Let’s face it – regardless of the size of our business and the good things our business has done to the local community, there will always be two groups of people out there in your community (or in your industry or market) – both online and off line: Those who rave and rant about you. The raves are all good; but how to deal with the rants – especially those made online?
Related: 9 Ways to Approach Anonymous Haters Online
You know what’s cherished on the Internet: Anonymity. The freedom of speech and so on are all good. But sometimes, things can go overboard, especially with haters of your business, your brand – or simply you: Instead of giving feedback and opinions in “civilised manners,” people use the power of anonymity on the web to say whatever they want. For some reasons, despite your hard work in building your online reputation, some people just allergic to your success.
I know how it feels like when you are trying to do good for you, your business and your community you get a group of people who seem to be dedicated to criticise you and rant about you – yes, such group of people just exist; that’s how the world goes. I have experienced this in the past, getting bad reviews, being called names, called as scammers, and so on.
How I deal with negative comments online
I once shared my make money online success story to inspire others to do the same on a particular social site; I’m not expecting any congrats or kudos, but at least I’m expecting my story to be at least useful for others looking to make a living online; as I don’t have interest in building a personal brand, that’s all that matters – be useful for others.
What I did get at that time caught me off guard: There was someone calling me a scammer or a liar. And there was someone else who said that doing what I did was easy and he’s not sure what to “brag” about (despite the fact that bragging didn’t cross my mind whatsoever…)
Well – things happened; now, should I be listening to them? Maybe. Should I be bitter? No. Should I embrace haters as they are part of your success? Absolutely!
You see, that’s how things could happen online; that’s why many people gave up even before they make their first $1 online – they can’t simply stand all the badmouthing and defamation. Well, whether you are now in the middle of building an online or offline startup, I would like to remind you that you should expect haters to come your way eventually. Get ready and be ready to cool your jets – it’s not the end of the world.
From my own experience, the best thing for you and me to do is not to respond negatively with regard to those haters. Instead, embrace them as part of your success; they are the ones who keep you grounded; they are a group of people who will help you keep you fire alight, giving you the energy to work hard making things better – indeed, you should turn those hateful remarks and such into the fuel for your business success.
If you are brave enough, you might want to respond to the negative comments, explaining your position and trying to clarify things. However, be aware that doing this could lead you to a never-ending “comment battle,” as your response is actually the fuel for lengthy debate. Maybe it’s a better approach to hire an online reputation specialist to help you out; your choice.
But hey, if you can’t simply stand all of the negativity, the best way you can do is just ignore them, and move on. Hang out with like-minded people in your community, so you don’t have to get through things alone.
Takeaway
Always remember – there always be two groups of people surrounding you and your business: Those who rave and rant about you. Unless you are doing something really bad – like really scamming others and such – you will always have someone who love your products and services – and willing to take the extra miles to get the words out about your business. Focus and invest on them; they are part of your team.
While you’re at it, you might want to read an article on how 9 rock-star entrepreneurs deal with anonymous, negative comments online.
Ivan Widjaya
I love my online haters – really!
Image: _tar0_ / Flickr
Disclaimer: I receive incentives to share my views on this particular blog post, but all of the opinions are my own. My blog is a part of an online influencer network for Business on Main.
Small Business Owners: How to Deal with Your Online Haters
Related: 9 Ways to Approach Anonymous Haters Online
You know what’s cherished on the Internet: Anonymity. The freedom of speech and so on are all good. But sometimes, things can go overboard, especially with haters of your business, your brand – or simply you: Instead of giving feedback and opinions in “civilised manners,” people use the power of anonymity on the web to say whatever they want. For some reasons, despite your hard work in building your online reputation, some people just allergic to your success.
I know how it feels like when you are trying to do good for you, your business and your community you get a group of people who seem to be dedicated to criticise you and rant about you – yes, such group of people just exist; that’s how the world goes. I have experienced this in the past, getting bad reviews, being called names, called as scammers, and so on.
Table of Contents
How I deal with negative comments online
I once shared my make money online success story to inspire others to do the same on a particular social site; I’m not expecting any congrats or kudos, but at least I’m expecting my story to be at least useful for others looking to make a living online; as I don’t have interest in building a personal brand, that’s all that matters – be useful for others.
What I did get at that time caught me off guard: There was someone calling me a scammer or a liar. And there was someone else who said that doing what I did was easy and he’s not sure what to “brag” about (despite the fact that bragging didn’t cross my mind whatsoever…)
Well – things happened; now, should I be listening to them? Maybe. Should I be bitter? No. Should I embrace haters as they are part of your success? Absolutely!
You see, that’s how things could happen online; that’s why many people gave up even before they make their first $1 online – they can’t simply stand all the badmouthing and defamation. Well, whether you are now in the middle of building an online or offline startup, I would like to remind you that you should expect haters to come your way eventually. Get ready and be ready to cool your jets – it’s not the end of the world.
From my own experience, the best thing for you and me to do is not to respond negatively with regard to those haters. Instead, embrace them as part of your success; they are the ones who keep you grounded; they are a group of people who will help you keep you fire alight, giving you the energy to work hard making things better – indeed, you should turn those hateful remarks and such into the fuel for your business success.
If you are brave enough, you might want to respond to the negative comments, explaining your position and trying to clarify things. However, be aware that doing this could lead you to a never-ending “comment battle,” as your response is actually the fuel for lengthy debate. Maybe it’s a better approach to hire an online reputation specialist to help you out; your choice.
But hey, if you can’t simply stand all of the negativity, the best way you can do is just ignore them, and move on. Hang out with like-minded people in your community, so you don’t have to get through things alone.
Takeaway
Always remember – there always be two groups of people surrounding you and your business: Those who rave and rant about you. Unless you are doing something really bad – like really scamming others and such – you will always have someone who love your products and services – and willing to take the extra miles to get the words out about your business. Focus and invest on them; they are part of your team.
While you’re at it, you might want to read an article on how 9 rock-star entrepreneurs deal with anonymous, negative comments online.
Ivan Widjaya
I love my online haters – really!
Image: _tar0_ / Flickr
Disclaimer: I receive incentives to share my views on this particular blog post, but all of the opinions are my own. My blog is a part of an online influencer network for Business on Main.