When I published my article about listening and dealing with blog comments most of you responded that you haven’t really experienced any serious negative comments on your blogs yet.
So I was trying to look for a perfect case for everyone to study. Something that would highlight the essence of how a particular post can affect readers and how the blog owner handled the negative comments.
Guess what, I found the piece I need and I think this will spice up your day.
It’s a-year-old article (published in 2010) about a product review of Copyblogger Media’s product Scribe SEO. The content itself is informative but the comments are more interesting. It’s so thought-provoking you will want to jump in.
I will not mention any names in this post yet to pique your curiosity.
Let me just set things straight first though. I am not trying to dig out old issues but I am encouraging everyone to share and learn from it. And just a word of caution – the article has earned 209 responses, and counting, so be prepared to spare about 25 minutes reading them all.
Amazingly, this article I’m talking about still ranks high in Google for the keywords “Scribe SEO review.”
Let me know what you think about this in the comments. Here is the link:
Image Credit: Ambro
About Ramcel Gatchalian
Snap! That was an interesting and controversial post. Lots of zingers for responses too, but it sure proves that controversy makes for a much responded on blog post. Thanks for sharing this Ramcel.
Celene Harrelson | The Happypreneur recently posted… Is List Building Kickin’ Your Butt?
Twitter: themeekwatcher
says:
Hi Celene. Yeah, it was really controversial and I really love how the author remained cool despite the negative attacks. And that is precisely what I am giving emphasis on this post.
I personally learned a lot from it and so I was hoping other people will benefit learning from it too.
Ramcel Gatchalian recently posted… Why Your Blog Just Screams and Begs
Sorry, I got dislexic (sp?) on your name Ramcel – it’s 4am. Forgive me.
Celene Harrelson | The Happypreneur recently posted… Is List Building Kickin’ Your Butt?
Twitter: themeekwatcher
says:
Hahaha. Don’t worry Celene. I got it corrected for you.
You mean you are still up at 4:00 AM? Better start making breakfast now.
Ramcel Gatchalian recently posted… Two-Punch Combo to Earn High Payouts from Google Adsense
as they say.. keep it cool.. keep it chill and you will not go down into trouble.. analyze and be humble.. honestly would always be your best answer.. thanks for sharing bro..
baterya recently posted… I MIGHT LIKE THE ROLLING STONES AFTER ALL
Twitter: themeekwatcher
says:
If there is something to always remember when handling negative comments, it’s is probably keeping cool all the time. Choice of words is also appropriate and never fail to put your feet on the ground.
Thank you for dropping a comment here and I hope you’ll visit again soon!
Ramcel Gatchalian recently posted… How to Improve Your Writing in 4 Easy Steps
Twitter: gianfaye
says:
Whoaw. That’s freakin’ intense. I don’t have the time to read everything on the comments section but I’ve glanced through some, seen name-callings and stuff. I guess it’s a matter or ethics and self-control. Constructive criticism doesn’t need to convey strong emotions. I guess it’s just the people this time – when everyone thinks they’re the ‘right’ and others are the ‘wrong’ ones. That is indeed a chaos.
Gian Faye recently posted… Dream Recording: Brain Imaging Will Reveal The Movies In Our Mind
Twitter: themeekwatcher
says:
“Freakin’ intense” you can say that again Gian. I’m with you that criticisms, in blogs or in real life, should not convey strong emotions. If left unchecked it can be uncontrollable. And having no control over something is, like you said, chaos!
Ramcel Gatchalian recently posted… Guest Posting
Wow, that’s a huge load of comments with positive and negative at the same time, I read it until Brian made the decision to stop arguing halfway through, he knew it was just a waste of time.
Negative comments, the owner can always suck up to it and call it a constructive comment, but on the other hand, it could be an offending comment if the owner takes it that way.
Jesus christ, never seen such a big argument, oh well that’s what it takes for Brian to become successful.
Twitter: themeekwatcher
says:
Pretty intense huh? When things like this happen, eyeballs are on the blog owner. Everybody would be like waiting how he or she would react to the negative comments.
How he/she reacts would determine if there will be a gain or a loss in readership.
Ramcel Gatchalian recently posted… Are Your CommentLuv Backlinks Being Stolen by Google?
Extremely!! It’d actually be a pain in the … to deal with those haters, I reckon if it was the situation for Darren Rowse, he will probably say one wicked comeback that wins everything and then ignore the whole thing, he’d say “Ignore them and just be better”, ahah.
Don’t worry, if something like that happens over at meekwatcher, I would be an instant defender for you.
Harrison Li recently posted… Warning: Your Sidebar May Be Wrecking Your Business
Twitter: themeekwatcher
says:
Hah! That means a lot man. Thank you!
Ramcel Gatchalian recently posted… 3 Ways to Stay Interested in Your Blog
We cannot actually blame commentors because they all have the freedom to say what they have understood on what they have read on the post. There might be some who likes the posts but there may be some who may have negative feedback. For me, it depends on the admin if he or she will accept the negative comment or not but they should remember that opinions from commentors is very important.
Liane Markus recently posted… kabbalah
Twitter: themeekwatcher
says:
Ah yes. The power of anonymity. But nevertheless, blog comments (no matter how negative they are) should not convey strong emotions.
Nobody is hindering people from posting negative comments as long as the objective is there and the context can add value to the topic being discussed.
Thank you for sharing with us Liane.
Ramcel Gatchalian recently posted… Why Your Blog Just Screams and Begs
Thanks for sharing. This is just another case of people having nothing better to do but to make other people’s lives a little harder. I think blogger handled it well though, it could’ve been so much worse. Every blogger will face this kind of situation some time, and they should know to react because a lot of people will put a lot of meaning into the reaction.
Twitter: themeekwatcher
says:
You are most welcome Greg!
Ramcel Gatchalian recently posted… Two-Punch Combo to Earn High Payouts from Google Adsense
But nevertheless, blog comments (no matter how negative they are) should not convey strong emotions. And that is precisely what I am giving emphasis on this post. Thank you for sharing with us Liane.
Twitter: themeekwatcher
says:
This might be a response to Liane’s view point but needless to say what you said is true.
Thank you for stopping by Althea.
Ramcel Gatchalian recently posted… Two-Punch Combo to Earn High Payouts from Google Adsense
When replying, never address the negative points. Skirt them at all costs. If the comment is so highly offensive, delete it! It’s your house, after all. Don’t get offended by how others feel. You can’t force anyone to understand your perspectives or opinions. Don’t get overly defensive. Instead, engage the person who published the original comment and ask how you can make things better, fix their problem, or change their perception of you and your blog. Above all, Acknowledge the comment—with respect.
~Karen
That is hot. As a blogger, he has to know that there are Pros and Cons in every posts. It does not matter whether they convey strong emotions “that is their personal opinion” and it’s not even forbidden tho. Each comments are free to share what’s on their mind and that the purpose of it. It’s up to the blogger how he will handle such comments without stepping on someone.
Sometimes negative blog comments add ups some spices to your blogpost. It is just like an action movie, it’s not good if there is no villain. Just stay relaxed and answer his or her negative comments nicely.
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