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 Raven’s blog here. Follow Raven on Twitter here.

Raven is one of my favorite debaters, and writing for her was very refreshing. Writing about writing is always a delight, and for that I thank you, my friend.

Do read my guest post “Writing vs. Communicating” here.

If you aren’t, you should learn.

We all have opinions and ways of seeing the world. It’s easy to defend those.

Being open minded is not about accepting the other people’s opinions, is about understanding them.

It’s about knowing your “enemy.”

If you can’t put yourself in other people’s shoes, any other people’s shoes, then you will either lose an argument, or an opportunity.

No one is really stupid or crazy. There’s a logical reason for every belief.

Control your emotions and use it to your advantage.

Most people are not exceptional (that’s why they’re called exceptions), so they have to make exceptional happen. They have to create something remarkable, and tell us about it.

But exceptional people can tell us about them (it doesn’t hurt to create something remarkable too). We believe them blindly, because exceptional shows on everything they do and say.

Susan Lewis. Jamie Varon. Chris Guillebeau.

If you are good at telling us how good you are, it’s probably true. You can’t fake exceptional.

Maybe it is about you after all…

Sparked by Susan Hires a Boss.

Today, being the best in any category, is almost impossible. You are part of a lot of good ones out there.

But the way to stand out hasn’t changed: let people take the risk for you.

They won’t lose friends for showing them a crappy blog, but you’ll lose credibility for calling yourself the best.

And even if you are, we are getting more skeptical.

It’s obvious that what you think is just your opinion.

It’s obvious that you don’t have the universal truth.

It’s all so obvious, that there’s no point in saying it.

Even if some insecure souls think that you should.

Bottom line: Clarifying you may be wrong is a waste of time. Don’t believe for a second that speaking passionately is a sign of arrogance.