How to Deal with Negative Comments

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THE DREAM OF CREATING
I've been aggressively working for the last year to develop my YouTube channel, increase my footprint in Twitter, and post semi-regularly in Instagram. Looking back, I'm so pleased with all the attention and momentum my content has drawn. I know I've worked hard and am immensely proud of achieving 15,000 views (and climbing) in YouTube! I've been pleased to receive feedback from dozens of other artists and content creators, who have helped me to build a family-friendly library of tutorials and product reviews.

 When I started, I had expectations that I would be able to create and engage audiences with meaningful content. What I knew could happen but didn't expect was the arrival of snide, non-constructive comments. These are truly a discouraging nuisance that slap you in the face.



DEALING WITH SNARK
Some people would suggest "growing a thicker skin". Others would fight back, responding in kind, or simply deleting the comment. For some responses, I'll admit that I have deleted them to enforce the family-friendly values of the channel. Swearing will simply not be tolerated (even if the comment is offering praise for the content). 

 I will not openly reject constructive feedback to my work, even if it is negative. I do want to know if I am making a mistake or misrepresenting information. For feedback such as the real-life example above, I had to carefully consider my response. I arrived at the following approach, which I eventually shared on Twitter (https://twitter.com/NateCiraulo)


Thus, I answered this comment with the following:


In keeping with this style of response, I have seen growing proof that politely but assertively defending my position has earned me credibility. My audience has shown greater respect for the experience and perspective I bring. This is the positive side of using negative feedback to strengthen the voice of my content. 

 In closing, don't underestimate the value of what you create. Acknowledge mistakes but only to the level of a learning experience. Keep creating, and be awesome!

 All the best,
-Nate

 #ContentCreation #ContentCreator #NegativeComments #SnarkComments #DealingwithNegativity #DealingwithSnark #Postive #ThinkPositive #Defend #NateCiraulo #Photolearningism

Your first question probably is, “Who is this Nate guy?” I’m a husband, father, system administrator, photographer, and general DIYer. If I can do a task myself, my first inclination is to fire up the trusty Internet and ask if anyone else has figured out how to do that thing. As I continued to problem-solve my own challenges this way, I realized there were opportunities for clarity and questions that weren’t being answered. Tools and processes were SO difficult to track down. Hence, I embarked on another role in my life: to create content not just for myself, but for a growing community of people I discovered were facing similar frustrations. I wanted to give hope to others working a day job and raising a family, which are tremendous blessings, but seeking something more to accomplish.

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