Know More Media Professional Courtesies – Doing the Right Thing

The blogosphere has been all a-buzz today with the news and developments of Know More Media going out of business. There are mixed feelings and thoughts about how things should have been handled, what could have been done differently, who should do what, so on and so forth. No doubt that there will be lots of mixed emotions for some time to come, both for the executives at Know More Media and the bloggers.

One thing is certain however, and that is that there have been professional relationships formed that will last for a very long time. In the blog-world, just as in offline businesses, it’s important to treat people right, to treat them just as you would like to be treated: in fairness, equity and with dignity. I’m fortunate to have had the good pleasure of working with Dan, Kimberlee and Easton (a great guy!), and feel that they will rise up somewhere in blogosphere soon – - which brings me to my next point…

It’s sooo important to be professional and to treat your fellow bloggers right. Because these folks have always been top-notch in their dealings, there are people all over the blog and writing world who are calling on contacts, calling in favors and all-in-all doing whatever they can to help these folks out. No, they’re not hard up for work or willing to take whatever. They are are highly-skilled, well-educated and in-demand professionals. Everybody’s pulling out all of the stops because of one thing – they know how to treat people. Because of that, they’re being treated right as well.

In business, this is one practice that I cannot stress the importance of. You never know who knows who, you never know who has the power to make or break your contracts and you never know when and if your professional life will ever take a turn the other way. One thing to bear in mind is that although you may not always agree with someone or see eye-to-eye, it’s important to respect them and treat them with dignity. Be ready for when, and if, the tables turn and you find yourself on the receiving end. That’s all I’m saying.

Have you ever burned any bridges that you regretted later? If you had the chance to mend them, what would you do? Or, are you too proud to admit you were wrong? Is it worth it to you?

Since I write and blog for a living, I’m keeping my eyes and ears peeled for them as well. Not because I feel sorry for them. And certainly not because I want to impress them or have them bow to me. I want to help them because they’re genuine, professional people and simply because IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.

Would you want any less?