Maybe it’s me (receives 3 negative comments and plays the victim), but in the past month I’ve been bombarded by “blog bullies” and negative comments about stuff I’ve written. And I have to admit I’m shocked, confused, and hurt.
Like, in my mind I’m not talking about anything super controversial like politics or religion, so how could someone possibly be offended by what I say?
Well, it’s happened and I’m actually quite sensitive to it, which is ironic because I’m such an advocate for sucking it up and having a thick skin…
Anyway, my most recent run in with a negative comment happened the other day on Instagram when another blogger publicly “shamed” me for telling her to quit blogging. I’m sorry what?!
When did I ever tell anyone to quit blogging?!
Turns out this blogger was referring to a post I wrote for Zanita but I had no idea what she was even talking about before I put the pieces together.
So technically yes, I wrote a post about knowing when to quit blogging but nowhere in the article did I tell her to quit. I actually said if you aren’t happy (she said she was happy), growing (she has 100K+ followers), or making money then it might be time to try something else. I also closed the post with this:
Ultimately the only person who can decide if/when to quit blogging is you. No one can sit here and tell you what’s best for you because they don’t know… but you do. You are the only person who can assess your happiness, growth, and income. And once you do those things, you’ll know whether to keep grinding it out or move on to the next one.
So, had this blogger fully read the article, she may have thought twice before trying to embarrass me with a negative comment. But she didn’t and the damage is done.
Unfortunately, there is no solution… as the old saying goes, “hatas gon’ hate”. People are going to love you, people are going to hate you, people may start out loving you but then hate you, or people may start out hating you and then love you; you just never know.
What I do know is I’m going to keep being me and you should keep being you, (unless you’re a total asswad then you might want to change that).
Now, I could play it safe, be boring, and not share an ounce of my bold, sometimes unfiltered personality, but that’s not me. I choose to live a life full force and if you get “offended” or read too far into something because you’re bored or having a bad day, well, that’s on you.
Don’t project your negative feelings and insecurities about yourself and your blog/business onto me.
The beauty about the world is we all have different opinions. If we didn’t challenge the way each other thought, then we would go around thinking our way of thinking is the only way… of thinking. And that’s pretty egotistical now isn’t it?
So I guess there really is a solution and that is YOU.
Don’t give the haters more attention than they deserve, (I could be calling this person out right now but I’m not, she’s not worth it). Take every negative comment with a grain of salt because it comes with the territory. The bigger you get, the more blog bullies will have something to say about it, that’s just the way it is.
Let it go like frozen, honey. You’re better than that.
**Final PSA: If you are ever hurt, and I mean genuinely hurt, (not just looking for someone to use as a punching bag), by something that I write/say please send me a private message expressing your concerns and hopefully we can work through it.**
Have you ever experienced a blog bully or negative comment? How did you deal with it? Comment below.
xx
10 Comments
Cristina - Memories of the Pacific
04/11/2017 at 5:18 amSomething I don’t like about social media is all this negativity. There’s a sense of anonymity and people take too much advantage of it. I understand the term “freedom of expression” but I think there should be a limit. Body shaming, hate crimes, bullying… it all makes me sick! My motto is live and let live so I don’t understand why people can’t leave each other alone.
I don’t know if it’s the same in the US but in Spain we are having big problems with offensive tweets and comments when a public person dies for instance, you wouldn’t believe the atrocities people say. Fortunately, the authorities are taking action against those people because it’s considered a crime.
So far, I haven’t had to deal with negative comments but I guess it’s because I have a small blog. As you say, the bigger you become, the more negative comments you get. I believe you can be the sweetest person in the world, but if you have a successful blog you are going to get negative comments. In my opinion, there’s only one word to describe this behavior: jealousy.
Have a great day, Britt and -I know it’s easy to say this but- try not to think much about these people.
brittany
04/20/2017 at 3:30 pmCristina that was one of the sweetest and most thoughtful comments I’ve ever received! Thank you thank you thank you! You’re a doll. I agree that social media, unfortunately, has its positive and negative effects on people. Honestly, nothing anyone can say to me will bother me because at some point I’m sure I’ve said it to myself. We are our own biggest critics after all…
We definitely do have a problem of aggressive “memes” that people think are funny about serious issues, while I’m all about making light of a situation some take it too far, but you can’t let it bother you! Not everyone is going to think just like you.
Thanks so much for always showing your support. It means the world to me! xx
Kylie
04/11/2017 at 1:13 pmEw, bye blog bullies. If it makes you feel better, I was with my cousin yesterday and she goes, “You know, I never really follow bloggers because I don’t get inspired by that type of thing… but Brittany’s blog has so many amazing articles and I am actually very inspired by a lot of her outfits. I’m even going to buy a pair of the pants that she wears to work!”
brittany
04/17/2017 at 4:25 pmAw thanks babygirl. I’m definitely not going to get down over people who have a low image of themselves so they feel the need to bring other people down with them. Just something bloggers (and really everyone) deals with from time to time! That was a nice little boost though thank you for taking the time to tell me that! You’re so sweet. xx
Rae
04/12/2017 at 2:18 amSo sad to hear this, you always give the best advice and are so supportive to the blogging community and I know I’m not alone when I say how appreciated your posts really are! Ignore the negativity, you’re awesome! xx
Rae recently posted…Stay at the Royal Tulip Hotel Visesa Ubud
brittany
04/17/2017 at 4:27 pmAw thank you so much Rae, that was so sweet of you! Hey, I’m not for everyone and I’m ok with it! Negative comments come with the territory. I appreciate your comment SO much, thanks again. xx
Naly Rice
04/13/2017 at 12:23 pmSucks to hear about the comments Keep your head up high and keep doing you. Blogging is a competitive field now and I wish more people would see that supporting each other is the way to success not tearing them down. Cheer up! 🙂
brittany
04/20/2017 at 3:35 pmAw thank you Naly, that’s so sweet. I think it’s actually a positive that negative things happen otherwise I wouldn’t be talking to you right now! Ha, that’s how you have to look at it right? Thanks for reading doll. xx
Sashamonique
07/16/2017 at 12:16 pmI read your blog post about knowing when to quit blogging and I didn’t see anything about you telling a particular person when to quit blogging. People internalize everything these days and it truly does not make any sense. You have to examine yourself and your blog to make that decision. CRAZY!!!!!!!
Brittany
07/16/2017 at 10:01 pmRight?! I totally agree Sasha. It’s like… relax… not everything is about you! Glad you understand, ha. Thanks so much for reading. xx