Stand Behind Your Product

Opinions are the product of our individual selves.  The seeds are sown in youth by our families, nurtured in our teens by our friendships and ripened in our adulthood by our experiences.  They are colored by emotion - by passion - by experience - by life.  In case you hadn't figured it out yet, I'm a bit outspoken.  I have no problem telling it like I see it and letting people know that it’s me saying it.  I began blogging in April 2010 as a means of sharing my Unique Perspective.  From my first blog Sharing is Good  to Lessons Lost to Life's Too Short , I’m proud of every blog I’ve written. Each blog is the product of my opinion on a particular subject and I stand behind my product.

Besides blogging, I’ve written for TRIP’s bi-weekly Troy Treasures column in The Record, which have been well received.  It’s a great opportunity for me to write about my favorite subject – the history of Troy, my beloved hometown.  Whether writing about neighborhood kids getting together for a reunion, Troy's baseball history, or our Bintz pool at Prospect Park  the history I share comes with my personal take on it and I stand behind my product.

It may sound twisted but I actually like standing behind my product.  If I’m still collecting data on a subject, I wouldn’t declare my opinion.  Why?  It hasn’t been formed yet.  That’s one of the reasons I’ve remained generally silent on the voter fraud debacle.  I read the latest blog entry by Tina Urzan and, boy, I couldn't agree more. If I'm speaking out on something or writing about a subject, the data has been collected and my opinion thus formulated.   I, like Tina, always identify myself when commenting on a digital article at The Record.  Who at this point does not know that The Dartlady is Peggy Kownack? 

I do the same when posting comments on fb pages like Troy NY Memories, Restore Troy NY’s Uptown Neighborhoods, Troy Neighborhoods Action Council or North Central Neighborhood Assn.   In my mind, those that comment without putting their name to it don't feel that they can stand behind their product.  Perhaps they shouldn't be trying to sell it.  My grandmother taught me not to say anything if I had nothing nice to say.  Here's a modern day translation: If you can't sign your name to it perhaps you shouldn't write it.  I stand behind my product.