Comments on: Don’t Feed the Swans…Or the Haters!

By: baidu123

baidu123 — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 07:54:47 +0000

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By: Kristi

Kristi — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 19:41:27 +0000

I just recently started photographing the ducks / geese / swans at a nearby lake, and that is where I’ve seen the major difference in attitude. If I see anything larger than a duck coming toward me, I back off because they are super mean, although I think it may be more about defending their territory and self-protection than intentionally just trying to kick people’s butt.

I have interacted with people who have been great at business but downright evil in their personal lives, and also people who I absolutely dreaded working with but would ask for personal advice outside of business hours. For me, it’s about trying to find the best in people wherever I can and learning how to get to those good sides without getting crushed on by their bad “alter egos” so to speak.
.-= Kristi´s last blog ..Latest WordPress Hack – Symptoms, Solutions & Resources =-.

By: Dustin

Dustin — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 16:08:49 +0000

Thanks, Kristi! I could have used your insight about the swans (I knew about cranky geese) about two weeks ago.

I definitely understand what you are saying about the personal vs. professional persona, and I deal with that a lot in my career and even socially. I can’t help but value the keen business/blogging advice given by “the blogger who shall remain nameless” but I sure won’t hold much respect for him personally moving forward.

I appreciate your support, and thanks for being a reader!

By: Kristi

Kristi — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 23:49:37 +0000

Swans and geese can be pretty aggressive – I’m always wary of them when children are involved. I saw a group/flock of four geese chase after this little kid on a bike across a lake once just cause he got too close to them.

I too, saw the Twitter exchange. I actually thought at first the person you were interacting with had their Twitter account hacked, because I hadn’t seen him tweet much, and it didn’t seem like the kind of conversation he would have on such a public platform.

I have know some people who are amazing on a personal level, but absolute jerks on a professional level and vice versa, so I have learned to separate respecting someone’s business expertise from actually respecting them personally. I hope that makes sense.

As far as your reaction, you were passionate about what was being discussed, and that can’t be held against you. You can’t worry about how you reacted – you defended your beliefs, and that is really all you can do, no matter how popular the person on the other end of the conversation is.
.-= Kristi´s last blog ..HootSuite for Blogging – Twitter Management for Bloggers =-.

By: Dustin

Dustin — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 01:50:41 +0000

Thanks so much, Esther! It’s so funny to hear that you too were witnessing our little “exchange,” and I’m relieved to hear that you think I did the right thing. My reputation (both online and offline) means a lot to me, and I always want to be an example of someone who stands up for the right things in life. Thanks for your support!