{"id":12581,"date":"2013-01-25T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-01-25T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.shareaholic.com\/?p=12581"},"modified":"2014-05-13T11:19:20","modified_gmt":"2014-05-13T15:19:20","slug":"how-to-handle-negative-feedback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/how-to-handle-negative-feedback\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Handle Negative Feedback on Your Blog"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We\u2019ve all been there. You\u2019ve slaved over a post\u2014researching, writing, editing<\/a>, working in links to sites you admire, and sharing it through all the proper social media channels<\/a>. And then it happens.<\/p>\n

Rejection<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Whether it crops up in your comments section<\/a>, someone else\u2019s blog post or in social media, negative feedback can hurt, especially when your blog is based off your experience and opinions.<\/p>\n

Welcome to the internet: a magical place where you can put your thoughts on display, but also a place where anyone else can air theirs. In this place, you\u2019ve got to be prepared with the worst of the worst trolls while still being open to getting feedback from your readers. If you want to make your blog even better, you’ll need to figure out how to\u00a0deal with negative feedback and to use it to make your blog even better.<\/p>\n

So how do you do it? Here are a few tips to help:<\/p>\n

1. If it\u2019s on your blog, don\u2019t delete the comment!<\/h3>\n
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You obviously can\u2019t control what other people say on social media or their own blogs, but you can control what appears on your blog. Save that control for the spammers and trolls<\/a>\u2014not for the negative commenters.<\/p>\n

Remember, if you leave the comment up and then respectfully respond, everyone else can follow the discussion and see both<\/em> sides to the story. Then, they can chime in to defend you or add some other constructive criticism. Either way, you and your blog will be better off hearing from both sides of the discussion.<\/p>\n

2. Separate your work from yourself.<\/h3>\n
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This is probably the most wide-spread problem with bloggers and writers in general (I\u2019m guilty of it too!). After you spend a ton of time creating something, it\u2019s really hard to disconnect your feelings from the post from feelings about yourself. Then when someone gives you feedback about the post, it feels directed at you.<\/p>\n

So when you get negative feedback, recognize that you may do this and try to keep in mind that the negative feedback isn\u2019t about you. You could be the most amazing person in the world, but write with tons of typos. If someone were to call you out on that, it wouldn\u2019t be a reflection of how awesome you are! It would just mean that you need to work on your spelling\u2026ASAP. ;)<\/p>\n

If people are making the criticism about you, as a person<\/em>, you need to recognize that they are either a troll, trying to get you all riled up, or someone with irrelevant criticism.<\/p>\n

Which leads me to my next point\u2026<\/p>\n

3. Dissect the comment for relevant criticism.<\/h3>\n
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When people comment, they aren\u2019t always going to be clear on things you need to do improve. Usually, negative feedback is laced with other things besides the feedback itself, so it\u2019s crucial that you know how to distinguish between them all.<\/p>\n

In this awesome<\/strong> Fast Company article<\/a>, Mark Murphy<\/a> offers an acronym to help you analyze what people are actually<\/em> saying in their criticism: FIRE. Here\u2019s what each letter means:<\/p>\n