How To Deal With Negative Comments On Your Blog? - Here's What I did
This post is inspired by an incident that happened to me yesterday. I had to deal with a negative comment. At first I had no idea what to do with it.
So, I thought I share what happened when someone left a negative comment on my blog post.
I'm hoping this will help someone else out if you ever cross this situation. Especially in the MMO niche. I share with you what happened and what I did to handle the situation.
By the way, I want to thank all Wealthy Affiliate members who helped me deal with the situation. I really appreciate your support and your team work.
Post Was Published June 22
Anyhow, a while back I wrote a post over a company that kept calling me. Not only are they calling me they are texting me too.
By the way, the calls and text messages sure sound like a scam but, I wasn't for sure.
My first thought was, if I am receiving contact from this company so, are other people. Then sure enough the same company calls my husbands phone.
So, I did research and wrote a post.
The Verdict Was Not Recommended
By the way, I never called the company a scam because, I don't feel comfortable calling a company a scam if I haven't tried out the product myself. Plus, my definition of a scam may be totally different from others. Then on top of that I do consider legal issues of slandering another company. Either way, I just don't outright call a company a scam.
What I did do though, was I compared it to another company called Mobe. I was a member with them before, I discovered Wealthy Affiliate.
Mobe was considered a scam by the FTC and they were shut down.
The bottom line is I made it clear that I was not affiliated with the company. Nor did I promote it, and I absolutely do not recommend it.
I also made sure my readers knew I didn't purchase the product because, it was too much of a risk.
July 30 I Received A Negative Comment
Anyhow, so yesterday I get this livid comment from a reader, which I thought was a man. You can read the comment here.
By the way, this wasn't the first time, that I've received a comment on that post where, someone was upset.
But, it was the first time I've ever experienced a livid comment.
Should I Keep The Comment Or Delete???
To make a long story short, I wasn't sure if I should keep the comment or delete it.
I ended up keeping the comment because, people need to know the truth.
I took Trish advice and reformatted the comment. Then I edited the foul language.
I also wasn't sure if I should email the commentor.
I'll admit at first I wasn't going to but, it kept bothering me.
So, I took my chances and emailed the commentor.
My Shocking Discovery
At first as I mentioned earlier I thought it was a man.
After getting a response back from the reader I then learned he was not a he.
The commentor was a lady.
She also uploaded a picture of herself when she emailed me back. At first, she was hiding her entire identity.
Anyway, the lady told me she was a local politician and she is so sick and tired of all these money hungry programs calling her.
She also thanked me for taking the time to explain to her my role and what I called myself doing with the reviews.
Furthermore, she made it a point to tell me not to delete the comment, which I didn't.
She said she will be doing all she can to stop this company and she thinks everyone needs to see how irate she is about the situation.
Another thing she made very clear was that she didn't want any more emails from people who aren't her friends or work colleagues....lol.
So, with that said I didn't email her anymore...lol but, the point is the email I sent to her, explaining the situation helped clam her down.
Why Did I Keep The Comment?
The comment was harsh but, it was nothing new to me. I do have thick skin. So, it didn't scare me a way.
I kept the comment not to offend anyone else but, so that people can understand what's's really going on. I myself still get calls, and text messages from this company. Plus, at one point and time they told me that they got my information from when I was a member of MOBE????
How true that is, I don't know????
Besides that, I can't fight these programs alone.
I need proof from people who are experiencing the same thing, and with her comment that was proof. Real proof that she was going through the same situation.
Writing reviews is almost like being a reporter or journalist. You need the 411.
Here Is What I Learned
By the way when you get these types of comments always use good judgment. You do not have to approve a comment that you are not comfortable with.
If you're not sure if you should approve a comment or decline it. Get help from the Wealthy Affiliate community and the members here will give you their feedback.
From there you should have a better understanding on how to handle the situation.
Again, if you have a feeling to not approve, don't approve.
If you have a gut feeling to approve, go for it.
In my case, I went for it. I saw it as an opportunity to get the situation under control and show my readers that I knew what I was talking about in the review.
Plus, I thought it would show I can handle the negative and deescalate the situation. On top of that, I know readers enjoy these types of comments. It's sad but, the truth.
