How to Handle Negative Comments
You know how there are people who just can’t say anything nice? You try to explain your point and they so rudely throw in an incoherent comment that throws people off of the subject you’re talking about? Well, there are a lot of those, too, in social media.
I’m sure you’ve had an experience similar to this: You post a blog entry, people comment, and then somebody just come in, babbling about how you’re wrong and that your blog post sucks ass. It’s inevitable especially if your post don’t confirm with the standards of intellectually gifted.
Generally, you’d think that this is all done with bad intent in mind, but if you open your mind enough, you may be able to tell apart people who have a point from people who just want to weigh you down.
The key, however, is how you treat and react to such comments.
Always check if the negative remark offers any value. Read back on your post and see if the comment made sense. If it does and you’ve seen what the person was pointing out, apologize. And be sincere about your apology. People can tell apart a fake and honest apology.
Never forget to acknowledge a helpful comment (even if the comment sounded negative) with a thank you. It shows your reader that you take what they say into consideration and not just set them aside.
If the negative comment is because of a misunderstanding, recognize the other party’s factual points and then iron things out with a clear explanation of things. Adding new information that can help sort out the confusion also helps.
If the negative comment warrants action, then do act on it. Explain to the commenter what’s being done about their concern. But at the same time, if matters are out of your hands, air out your reasons for not being able to do anything about it.
Avoiding replying in an unsure or defensive manner. Being too confrontational can turn people off. Talking about something that you’re not certain of doesn’t help, either. If a commenter cannot be pacified, offer a more in-depth discussion of the subject matter with them outside the blog. You’ll be doing your other readers a favor.
If you look closely enough, you’ll see an opportunity to build a relationship from negative comments. Be it with the commenter or your passive readers, the way you handle such things can help establish trust. It can also show just how committed you are to your work and your audience as well.
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Rob is is from the small town of Malaya in Pililla, Rizal. He has a bachelor’s degree in computer science and has over 12 years of IT experience carrying different roles from software development, database architecture and project management. He is now the Digital Producer of one of the most awarded Ads agency in the Philippines, Database Consultant of a BPO company and the founder and author of Social Media Philippines.
RENZ:
“Hell begins on the day when God grants us a clear vision of all that we might have achieved, of all the gifts which we have wasted, of all that we might have done which we did not do!”
Long live the Queen!
Saen ka sa Bicol?
EQ
Sa puno kan Mayon tabi ‘noy! Nata? Tiga Legazpi ka? Yaon sana ako harani sa Sleeping Lion aka Buragwis.
Tiga Albay si Mrs.
Ow? Kala ko ikaw kaya binikol kita hehe! Sorry.
There is a difference though between a negative comment and a hate comment. Sometimes even a well typed negative comment could be a masquerade for a hatred. Why am I saying this? We have two hate bloggers around. Will tell you about this later.
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Nice post Kuya Rob.
Sabi nga ni Emmet Fox…
“Criticism is an indirect form of self-boasting.”
Fortunately in my blog I don’t get negative or hate comments. Mabait kasi ako eh. Nyahahaha! One thing I learned kung paano ihandle ang negative comments, depende yun sa kaso. Hate comments naman, just press the IGNORE button lalo na kung ka-ignore2x naman talaga ang nagcomment. Hahaha!
i like what u say here. its always a good idea to be civil, no? commenting is an exchange of ideas, and as long as there r no personal attacks, then its all good.
What a waste of time to entertain negative posts is what I learned in the short time I was commenting. You state your point and the other person will call you stupid, vacuous etc just because it is contrary to what they believe. Dictatorship na yan and mind control so I don’t fall for that crap anymore. Might as well read my financial papers or go for a pedicure. Life is so short to squander it on people who matters diddly squat.
nice post. good thing you shared this Rob..
parang na experience ko na tong hate comment na to.. kaya hinanap ko pa sa archives nun tabulas blog ko..
eto siya.. please read.
Ignore button lang ang katapat nyan lalo na yung mga moronic hecklers para ma-banish na sila papuntang Spamberia. Hahhahaha.
Or kung makapal na din talaga ang mukha at di madala sa pakiusapan, mega block ng IP address nya para di na siya makapeste sa iyong blog.
Not at all times e pinapatulan dapat ang mga moronic hecklers kasi ang agenda lang nyan e humanap ng traffic or makapang-alaska lang ng wala sa oras.
ang pinaka nakaka-inis yun dinededma ang opinyon mo diba…kaya that’s what i do most of the time.
mamatay sila kakahintay ng reply ko dahil hinde ko sila papansinin haha
pero minsan pag trip ko mang-inis, pinapatulan ko din haha. pag masyadong intelehente ang sagot, babanatan ko ng pam-bobong answer. bwahahah