You know that opening up your blog to comments is a good thing. Comments are a way to engage with your audience, get their feedback and garner valuable backlinks to your site.
But, in the back of your mind there’s that nagging feeling of doubt, the fear of the inevitable negative comment. How do you deal with it? You know you have to remain calm and professional but hey, the troll is provoking you! Do you ignore him? Argue with him? Try to pacify the evil little beast in hopes that he will go away?
The fact is, not all negative comments are offered by malicious evildoers with time on their hands. Some are actually valuable to you, and all should be approached as teachable (and learnable) moments.
Negative comments are a reality that all bloggers will face at some point, but it doesn’t have to be a stressful experience. Apply the following strategy for effectively dealing with them:
1. Be proactive.
When it comes to negativity, the best defense is a good offense. Monitor what is being said about you and your company using Google Alerts and/or other monitoring tools. Knowing in advance what to expect helps you to prepare your responses or even address them before they come up.
2. Squash your defensiveness.
Being attacked automatically triggers a self-defense mechanism. Counteract this reflex by taking the time to absorb the comment, calm yourself and get back into a neutral or positive frame of mind. Take as long as it takes before responding. Remember, the Internet is forever and words posted in anger will never go away. So always give yourself time to get over it.
3. Respond.
Despite your instinct to ignore the comment—don’t. This is not a time to hide, but an opportunity to show yourself in a positive light, possibly even instruct the commenter and your audience, and show yourself as the better man. All kinds of good things can come from a thoughtful response, so don’t shrink from it.
4. Acknowledge the issue.
Even if you feel that the commenter is way off base or possibly just trying to provoke you, offer an acknowledgement that you understand what they are saying. You may not agree with them, you may think they are wasting your time, but remember--there is often a little kernel of truth in these comments. Seize it and use it to address the point being made.
5. Present the contrasting view.
People are usually not thinking of the other person when they make a negative comment. They are focused on their own opinions, their own point of view. One of the best ways to neutralize negativity is to acknowledge it (see above), then present a point that the person may not have thought of. When done in a calm and reasonable way, this will help them to see why you did what you did, or said what you said—without turning it into an argument.
Above all, don’t let negative comments discourage you! When handled correctly, they will not only not hurt you—they will actually cast you in a positive light with your audience.