Of course, I hope this doesn't become a habit. I left retention a long time ago...lol.
Negative Turned Positive
A negative can turn positive.
In this case the negative comment turned into an opportunity. At least that's what I was hoping for.
After the comment was published. I started getting more traffic to the post.
I wasn't sure why but, when I checked my site ranking in Jaaxy I found that my post is on Google page 1 position 1.
Therefore, that comment must have boosted my rankings.
It wasn't like that at first. I wasn't on page 1 at all.
So, yes my hopes of an opportunity worked.
It Solved Other Issues Too
Two weeks ago, I asked why my traffic wasn't converting.
I then started thinking my traffic wasn't a targeted audience. I'm doing things wrong etc...etc...
Anyhow, I have been learning with the comments, that I've been receiving outside of WA; my traffic is targeted.
With that said, I've also learned that people contact you in different ways.
I have some that will comment out in the open on the blog post. Then I have a few that private email me from my contact page.
When they private email me, I do help them above and beyond.
I also try my best to redirect them to my website. I figured if I can help them in the way they prefer. I can gain trust with my readers.
So, far it has been working.
People are returning to the blog.
Plus, I am earning small commissions daily now. So, the traffic is targeted.
The problem is most people are chasing fast money. So, it will take time with the others. I mean you are asking them to start a website (an online business) something that wasn't taught in school.
So, I've come to the conclusion, that it will take time, and trust to convert more WA members.
Welp..thank you for taking the time to read this post. I hope you were able to take something valuable a way from this situation. I'm off to relax now. I've had a rough last two days...lol..lol
Your Turn
Have you ever had an irate comment? How did you handle it? How do you determine if your going to call a company a scam?
Maybe your added responses could help other members out. Either way, I wish you all the best.
La'Kisha
Recent Comments
28
I usually handle negative comments the same way you did. While my replies address the negative comment, I am really responding for the other people who comment.
I don't come out and say a scam is a scam. I usually say it appears to be or might be a scam because they meet the scam warning signs.
Yes, I took your advice and published the post. My thought process is the same. I was thinking that if you address the negative comment it helps other people as well in many different ways.
Oh good, I don't call any company a scam either. Besides, their pockets run deeper than mine..lol..I think you handle the scam part really well, Glen, it's a great approach that you take. Thank you for sharing.
Well dealt with La'Kisha and really glad to see that you are strarting to get some coneverstions
Keep up the good work and keep us updated
Kevin
Kevin, thank you! Yes, I am starting to get small conversions but, not much to WA though. I think WA will take time, I'm not sure what is going on there but, still working and trying to figure things out.
I wish you continued success. I will keep you updated. Have a great day!
Hi Kisha. Thanks for sharing your experience here. So far I haven’t had to deal with something like that so it’s good to hear what you did.
With the traffic growth it looks like you are doing well so congratulations on that too 😀
Yu're welcome, Dave! I am glad that you haven't gone through this, it was nerve-wracking..lol. So, I'm glad it's over now.
Yeah, my traffic is always changing but, with that said, I am starting to get people commenting here and there, so, I hope this negative cycle of comments doesn't become a habit.
Wow, great post...I read the comment and I was kind of shocked. I love how you turned to the WA community for advice and came up with a solution that fitted you. Not only that, it seem it was the right thing to do in regards of the upset commenter AND Google as well! What a success! Congratulations!
Yeah, I was shocked too when I first seen it and without the community help I probably would have never known how to properly handle the comment but, I am so glad that it worked out.
Google always seems to surprise me...thank you and I wish you continued success.
You did really well with the way you handled that post...I believe I recommended you delete it...perhaps I didn't get the full picture. At any rate, you had a tricky decision to make, and it appears that, not only did you handle it well, but you handled it correctly. It is nice to see that good can come from bad.
Thank you, Fran! I really appreciate your help all the time. You are always so helpful.
I agree it was a very tricky situation, I think what made me react was the comment mentioned the Federal Trade Commission and I write to beginners.
So, I would only assume a handful of beginners would know what the FTC is if FTC wasn't mentioned I probably would have let it go.
