What Do You Do When Someone Trashes Your Work Online?
So, you are sifting through your Google alerts for mentions about your business, and you come across someone trashing your work. What do you do?
Immediately, click the "X" in the upper right corner of your screen and close the page. You've seen it. No point reading it over and over. Take a break and do something completely unrelated to take your mind off the comment. After you have recovered from the initial surprise and hurt, you can attempt to take a rational look at the comment. When you revisit the comment, don't internalize the critique because it is not you who is being attacked. Try to look at the comment and your work as an outsider would.
Here are three things you can do to help get past the sting of a negative critique:
- First, consider the source. Try to understand where the commenter is coming from. It is not always about jealousy or being a "hater." The commenter may truly not like your work. There will always be people who do not like your product. Another thing to consider is maybe this is a person with a limited viewpoint and lack of exposure to new or different ideas. People judge your work based on personal experiences and perspectives.
- Next, do not respond in anger. If you want the person to know that you've read the comments, you can respond with a simple "thank you" and move on. It would be even better to say nothing, and just let the comment ride. Remember that anything you post online is almost impossible to remove so really consider whether it is worth it to type a response. Also, you will be surprised to discover that negative comments will cause people to search for you and your work, and many of them will not share the opinion of the negative commenter.
- Finally, do a self-evaluation to see if there is some truth in the negative comment, and determine where you can make corrections to your work. Use your self-evaluation to improve your future projects.
When you receive a bad review, it is important to keep your head up and stay productive. It's just like dating. The best way to get over a bad date is to get out there and have a good date, and the best way to get past a negative critique of your work is to come back with something great. Don't ever allow someone's opinion to stop your momentum.
TurquoizBlue designs crochet fashion, accessories and home décor using traditional techniques to create modern, contemporary designs. Her designs can be found in publications such as Interweave Crochet magazine and on her website at http://www.thisiscrochet.com.
