How to Handle Negative Blog Comments

If you have any experience with the web, messageboards, blogging, or even a Facebook or MySpace profile, you have probably seen or received a negative comment. It is important to realize that not all negative comments are created equally!

Trolls:

These are people who search around just to make comments that get people upset. They are usually miserably, unhappy people who feel important by making others upset.

The best way to deal with Trolls is to simply delete their comments if they are inappropriate, or to just ignore them. These people can't be reasoned with and they will just get more animated if you try to address them directly.

Fan Boys:

This is particularly common in technology or media categories, where there are passionate armies on either side who don't look at logic but are so partisan that they will comment negatively on anything that isn't theirs. For instance, fans of Xbox might post that "PS3 Sux!!!!!"

These people don't really hurt your image that much because if you are in a community where they are, your fans and customers probably already expect this. You may even have a legion of fans ready to respond to them.

Again, if it gets our of hand, just delete the comments and delete the user account if possible.

Competitors:

Yes, competitors might comment on your blog - especially corporate blogs to make it seem like you have unhappy customers. They might also post links to their product promoting it as being "better" or "faster" or "cheaper".

While the initial reaction is to treat these people like trolls, you can also use this as an opportunity to respond with why your product is better ... don't address the other company directly. Instead, you might post a response pointing out the benefits of your product. You might also have your fans respond directly on your behalf.

Former Employees:

This is similar to the above, but these are usually more personal in nature.

Simply delete the comments. If they come back, you might want to try and contact the employee directly, though doing it through a lawyer is probably better to avoid any confrontation ... which is probably what your ex-employee wants.

Customers:

This is probably the most important category of commenters that you need to keep track of. In the past, customers could only call or write you to express displeasure. Today, they can comment on your blog, Facebook profiles, even setup "I Hate Company Name" websites.

The best way to handle this is obviously use the feedback to try and resolve the situation for the future. Unfortunately that takes time, so this situation I am going to divide into two parts:

Before the Customer Provides Negative Feedback:

Maintain a positive information flow and be open with your community and customers. This might involve a Facebook profile. It might involve a Twitter account. It might even involve a corporate blog where you can control the information flow. By having a source of information that you can control, you can build a positive reputation that will be the trusted source on your company to address issues before they happen, or immediately after, so they don't blow up on you.

After the Customer Provides Negative Feedback:

Address the customer directly and show that you care. Not all situations can be resolved this way, but most people will appreciate the personal concern expressed about the situation.