Over the years, I’ve received negative comments on my blog posts or about my work. People will claim I’m biased towards particular companies purely based on one blog post or say that I haven’t done something just because my opinion of that “something” doesn’t match their own. Many don’t like other viewpoints, and it can lead to negative comments, trolls, and backlash.

Well, I don’t really care about those negative comments.

Okay, I do pay attention to the things people say. I’ll look at whether negative reviews or comments have any weight to them. Why are people upset? Are they just trolling? If they’re trolling, I’ll ignore. Sometimes I have a little rant to my husband, but then I move forward and focus on my work.

It is hard to get through the first set of comments. There’s always going to be something that seeps through and plays on your mind for a few days. But if you don’t let them affect you, you will eventually move on and focus on the positives.

Here’s why I don’t worry about negative comments and what I do with them instead.

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Negative comments are going to happen

When you’re in business or you write blog posts to promote your business, you’re going to get negative comments. Not everyone agrees with you, and some people simply like to knock others down. It’s simply something a writer has to expect.

The trick is to look out at the type of negative comments you get. There are a few different types:

• Those who disagree but give their reasons. They don’t attack the author but just put their point of view across. (I love these comments as it is usually a time to learn another viewpoint)
• Those who disagree with and attack the author because of it. Some of these use derogative terms to get their frustration across. (I ignore)
• Those who have a different point of view or don’t have much knowledge in the subject, but think they do. They then attack the author. (I ignore the attacks)
• Trolls who just like to cause a stir. (I most definitely ignore)
• Those who have constructive criticism, although I don’t find that happens much in comments. (I love these types of comments)

That’s not all of them—and I can’t think of them all right now.

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What to do with negative feedback

So, what should you do when there are negative comments? This will depend on the type of comment.

As I mentioned, there are some that I just completely ignore. These people are looking to rile you up. They want to get under the skin. Or they want to force their viewpoint on you. They’re not interested in listening to yours and will attack you because you think something different.

Anything that involves personal attacks gets deleted off my blog or they’re blocked on Facebook/Twitter.

Troll comments I just delete. This is the best way of dealing with trolls. They want people to pay attention to them but that makes the situation worse. Try not to take the comments to heart—that’s their way of getting more attention.

But what about negative feedback that is constructive or opens up a genuine debate? These comments aren’t really negative. They are but they’re educational and helpful. These are just the types of negativity that I like because they make me think, they challenge me, or they offer feedback to help me improve. We can all get tunnel vision when it comes to our work. It’s important to step back and see whether our products or services align with our audience. We need to see if we’re alienating or pushing out specific people without realizing it.

Never take negativity personally

It’s hard at first. When you’re in business—whatever that type of business is—you need to avoid taking things to heart. That means taking a step back from the words. If you need to get offline for a bit, that’s perfectly fine. Center yourself and get ready to face the negativity in the future.

Try not to step away from your business for too long. Don’t let the negativity affect you personally. Trolls want to rile you up and get that anger flowing. Don’t give the trolls what they want. I actually find the trolls quite pathetic and wonder what joy they get in putting other people down for the sake of it.

The constructive criticism or those offering a different side to a debate or a different opinion aren’t there to attack you personally. These negative comments are actually there to help you. Don’t take them personally—they’re all business.

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What do you do about negative comments? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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