9 Ways to Avoid Negative Blog Comments

Rachel Wilkerson writes the blog Shedding It and Getting It and is editor of the bloggers' blog Hollaback Health.  This post is the first in a series by Rachel on negative comments.

Comments are sort of the agony and ecstasy of blogging. Comments let us know that people are reading and have something to say about what we have to say. We live for them. We love them. Until we get a bad one. Good comments are a great ego boost; bad comments can really shatter our blog-esteem.

As someone who has been blogging for nearly five years, I've seen my share of negative comments. My blog in college — a sexy, sorority girl blog — had journalism professionals asking for my head on a platter. The MSU newspaper staff referred to me as the "oft-mentioned ho bag" in their newsroom and took a lot of pleasure in coming to my blog just to say nasty things. I learned through trial and error what works and what doesn't when it comes to dealing with haters. And I also learned that — surprise, surprise! — positive discussions can be born out of negative comments.

There are three ways to talk about handling negative comments. First, how can you avoid them while still being true to yourself? Second, how should you respond if you get them anyway? And third, how do they make you feel? Or perhaps, how should you let them make you feel?

This post will cover how to avoid negative comments.  The other two questions will be answered in future posts in this series.

The Do's and Don't's of Avoiding Negativity

Now, to be clear, writing to avoid negative comments is a bad habit. When bloggers are so worried about challenging ideas or upsetting people, their writing suffers and they do their readers a disservice. The great thing about a blog is that you can have a POV and an opinion. But here's what I mean by writing to avoid negative comments:

• DO state your position up front and often. I recently redesigned my site to give people a very, very clear picture of what they are getting themselves into. My "About Me" is written to really express what I'm all about. On my "Top Posts" page, I have two posts right at the beginning with a note that says, "Start here because if you don't enjoy these, you won't like my style."
• DON'T apologize. Coming out strong with your position is a disclaimer, but it's not an apology. By being up front, you are just being clear. You don't want to trick people or lure them in under false pretenses.
• DO know your audience. The cool thing about having a blog is that you can reach people who share your passion or who need your expertise. So embrace that! Writing to a smaller group who wants to hear what you have to say will allow you to be a better writer than trying to please everyone just so you get more readers.
• DON'T try to please everyone. When a blogger goes out of her way to say, "This is what works for ME but it won't work for everyone" it gives the impression that she's unsure of herself or that she's trying to please people. Readers can sense that — and will be more likely to attack. I take the approach of, "This is what works for me and what I think will work for a lot of other twentysomething girls who like beer and boys but also like cardio, even if sometimes they'd rather sleep in." People who don't want to read a blog directed to that audience can keep on clickin' — and no hard feelings! I'll take less readers; I want to write to people who want to hear what I have to say.
• DO consistently write to your audience. If you try to please everyone but then one day decide you just want to please vegetarian athletes, get a bunch of negative comments, and then the next day say, "Sorry if I offended those of you who love meat!" your readers are going to get confused. Negative comments are going to start flying in. I always write to my target audience, so when people who aren't in that audience start talking smack, my readers and I just roll our eyes and file it under "Crazy."
• DON'T feel bad if your position on something has changed. If you want to re-focus your audience, it's never too late. You can definitely devote an entire post to your change on a stance or even the new direction you want to take your blog. I did this recently when I talked about recent research regarding saturated fat. I just told my readers, "I'm going to start cooking with butter now, and here's why." I'd rather be up front, hash it out with any naysayers if necessary, and then get back to business.
• DO check your facts. If you're writing about something controversial, you better have some research to back it up. Talk to an expert (instead of just quoting Web MD). But more importantly, realize that something you don't consider controversial might be just that. A simple Google search for your given topic will often bring up arguments you had never imagined. Constantly trying to cover yourself isn't the way to go, but before I post on something, I'd like to know what else is out there so I'm not blindsided. If I still stand by my position, I'll write my post anyway — and unapologetically tackle certain arguments I know are coming right in the post.
• DON'T repeat yourself. If you consistently get the same negative comments arguing certain facts ("Vegetarianism is bad!"), write an entire post early on so that you don't have to keep defending yourself. It's distracting to your readers and it wastes the time that you could spend writing more great material. If you need to, make your stance a "page" in your navigation bar. You can always link to that or sort of direct your readers to start there. Some more controversial bloggers have a page like that and then say they will delete comments that bring up arguments they've already addressed repeatedly. I can see why — there are only so many times you can re-state your facts.
• DO talk to your readers. If you're accessible (responding to positive comments and questions, Tweeting with readers, and are easily reachable via e-mail) your readers will feel like they know you and that they can come to you with a complaint or a concern. They might not need to post it in the comments because they know if they e-mail you, you'll probably get right back to them. You can have a private discussion instead of a public comment battle.

A confident blogger is a good blogger, so if you fearlessly and thoughtfully approach your subject matter and come out strong before people have a chance to talk smack, you'll be able to express your opinions without as much negative feedback.