In this post, I’ll be covering how to deal with negative blog comments.
Some bloggers seem to be gripped in fear and even decide to not have comments on their blog because they don’t want to run the risk of receiving negative comments.
If this sounds like you, I’d really love to help you change the way you think about comments and that’s because blog comments are actually really great for SEO, social proof and lead and traffic generation. So It might actually be a really good thing for your blog and business if you allow them on your blog.
So here’s the scenario. You’ve published a post. You are really pleased about it (and so you should be, it’s blummin’ epic!)
You’ve taken the plunge to allow comments on your blog. You head out for the day. Do some shopping, have lunch with a friend, get home, have a nice bubble bath, but your PJs on, settle down for the night, check your WordPress dashboard and low and behold you’ve got your first REAL comment.
(Not counting your family members!)
Hoorah! You think!..
…You’ve made it.
But when you check out the comment, your heart sinks, you can’t quite believe that someone would be so horrible. You slam shut your laptop and cry hysterically.
Noooooooo!
Yes you’ve guessed it, some fellow human being, who you have never heard of, has scrawled abuse all over your finest masterpiece and you’re not sure what to do next?
How to deal with negative blog comments.
Now I’ve been blogging for almost 8 or 9 years (I can’t actually remember) and I have never had a comment that was really nasty. I mean sure I’ve had people disagree with my points of view but I quite like a healthy debate. It actually helps to show your expertise and credibility in your niche. I’m not telling you that because I’m special, but just to show that it might not actually happen as much as we fear.
But perhaps I have been super lucky because there are nasty horrible people that like to make it their mission to troll and make other bloggers lives miserable.
So if it does happen to you. Let’s have a think about what we can do. Yaro Starak over at Entrepreneurs Journey says you can do 4 things when dealing with negative comments on your blog.
- Delete
- Censor (edit parts)
- Respond in Anger GRRRR
- Respond in Kind 🙂
I would like to add:
5. that you could also choose to Ignore.
Depending on how offensive the comment is, you might just want to delete the comment. That’s absolutely fine. It’s your blog and you can do what you jolly well like. You might hear sometimes that you shouldn’t delete negative remarks on social media. My general rule of thumb, is that if the comment is not in relation to a service or product you provide and it’s causing icky feelings. Then just delete it.
Sometimes you might want to leave the comment up there but just sensor some of the words. For example, if you wanted to tone down the language (or expletives!) If you use WordPress you can easily do this in your dashboard. I sometimes do this if a commentator is having a really bad spelling day lol!
You could get really cross and blow steam out of your ears and then reply to the comment! But If you are seeing red, my general advise would be to step away from the screen! Go relax, chill out and then if 24 hours later you still need to explode, go ahead an knock yourself out. But really think about whether this is doing your reputation and professionalism any favours!
Or you could be uber nice. Take the upper hand, show them how calm you are. Kindly agree to disagree with said idiot, tell them eloquently why they are a giant buffoon and move on.
The beautiful thing about having a growing blog with traffic and a community is that you will normally see your regular commentators stick up for you. It always makes me smile when that happens.
Finally you could just ignore it. Reply to all you other comments, refuse to give the naysayer any of your beautiful energy.
If you are worried about comments appearing when you least expect it, make sure you set your blog to only allow moderated comments. I use Commentluv, not only because it’s cool and looks great, but because it has a good spam filter too to stop those undesirable spammers.
Don’t be disheartened by someone who has absolutely no idea about you, your life and what you’ve achieved.
At the end of the day you can’t reason with unreasonable people!
Do you feel a bit scared about allowing people to comment on your blog? Have you experienced negative comments on your blog? What did you do, how did it make you feel. Please share your experiences with us below and please share with other bloggers if you think it will help them to deal with negative comments.
November 17, 2016 at 8:43 pm
A lovely balanced article Beth. It’s always tempting to jump straight in when a comment (or an email) makes you angry. I totally agree though it’s better to step away and consider calmly how to respond (if at all), and I love the idea of just deleting those comments.
November 18, 2016 at 1:39 am
Hi Beth
You discussed a very important topic. Most bloggers tread negative comments but I like negative comments because just like positive ones, you get to see people’s opinion.
For me, I would just answer nicely and move on. Thanks for sharing. Take Care
November 18, 2016 at 2:35 am
I think it depends on your niche as to how often you get the nasty comments. I started my first blog in 2003 and have never had a really nasty comment. If I did get one, I’d probably just delete it, ban the author and move on.
November 18, 2016 at 8:20 pm
Excellent advice. I have a Comments Policy that clearly outlines the consequences of unacceptable comments. In a nutshell, comments that are really offensive or include suspicious links will be deleted, comments that make it painfully obvious the person didn’t actually read the post will either be either modified to make sense or if they’re really off just deleted. Replying to comments is another issue. I make it a policy to reply to every single comment even if it’s just to say “thank you for contributing to the conversation”, even if it’s one of those lazy “nice post” comments.