I haven't gotten that far but I did one organic comment on a guy who I found on Google who reviewed WA as a crappy program so I put my comment out there that WA is not a crappy program and I explained why, he accepted my comments and replied back that he was in WA and made no money but now promotes another affiliate program that is a $197 one time fee affiliate program and that he is making money as compared to WA he spent months and months zero. I responded back that perhaps his marketing efforts didnt pay off, he said that the money within WA takes years while his 197 program was the best. I asked him to show me evidence of that and he has not responded to that but hes still heavily promoting his 197 program and other high ticket affiliate program his review about WA was so full of negativity and with my positive comments that included a link to my blog can help people make up their own minds whether or not WA is a crappy program.
To each its own, everyone has different opinions. Thats what reviewers do like the courses said be opinionated and there will be some negativity.
Also I like to remind you to be careful with your gender determination, we are now becoming a genderless society. Important to be careful with our own biases regarding gender issues. What may be a man is a woman or vice versa. Or a looks like a man but was a girl at birth or vice versa.
Some are gender neutral. We have to be careful about how we go about judging gender. Likecyou said you thought he was a he but it turned out to be a she. All you could know the he or she could be neither, an it. Some do identify themselves as such. As a former social worker, we didn't have to worry about gender identity, but now it exists in our world today. Out of respect for them, I needed to be reminded to be careful about that over the Internet. People who are not what they seem. Glad you recognized your own issues about gender identity. Very easy to make a mistake with that.
We have drama here on WA. Not just in organic traffic comments drama but comments drama on this platform.
See this example:
One guy said on my blog here at WA that he was so sick of me being so politically correct all the time and that I am outrageous. So now look who has the problem? He kvetched and kvetched about it. He had a serious discrimination issues. Probably biased against women who like myself who is smart enough to speak up and issue a call for action to stop the biased attitude.
I reported him to Kyle and then removed the comment on my WA blog. Haven't seen him since. Slander is not accepted. He went on and on about it, wasn't just with me but with other female Ambassadors. Andre wrote about it in one of his blogs with a call to action to stop that biased behavior and now that person is gone.
Whew. Always when in doubt, follow your instincts. Gut instinct helps us, I call it my GPS tool. Sometimes I can be wrong, if its wrong then oh well, learn from it, and move on.
Glad you kept it that organic comments might have helped your ranking in Google. It worked out to your advantage. Thats a good one. When it comes to me, I will remember your story.
Wow...thank you for your very detailed response. I did take a lot of pointers away from your response.
You're right I was wrong for the gender determination. I am so used to calling every sir or ma'am, Mr. Ms...and so on.
Now, I don't know how to respond when it comes to not offending anyone, which I don't want to do.
Either way, I will remember that to be careful for future communications. So, thank you for bringing that up.
Also, I think you did very well speaking up about WA and how you truly felt. I believe it will help you drive traffic as well because like you said your link is now connected to that blog post.
GPS tool, Brenda I will always remember you and that saying. I think I need to use my GPS tool more often...haha...
Oh and about the negative outside and inside WA, I agree I have seen both sides. I am sorry you had to go through that with a member, but, at the same time, I am glad you stood up for your rights and it looks like you won...
So, congratulations. You or no one needs negatively, to stick around. It really is not good for us, or our health. Thank you, Brenda, for your detailed response.
Hi. La'kisha. What a great response you gave. It was definitely worth the time to email and explain. I have only had one negative comment on my gardening site from someone who disagreed with my blog. My response turned that person around and I received positive feedback on the comment from others . All the best. Jim
Thank you, at first I wasn't going to email but, the comment bothered me a lot. So, in the end, I am glad that I did take my chances.
Oh, thanks for sharing your experience.
I'm glad to hear that you were able to turn a negative into a positive as well. It always feels like a great accomplishment when we're able to do things like that.
I'm sure all of your visitors loved to see how you handled the situation and it sounds like you did a great job.
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Very well done Lakisha. There are some who walk among us in the forum with pseudonyms taking potshots. You handled it well!0
Thank you, Michael! LOL...yeah, I try to avoid those situations to the best of my ability. I really appreciate your response...