

- It underestimates the reader. People are smart enough to know who you’re talking about, or at least to take the advice and be aware from that point on. I don’t care about that person doing something wrong. I care about everyone else following that person. It’s not about changing behaviors, it’s about opening eyes. If no one follows, that person will be forced to stop or be ignored.

- Drama sells but doesn’t help.

It comes down to questioning its effectiveness. It may feel cool to do it, and it may help with popularity, but does it work?

Integrity beats traffic for me.

Predicting is fun.

Gather a couple of proofs and you can make your own sensational prediction that goes against the popular belief.

For example, I predict that huge profits in the future will be offline again. The internet business fad will fade eventually. It may be the most exciting place to have huge earnings, but it’s the hardest one too, statistically speaking.

Stuart, Jason and Seth have given me arguments to support this.

On the other hand, the internet lets you reach a lot of people fast and cheap. Make $1 from each costumer, and you have a millionaire business. Maybe we’ll see a bigger boom of these business models…

You see the problem with predictions, don’t you? There are always arguments to support them or refute them. Otherwise they’d be facts.

It’s not about being right about your predictions, that’s not the point.

It’s about doing it. Taking chances and going with them.

Bottom Line: Predict away. That’s your only shot for a breakthrough.

- The stubborn ones. They doubt what is happening right now (e.g: the power of social media). Status quo lovers basically.

- The ones ahead of the curve. They doubt what people say is going to keep happening. They abandon ship before the bubble bursts.

Thoughts on these skeptics:

1) We pay more attention to the stubborn ones. This happens because change is already here and some people are living proof. It’s very easy to spark a discussion.

2) The stubborn ones are always a huge force. This is why change always comes as a surprise for most people.

3) Experts are overrated skeptics.

4) The reason why people don’t listen to the ones ahead of the curve is because they have no proofs (this is particularly hard when we are talking about the future, don’t you think?). We should always leave room for those that question continuity. Forget about proofs, think ahead.

5) When the ones ahead of the curve are right, they win big time.

Bottom Line: Always be skeptical about the future, things are always in motion. Don’t let change catch you off guard.

Because they have nothing to win.

The moment personal interests come into play, word of mouth is ruined (which is why “sponsored” spread won’t scale).

That’s when we all become skeptical.