How To Deal with Negative Comments

I remember when I wrote my first blog post like it was yesterday (actually it was in 2004). I was so excited about starting my new adventure, and I was glad to have the chance to share my thoughts with the world. My first blog post wasn’t perfect. It was not even close. At the time, I had no idea what it takes to write a decent blog post. My first was chaotic and pointless at the same time. But in my mind, I was writing the best post in the world. I had put my heart and soul in that first blog post, so there was no reason for me to believe that people wouldn’t like it.

Most bloggers suffer from the same disease! A lot of us think that what we are writing is golden, and people are going to appreciate what we are sharing with them. Being a perfectionist is a disease! It not only keeps you from doing more with your time, but it also sets you up for cold hard reality checks. The truth is, not everyone is going to like what you have to say on your blog. If you are a perfectionist, there is a good chance you may get offended or agitated by folks who leave negative comments on your blog. A super-blogger doesn’t really take negative comments personally. Not everyone’s going to love what you have to say, and your goal shouldn’t be to get everyone to agree with you. Instead, you should be listening to what others have to say and look at things objectively.

When you start a blog and people start to follow your each and every post, they develop this sense of ownership. They come to your blog to get value from your posts, but at the same time they feel they have some stake in your blog. As a blogger, you goal should be to provide value to your audience, but you just can’t make everyone happy. It’s impossible. I have given iPods to folks and still found a way to make a bunch of folks mad in the process. When people give you negative feedback, you have to listen and learn. There are somethings that you can change. You can upgrade your blog platform. You can change your blog design. You can add more features to your blog. You may even want to tackle new topics. But if people are asking you to change your personality, then maybe they shouldn’t read your blog in the first place.