After reading this post on Mashable about how to deal with Social Media conflict, I thought I’d share some of my experiences of with the launch of the Incredible Connection blog.
1: Don’t take it personally
The first thing I’ve definitely learnt is not to take any of it personally. Sure, people often are responding directly to something you blogged about or tweeted, but its more about the subject matter they are upset about or responding negatively about. People have called me some pretty nasty things since launching the blog, but I know that if they ever had to meet me or enter into a civil discussion about the issues, their opinion about me personally would change.
2: Think before responding
Take the time to assess what the person is commenting, blogging or tweeting about before replying. Sometimes a knee-jerk reaction to a situation only adds more fuel to the fire. More often than not you will find people responding on your behalf or trying to explain the situation before you need to step in, so hold back a while if the situation allows for it.
3: Stay positive
When you do respond, always thank the person for taking the time to respond. Once thanked, it becomes easier to formulate a response that is appropriate to the situation. The Mashable article talks about finding something to agree with and this is also a great way to find middle ground with the commenter. I’ve found that in these situations, staying positive and responding directly via email to a person goes a long way than just shutting down any false or negative comments.
