The last two blog posts I started drafting were just complaining. Both were about terrible UI on company websites and I didn’t post them because I just didn’t want to be that negative. Everyone knows UI on the internet is a mess and I’m not a UI guy, so anything I have to say about it wouldn’t amount to much other than senseless whining. Nobody wants to read that.

Complaining about the same things as everyone else isn’t just not interesting, it actively makes the ecosystem worse. I used to read live comments on Reddit while watching NASCAR and Indycar races, but often don’t anymore because the negativity was just too much. People complained about the sanctioning bodies, the cars, the tracks, the TV coverage, the drivers, other fans, you name it. It was constant and pointless. People argued in circles about all of it, getting outright vicious with each other over nothing that actually mattered. It was impacting my enjoyment of the races, so I just stopped.

I want no part of it. If I have an idea for something to post and it just boils down to complaining, I’m not going to post it. I’m reminded of Derek Sivers’ blog post about public speaking and writing where he suggests cutting out anything that isn’t surprising because everything else lines up with what your audience already knows. If I’m complaining about terrible UI, nobody is surprised because they know most UIs can be terrible. Nobody wants to read it and it never makes me feel better about whatever was annoying me. If I want to say something, I’m going to have to find something positive or constructive to say, because complaining just isn’t worth reading.