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This is part of the the book BLOGTASTIC! Growing and Making a Difference Through Blogging. You can read the table of contents and follow the book on this page:
See the table of contents for the book here: BLOGTASTIC project
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BLOGTASTIC!: Get used to the critics
Even if you are the most non-controversial blogger out there, there will be people who won’t like what you write. You can’t please everyone. What is pure gold for someone will be trash for someone else and vice versa.
In fact, there are people who are out there who don’t like anything that anybody writes. These nay-sayers won’t take a stand on any topic, but they will certainly speak out when anyone else expresses an opinion. They are perpetual critics who love to point out real and perceived faults.
Having critics for your work is a natural part of life. You’ve probably heard criticism in your workplace. Here are just a few common examples:
• Your boss takes you aside and gives you tough feedback on your work.
• A colleague speaks against your idea in a meeting.
• Your client expresses frustration to you or your boss.
• Someone critiques your work behind your back.
When you’re blogging, you will also have critics. You need to be prepared for some potentially harsh criticism. There are some people who will say things online that they’d never say to someone’s face. This internet courage prompts them to speak over-boldly. In some cases, they’re actually trying to goad you to respond harshly to them.
You might get upset with your critics, but your anger and frustration will not make them go away. A harsh response might even encourage them to continue. So be careful in responding to these provocations. You could become entangled in a flamewar that drives away your quality readers. In many cases, here’s your best option—learn to live with your critics.
Don’t take your blog’s feedback personally. When you adopt this approach, you’ll insulate yourself from a lot of heartburn. All feedback is important (to some degree). However, you can deeply discount feedback that comes from people who are not competent or from those people who have questionable intentions.
Remember that confrontational critics cannot hurt you. In fact, rarely can anyone actually hurt you with their words. However, your response can hurt you. You get to choose your response. Choose the high-road and don’t get into fights with your critics.
Blogging Tip: Invite Healthy Criticism!
Some of your best quality readers can also be your toughest critics. These people may look at your work from a very different angle than how your fans look at your work. These savvy critics may bring a new perspective which will challenge you to improve your work. When well-qualified critics prompt you to think in new ways, you may have found some of your most valuable readers!
Rajesh Setty is an entrepreneur, author and speaker based in Silicon Valley. He maintains another blog called Life Beyond Code and tweets as @UpbeatNow