When you take on blogging, you open yourself up to the possibility of people loving your blog or hating it. It may seem harsh but it’s true. Social media itself allows public conversations that just about anyone can join.
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Your main goal as a blogger is simple: attract and gain more readers. As you begin producing weekly content and your readers increase, so will your criticisms. You may see these kinds of comments:
- “I disagree with…”
- “You’re wrong about…”
- “I’m offended that…”
- “You don’t know what you’re talking about”
Instead of giving up and shutting your blog down, consider learning how to manage criticism, not get dragged down by it, and maybe even benefit from it! ProBlogger has some great tips on how to best handle the blog criticism.
First, embrace the criticism – seriously! The fact that your blog is getting attention from readers – positive or negative – is a good thing. Even though you may feel wary of putting yourself, your work and your opinions on the line, any negative feedback is a sign that your blog is making people think. Just remember to not take it personally; it’s part of the job.
Once you have embraced your negative comments, take a moment to consider the nature of these comments. A lot of commenters may actually be sharing constructive advice with you. For example, “I didn’t like the way you wrote about this topic but here is another way you could put it…”
Criticism is usually one of three things: a difference of opinion, a lack of perceived value or a sense of frustration linked to an underlying problem the reader is having.
If you determine which of these problems is at the root of the criticism on your blog, you can do something about it. When you’re ready to practically “take the criticism on board”, try looking at ways you could possibly change a few things for the sake of your readers. But be cautious and remember to not make any drastic changes that may undermine your blog and disappoint the readers who do like what you do and how you do it.
If you’re questioning whether or not to respond to negative commenters, it may not hurt to do so in order to show your audience that you’re listening and that their feedback is important to you.
How do you handle criticism on your own blog? Please share with us!
