Yesterday, we talked about how haters get their kicks by commenting and spreading their hate all over the internet. It’s what they do. Call them haters or trolls or bullies – they’re all the same. One, they have no life. Two, they want everyone else to be miserable just like they are. I also shared what is considered hateful and what might motivate them to be that way. Read that post here if you haven’t yet…
I’ve learned this, that haters wanna hate. You could sing a song perfectly, you could write the songs perfectly, and some people are absolutely going to hate you. ~Carrie Underwood
Today, we’ll focus on what YOU can do to put the haters in their place and stop the internet (or at least your blog) from becoming a breeding ground for these crazies (cause that’s what they are…).
So what can you do about it? Well. It’s your site, so you make the rules. Here are some tips that I learned from Jenny from The Suburban Jungle – she’s awesomely amazing. Jenny’s tips are first, my thoughts are in italics.
- Hunt them down, kick them in the shin, and run. (Um, I’m pretty sure she was joking. At least I hope so.)
- Lose sleep thinking about how right they may be. (We all do this, but here she’s being sarcastic. STOP it!)
- DELETE. (Yep. You can do that!)
- Edit out the expletives and respond to the meat. (A good way to keep their comments but take out the intensity.)
- Change their comment. (This is hilarious. Jenny said that you can change them to raving comments about how awesome your blog is, that they’ll respond with some comment about how they never said that and they’ll repeat their hate comments, you change it again, this repeats for awhile, and then they eventually get tired of trying – and they leave!)
- Be honored. (If you’re getting haters, you’ve arrived. Truly.)
- Have a comment policy. (Smart for everyone, really.)
- Ban them! (Or that…)
No matter what happens, you’re always going to have those critics and those haters. You just have to learn how to deal with that. ~Tim Tebow
I would only add one thing to Jenny’s list…
- Don’t hate back. While it may seem like one bad comment can ruin your day, remember that love always outweighs hate. In the world we live in, it can be tough to remember that, but let it begin with you. Teach it to your children, model it in life, and especially on your blog.
Remember, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent (Eleanor Roosevelt). I have trouble remembering this in every day life, so it’s hard in my blog world too, but it’s crucial. You can’t change the haters, so change the way you look at it.
Tomorrow, we’ll be talking about step 3: Owning Your Story (and knowing what exactly your story is). Be sure to check back! You can also read and share the entire 31 Days to Blogging Your Truth series by clicking on the image below. Be sure to use the hashtag #bloggingyourtruth.
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