November 19, 2016 at 4:29 pm
I have had the experience of negative comments and much like you I only delete if they are vulgar or demeaning. I did have one that very much disagreed with my blog post and it actually led to an interesting conversation and conclusion. We gain feedback in everything and I really do not want to censor other people’s views.
November 19, 2016 at 8:41 pm
Hi Beth,
I landed up here from the link in PAC blog rotator and glad to read your valuable contents in the blog. Dealing with negative and offensive blog comments is a very tricky. I normally delete or edit comments before approving but never try to reply them the same way they do. I believe that is the best thing anyone can do.
Thanks once again for the great share.
Hoping to come back again soon.
Reji Stephenson
November 19, 2016 at 10:36 pm
Hi Beth I must be uber nice. lol
I have never in 10 years of blogging every had a nasty comment.
I have had a real problem with comment spam a long time ago. I was new and didn’t understand that all those comments were actually spam.
Now I use a plugin to fight spam and ContentLuv and no problemo.
If I did get a negative comment I would consider replying or deleting if really bad and move on. Thanks for your article.
November 25, 2016 at 10:51 pm
Hi Kathryn. Yes I’m like you, I have never really had an issue apart from with Spam!
November 25, 2016 at 10:53 pm
Hey Reji,
Thanks for stopping by my site. I think you are very wise to not reply to negative comments in the same tone as they are written. Sometimes its best to just ignore them.
Looking forward to reading your blog posts. Feel free to also join the free Simple Blogging Network Community http://simplebloggingnetwork.com/join-the-community.
Beth
November 25, 2016 at 10:59 pm
Hi Elise, I agree with your comment that we can gain feedback from everything we do. I think sometimes it is important for us to not get to bogged down with the negativity and look at things with positive eyes. 🙂
November 25, 2016 at 11:00 pm
Hi Marquita,
I love the idea of having a comments policy on mu blog and like you I try my best to reply to every comment. Even if sometimes it takes me a little while. i think it is really important from a customer service point of view.
Beth 🙂
November 25, 2016 at 11:01 pm
Hi Ruth,
I think you are right about the fact that it depends on your niche. I am sue some niches are more prone to negative comments than others. Thanks for your comment.
Beth 🙂
November 25, 2016 at 11:02 pm
I’m so glad you enjoyed my blog posts Cat. Thanks for stopping by. Looking forward to reading your posts as well. 🙂
November 27, 2016 at 10:37 pm
Hello Beth!
I don’t think I was ever afraid of getting a bad comment I was afraid of getting NONE!! LOL Now that i think about it though I don’t think I ever had a NASTY comment but there were a few I deleted because they just didn’t have anything to do with my posts and then as you have stated I have fixed a few comments as well.
Great Share
Thanks
Chery :))
December 17, 2016 at 12:08 am
Hi Beth,
I must be doing something wrong because I have never really received a negative blog comment. Oh no…
The worst type of comment that I receive are people who disagree with my stand on a topic and take great lengths to tell me that I am wrong. I don’t mind that they disagree; however, since I take great pains to write only about what I know, I usually ignore those comments. If it written by someone I frequently interact with, I will take the time to explain in my response.
December 17, 2016 at 6:34 pm
Hi Beth. I’ve gotten some nasty replies on Twitter and when I’ve posted on some other person’s blog. The problem nowadays is that some have decreed that no one is allowed to disagree with their opinion. It kind of cuts civil discourse to the quick.
I’ve been called all sorts of names and have replied to ugly comments by expressing my opinion, but I don’t call other people names or call them stupid, ignorant, or whatever.
I haven’t had any negative comments on my blog, but if I do I’ll try to reply civilly and if necessary edit out any bad words. If there is nothing worth salvaging I’ll just delete it.
Thanks for helping us all learn to deal with the negative comments we are all bound to get sooner or later.
December 20, 2016 at 10:14 am
Thanks DeeDee, sorry you have had negative replies on Twitter. It is a shame that people feel they have to take that approach. Wishing you and your family a very merry Christmas.
Beth 🙂
December 20, 2016 at 10:16 am
Hi Rachel,
Hope you are well and thank you for your comment. You make a great point about how we respond to those who interact with us more frequently. Hope to read more of your great content in 2017. Have a lovely Christmas.
Beth 🙂
December 23, 2016 at 9:13 am
Hey Beth,
You discussed a very important topic. Most bloggers tread negative comments but I like negative comments and i take it lightly because just like positive ones, you get to see people’s opinion.
For me, I would just answer nicely and move on.
Thanks for sharing.
October 12, 2017 at 3:52 am
Hi Beth,
As always an interesting read. I agree with your points as I have personally tried this & I appreciate your efforts that you have selected this topic to write an article.
By the way, It’s always pleasure to read your posts and comment.
~ Donna