Dealing with negative comments on your blog

You have worked hard on that article. You have stayed up all night and your veins pump coffee. You have done your research and have gathered all the information you can about your topic to help your readers. You have edited several times and a smile of accomplishment runs across your face as you click “publish,” pour a bottle of panul reserve (one of my favorite wines), sit back, relax and wait for your reader opinions.

You smile and pat yourself on the back as readers tell you that they love your article. You feel great then suddenly, you come across a reader who has listed in detail all the things wrong with your article, how the information you have provided is not complete to their satisfaction. He crushes your sense of achievement. What you do you? What should you do? Do you approve the comment or delete it?

Here is what you can do:

1. Keep your cool

   What makes you think that you can have a blog and write your opinions and not expect readers to have opinions of their own? Isn’t that why you blog anyways, to share ideas and have others share theirs with you? Am I wrong?

2. Approve the comment

   Not only will this promote conversation on your blog, it will show something about you and the writer of the comment. Remember, people say more about themselves by what they don’t say.

3. Acknowledge

   If indeed you left out some pertinent information and not just the reader trying to draw attention to them, acknowledge the error and correct it, no one is perfect.

4. Thank them and reply

   If you intentionally left out the information because you saw it as irrelevant to the topic, tell them so without attacking them. Nothing is worse than attacking your readers and doing so just makes you look stupid.

5. It may help someone

   The comment may help your readers, especially if another reader thinks the information left out was pertinent for them. By acknowledging the comment and addressing it, your readers will see that you have their best interest at heart and not your ego. This will add to your credibility and you are also letting your readers play moderator because they are deciding if the information is important rather than you deleting it right away because you feel your poor little ego is threatened.

6. Conclusion

   Negative comments are more beneficial than you may think; however, don’t let the reader take from the experience of others. I personally don’t consider any comments negative. I value my readers opinions and encourage them to add their thoughts because readers help each other too.
   

   But I am curious, how do you deal with negative comments on your blog? Do you do something different from what I have outlined here?

Tagged as: negative readers