“Opinions are like assholes.
Everybody’s got one and everyone thinks everyone else’s stinks.”
~Home for the Holidays (1995)
Which is totally true.
In my opinion (IMO).
Bad Opinions
We come to our opinions through upbringing, social context, and the hardest way imaginable: experience. Contrary opinions pluck at our tribe, our history, and our nerves.
So it’s understandable when conflicting opinions get stacked on the “Bad” pile. They’re picks and hammers on our bedrock. They’re a personal threat. They’re not just bad, they’re wrong.
And they’re valid.
So dismissing a differing opinion just because it’s different is unacceptable. So are discrediting the contrary to preserve our position, altering facts to support our individual reality, and killing the messenger (sometimes literally) to avoid questioning our viewpoint.
These are the only bad opinions. Not the ones that disagree, but the unquestionable—and unquestioned—theories, ideas, and concepts made of air and disguised as fact.
The worst opinions are the anonymous ones. You know. Those criticisms and kudos from folks who have just enough grit to speak their piece, but not quite enough to put their name on it. Have you noticed that Amazon highlights reviewers who use their real name? A signed opinion is worth more. An unsigned opinion is less than nothing.
IMO.
Good Opinions
My favorite opinions are the kind that work. Naomi, Mark, Havi, Dave, and Charlie are great for those. So are Pam and Michele. And Tara. And Seth. Among others.
They don’t theorize on imagining, building, surviving, and thriving with a (very) small business. Instead, they talk about their own businesses and how they struggle, fail and find success.
Also: They’re listeners. They work intimately with folks like us, in small groups and one-on-one. They collect our questions and our stories. They are deeply familiar with our struggles, failures, and successes. So when they say, “You might want to try…” or “You might want to avoid…” or “You might want to talk to…” or “It’s like this for everyone,” I believe them.
Sometimes I balance their opinions with my own, other times I just do what they suggest. And it’s great. My work goes in directions I hadn’t thought to take it and I dodge a lot of effortful fucking up—a.k.a.: Trial and Error.
I don’t always agree with them. And their suggestions don’t always work for my current situation. But that’s hellagone from being bad opinion.
Their’s are the best kinds of opinions: Suggestions born from proven ideas, thoughtful research, experience (both vicarious and personal), sweat, blood, and real-world practice.
IMO.
Biased Opinions
These are my least favorite.
You know. Like when a blog post begins with: “Hey, look at this nifty new product”, then repeats the vendor’s babble, doesn’t mention personal experience with the thing, and ends with, “And they have a great affiliate program, too <wink>.” You know to take that opinion with a fat ass grain of salt. Hmph.
Like when a bottled water company pronounces, “Research shows everyone should drink at least 64 ounces of water per day,” we wonder which research. Or rather, whose research. At least, we should.
Sometimes I forget everyone has bias, and I let myself get angry and frustrated about it. Then I take a breath (or six) and look carefully at who’s talking and what they’re selling and decide if, what, and how much to believe.
Consider the source, always.
IMO.
Unbiased Opinions
There is no such thing as an unbiased opinion.
There is nothing more to say about that.
IMO.
My Opinions
I remember a Seth Godin presentation that he started with something like, “Before we start, I should tell you I’m very opinionated. Also, I have no idea what I’m talking about.” And the audience chuckled.
And because they were free to disagree with him, I suspect they were more receptive. And he shielded himself from basic heckling. What’s left for a heckler to say? They usually smell like: “That’s just one opinion” and “You don’t know what you’re talking about”. So,well, yeah. Sure. He already said that.
Friggin’ genius.
I’m not as smart as Seth. But I am smart enough to follow a good example when I see it—
·
My plan for 2010 is to produce a collection of buying guides for folks like us: Tiny businesses who want to do fabulous work and need to spend wisely. I’m going to suss out what affects us first and worst, starting with shopping carts and payment processors, then membership sites, affiliate programs, and who knows what all…or in what order. We’ll figure it out as we go.
I’ll do deep-digging research in month-long bursts and develop expertise on-the-fly. That doesn’t mean I’ll know it all and it won’t make me the expert. But it will give me room to speak on what I’ve read and what I’ve tried, what I prefer and what I think sucks.
My opinions will have a limited scope. If the shopping cart research is an indicator, there’s way too much out there for me to study everything. There will always be products off my radar and I’ll be methodically selecting what I review. I will try to be smart about it. When I explain why I picked what, you can tell me if I was smart enough.
My opinions will be limited by time. New products and features will inevitably spring forth after I’ve published. Not a damned thing I can do about that and I’m not gonna try. I’m writing for the moment, and will publish updates as I can.
I’ll clearly separate my opinions from the facts. I trust you’ll let me know when I haven’t.
I have biases. I will learn them. So will you.
I’ll do my best.
And I’ll sign my work.
Photo credit: quinn.anya
