Every day when I go online, I meet a virtual smorgasbord of opinions, perspectives, and topics.
It’s a feast for my brain and it’s one of the best parts of being online—I love being a part of respectful, intelligent dialogue.
Because I’ve worked mostly with small businesses that often have little to no experience using online tools, it’s pretty clear the fear of feedback is very, very common.
It’s a valid fear, though it’s based on extreme—and rare—nightmare stories about troll outbreaks.
It takes time and commitment to exploring the Internet to see that there are degrees of troll behavior, and that the worst are the exception to the rule.
The fear of feedback from people online is usually accompanied by fears around how to respond when you get negative feedback.
It doesn’t matter the size of the organization, responding to negative feedback online is best handled by someone with experience, tact, a thorough understanding of the brand—and hopefully a vested interest in doing the right thing when conversing in the public eye.
Try to imagine for a moment what it would be like to have an Internet with no way to share feedback or converse…and your fear of feedback could be completely unwarranted.
(So hard! Let’s just pretend, though.)
You can publish a blog post and breathe easy, safe in the knowledge that you won’t have to ever see a negative opinion about it.
For those of us with fear of feedback, confrontation, or controversy (yep, that group includes me), it seems like a dream come true. It’s the perfect solution to eliminate the heart palpitations that come with anxiety every time you get a notification of a new comment, right?
That’s certainly one way to look at it, but there’s more to be lost than just the negative: You lose the positive interactions as well.
From people who agree with your views and appreciate them, to people who respectfully disagree and offer an alternative perspective that adds value to the conversation.
You would lose constructive feedback and suggestions that could enhance your offerings. Your audience would lose the opportunity to contribute valuable insights based on their unique experiences.
Details come into focus that weren’t there before. Colors start to show. Grey areas and shadows appear and grow. Viewing a topic from a different perspective creates more depth.
Feedback helps facilitate the exploration of the depths and complexities that exist even in topics that seem to be simple.
Cultivating a community that engages with respect in discussions should be a top priority for any organization using social media.
(Unless they’re establishing a controversial brand for themselves.)
Community guidelines are a great way to communicate expectations for interactions, but leading by example is even more important:
Karen Wilson is a communications professional who focuses on writing and strategy. She’s a wife to Matt and a mom to Brandon.