The BPS blog provides us with an overview of research which seems to show that people prefer information, not just opinion, when they are receiving advice. Obviously one mustn’t over-generalise, but this does seem to say that we should be careful when we find ourselves giving advice:

Individuals who are advising decision-makers should at the very least be careful to provide information along with their recommendations.

Blogging in particular encourages us to share our opinions and to explore ideas. Sometimes this teeters over into advice-giving, so if we want to truly be helpful we need to remember that information is the key!