This blog post is not done yet. I would appreciate it if you did not submit it to any websites. I like to give people who check out my stuff little extras to see, but I'm also super perfectionistic about the work I show to the masses, and want to take time to make it perfect.
That said.
Be direct with people.
A month or two ago, I noticed that I'm a really passive person.
Advantages of being direct:
People respect you for voicing issues
You come to find who can actually take criticism
People are not as confident as they show. If you have an opinion you believe, and don't back off immediately, you might be surprised by how many people will come around to what you say.