Conan,

Your videos have changed the way I use Twitter and helped me a lot.

I think this guy just represents a test...how bad do you want it? Are you going to give up just because some guy "sipping Haterade" isn't on board?

No. Stay hungry, keep adding value to your network, and if you care about his opinion and have the time then I'd say it can't hurt to approach him respectfully and 'rebuild' the friendship - maybe treating the situation as if you were dealing with a dissatisfied customer.

Looking forward to seeing you Saturday

He's jealous and scared of what you're doing because he doesn't understand it and is only doing what people do when they're fearful: try to tear it down.

Don't even let this bother you. In two years you'll be laughing when he's your waiter at some high-end cafe that you're sitting at with your supermodel girlfriend. It's a waste of mental energy that could be better directed to other things.

I couldn't agree more - If you respond to the haters negatively, you become one yourself. If you can mend a fence and make a friend, cool. If not - move on, it isn't worth the emotional capital to let it get to you.
Dave
aka @threedot

It may sound ridiculous but interview him. Ask him about what he's doing, how he's doing it, his successes, failures, all that stuff. Upload it to youtube and send him the link to embed it on his own blog or spread it around and you now what? Not only will he suddenly come around to what you're doing but he'll become a fan of it. And those are the best kind of fans to have.

Matt --
Good concise post. Haters, they are everywhere and will always be present but it is how we respond or don't respond that matters.

As an entrepreneur you go out into uncharted territory so to speak and it can be scary but you didn't do it for anyone else's satisfaction but your own. You can not and will never please everyone, nor do you want to.

These "haters" just try to pull other people down instead of letting you lift them up to learn from you. I think it really shows character when someone acts negatively toward someone else whether it is online, on LinkedIn, Twitter or face to face. These people are normally small minded and you just can't let it shake you or make you lose focus, even if the person is in your network of friends.

I don't watch his sermons all the time but Joel Osteen addressed this issue like two years ago and I have not forgotten it. "How To Handle Criticism." One point that struck me is that he said that people say & do things against others due to jealousy, because they look at the way we are living our lives and are resentful of the joy we have. He also said the good in some people just brings out the bad in others which can be an unfortunate truth. Many people call these haters, 'stone throwers' or "slingers," as Joel calls them. He stressed the point to not let the slingers poison our "wells" aka our true purpose.

Well I certainly took up some real estate on your site, I digress, walk that walk Matt!