If you publish a blog, make videos, engage on Twitter, take part in forums or engage in anyway online there is a very good chance you are going to come across some negative comments directed at you personally or towards your brand or business. It might even be more than a couple of comments as consumers online become more vocal and are empowered by tools that let them shout louder than ever when they feel slighted. It’s part and parcel of the web but for people affected by it for the first time it can be quite disconcerting and terrifying. If you find yourself in the middle of a web storm it can seem all encompassing and as if it is never going to end. Having been slap bang in the middle of plenty of negative online storms both personally and for clients here are some of my tips for navigating your way through the negative storm…

Pause Before You Engage

The natural reaction when somebody says something bad about you is to jump in and call them a name back. Nobody likes getting criticized and the natural reaction is to fight back. Fighting back with the same sort of negativity is only stooping to the low level of the commentator though and chances are you will regret it once you have cooled down and wish you had not reacted. If I see something that has really annoyed me or somebody has slammed a business I am involved with I’ll just go and make a coffee or have a walk and think about things before replying. If they have a valid point I’ll engage but if they are just out to cause negative damage for no valid reason I’ll just step back and leave it. It’s easier said than done at times but I find that the best bet is always restraint.

Don’t Threaten legal Action

I’ve had to talk lots of people out of wanting to take legal action over something that was said online. Mostly friends who own hotels and restaurants and who feel slighted by poor reviews but luckily I have usually been able to talk them out of it. There are laws that protect you to a certain extent but to be honest it really isn’t worth your while getting involved in that side of things and in many cases it will probably make things worse. People are going to mouth off about you or your brand or business online these days in the same way we used to in the pub and that is very hard to govern so for the most part you are just going to have to grin and bear it.

Talk About The Issue Not The Person

Although you may know some of the people leaving the comment and they might even be attacking you personally you should never go after the person and instead focus on the issue. Getting personal is only going to make matters worse and you’ll be far more respected if you address the parts of the argument that merit a response. Attacking somebody personally will only drag things down and result in worse personal attacks in return.

People Wouldn’t Say It To Your Face

Some people say the most horrible and cruel things online but meet them in real life and they have suddenly there is not a peep out of them and they are as nice as pie. The web gives people anonymity and typing insults on a keyboard never seems as harmful as doing it in real life. You have to understand that the web lets people say things in a very nonchalant way that they never would in real life and that they probably don’t mean exactly what they are saying. So if somebody calls you a fat bastard don’t worry the chances are that you are probably nothing of the sort.

Maybe They Have A Point?

There are times when you come in for criticism online that is fully deserved. You might have released a faulty product, provided poor service to a client or made a false accusation that you thought was right at the time or simple had your facts wrong. There is nothing wrong with being wrong, it happens to the best of us all the time. The key is admitting when you are wrong and not digging the hole any deeper. I’ve been called out plenty of times for getting my facts wrong here on the blog and instead of trying to back track or I’ll just admit it and change the bog post in red to show that I was wrong. People will respect you so much more if you admit you are wrong and just put your hands up and say you got it wrong and offer to fix it.

Accept That 10% Of People Won’t Like You

Most people like to feel liked. Some people cant live without that feeling but when you spend time online you have to realize that 10% of people are not going to like you. It could be for a number of reasons including your popularity, your poor products, they are in competition etc but the important thing to remember is that not everybody is going to like you no matter what you do. No matter how many problems you fix for some people or however nice you are to them they might still not like you and the best way to react here is to leave the 10% to their own devices and keep engaging and keeping the other 90% who do like you even happier.

It’ll Be Over Before It Has Begun

When you are the middle of a storm of negativity online it can seem like there is nowhere to hide. People might be attacking you on blogs, sharing links in seconds through Twitter and Facebook and talking to others via IM and email about you, your brand or business. Bad news spreads at the speed of light and it can feel all encompassing. The good news is that even the biggest storm gets old very quickly and it’s very unusual for any negativity to last for more than a day online. Just sit tight and follow some of the actions above and it’ll be over before you know it. What you should remember though is that thanks to Google the negative stuff will stick around forever so although it is all over quickly the bad effects could stick around for years.

If You Have Strong Opinions Then Grow Thick Skin Fast

It’s the oldest saying in the book but if you are willing to dish it then you should be willing to take it. If you are online writing negative stuff about other people or leaving poor reviews then you have to expect some of the same stuff in return. In the same way if you are brave enough to put up blog posts, photos and video content then you need to be aware that people will come along and slag it no matter how good you might think it is. The Internet is a fast moving place where people have strong opinions that they are really not scared to share and shout about so if you are going to be hanging about here then you better get some thick skin pretty fast.

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