5 Tips for Dealing with Negativity on Your Blog

It’s almost inevitable that as you become more well-known in the blogging world you will eventually have to deal with negative feedback. Whether it’s someone critiquing the way you write or the decisions you make, negative commenters are always lurking in the shadows waiting to strike. How you respond to these comments, however, is what can make or break you as a blogger. If you are the recipient of a negative comment, keep these five tips in mind before you respond:

•  Remember that your blog is a public forum –  Before you let yourself get worked up over a comment that disagrees with you or is laced with negativity, remember that your blog is a public forum. It is the ability to express ideas – both that agree with you and disagree with you – that makes blogging such an attractive form of social media, so you don’t want to respond in a way that discourages others from interacting with you and other readers on your blog.

• Assess if the comment had an element of truth to it, or if it was just meant to be nasty –  If you find yourself unnecessarily outraged over a particular comment, take a minute to assess if you’re upset because the comment was just someone trying to be mean, or if you’re incensed because there’s an element of truth to what the commenter is saying. If it’s just someone being mean, don’t waste time being upset over it. If it’s because someone has touched a nerve and said something true, figure out how you can fix it.

• Give yourself a chance to calm down before you respond –  The natural reaction that most people have to negativity is to respond in an equally rude way. While you may want to tell someone exactly what you think of them in the heat of the moment, you’ll probably realize how ineffective – and even counterproductive – that will be if you give yourself a second to step away, take a breath, and gather your composure.

• Respond to the commenter - Because a blog is a public forum and all of your other readers will be able to read the negative comment, it’s important that you respond to the commenter. Respond politely, address their problem, and then give them your contact information. There’s no need to get into a public debate with someone on your blog, so you want to be the bigger person and then end the conversation.

• Encourage the commenter to contact you outside of the blog if they have anything else to say – You want to give your contact information to the commenter so that if they have anything else negative to say to you they have a way to do so without posting it on your blog. You may be able to gain some more insight into their feelings and why they said what they said if you open up and direct the conversation to emails, and may find that they have some valid points or are just looking for a way to bring you down.

Dealing with negativity in the blogging world isn’t uncommon, so don’t let it get you down if you receive negative feedback. Determine if the comment addresses a legitimate concern or if it’s just mean to be mean and then deal with it from there

Author Bio:

Jack Meyer is a freelance writer and regular contributor at www.nannybackgroundcheck.com/. He has a passion for various subjects like education, career and technology, Parenting etc.  If you have any questions email Jack at jackmeyers08 @ gmail.com