Set forth below is the text of an e-mail sent to me by Mike Piper (author of the Oblivious Investor blog) in response to my e-mail to him set forth in Friday’s blog entry.

Rob:

To be clear, my issue (and the issue voiced by my readers) has little if anything to do with your claims about passive investing and lots to do with the way you’re going about making those claims.

Quite simply, there are certain social norms regarding blogs. One of them is that (at least as far as I can tell) it’s generally regarded as rude to repeatedly disagree with the blogger in question, assuming your disagreement has already been recognized and discussed.

To ignore those norms is to invite failure for the success of your message–at least if your method of spreading that message is via the blogosphere.

To give an example: If you disagree with another blogger, but you want that blogger to help spread your ideas, I’d suggest the following:

• Write a post on your own blog explaining why you disagree with a point made by that blogger. (Be sure to link to the post you’re disagreeing with.)
• Let the blogger know (via email or twitter) about your post.

If your method is simply to repeatedly voice your disagreement with the blogger, you’re going to alienate both the blogger and his/her readers. (My blog being a case in point.)

Again, I sincerely encourage you to continue writing about your investment beliefs and the facts/studies/research they’re based upon. I just ask that you refrain from bringing up (on my blog) our point of disagreement given that we’ve already been over it so many times. 

-Mike