32 responses so far ↓

• 1 langley // Jul 21, 2008 at 2:26 pm

  You suck. Shut up.

• 2 Daniel // Jul 21, 2008 at 2:28 pm

  I get some bad comments occasionally. If they are inappropriate to the site I’ll remove it (marketing comes first). If it is just an opinionated post in disagreement I will usually respond to it.

• 3 langley // Jul 21, 2008 at 2:28 pm

  I read them all, and I’d say 99% of the comments i get are for some kind of penis enhancing drug, or strange porn. So its not too hard to ignore. If ppl want to post stupid stuff, so be it. Another good thing to do is make a post about what idiots those ppl are. bring them to the spotlight. like how a comedian will heckle the heckler.

• 4 Daniel // Jul 21, 2008 at 2:30 pm

  PS…you have to remember, when you are selling yourself on the internet, people will always have an opinion and it won’t always be good. Keep doing what you’re doing though! Do it for the people like me that do appreciate it.

• 5 wmmarc // Jul 21, 2008 at 2:32 pm

  Sarah, I kept myself from taking portraits for years because I didn’t like my work taken apart piece by piece. I realize now, that everyone has an opinion and not all of them are valid. Not only that, but I can appreciate other’s work who are much, much better than mine, and that doesn’t have to take away from my own work. Keep moving forward! You have genuine fans and that should account for more than any snide comments you may get. Rock On!

• 6 Nuclear Bastard // Jul 21, 2008 at 2:33 pm

  I am all but positive that someone has mentioned this already, but Anonymity + Audience = Dickwad. http://www.pennyarcademerch.com/pat070381.html

  That said, by putting myself on the Internet for comments, I expect that someone will tell me to die in a fire, or call me gay, or tell me how good in the sack my mother was last night. By getting worked up about singular occurances, I just encourage more of that type of lameness. Therefore, I don’t reply to it, but I also do not restrict it. That is, until someone decides to use my comments board as a personal bitching site, at which point, Delete and Ban are my friends!

  Also tits, pls!

• 7 Mike // Jul 21, 2008 at 2:34 pm

  Yea, I stopped putting videos on YouTube cause it’s just full of jerks I especially gave up on YouTube after finding Vimeo…

  If the comment is just “you suck”, then I’d trash it – that person is just trolling around trying to pick a fight with someone, and other people who want to come in and have an actual conversation with you are going to be put off by the vibe this douche bag created… when he probably didn’t even really watch your video.

  But YouTube… just has no manners.

• 8 will // Jul 21, 2008 at 2:37 pm

  I get them on my blog too, mostly from goofballs and jealous ex’s of my wife. I usually leave them but I have deleted a few that were just too stupid to see the light of day. I’ve noticed that video commenters can be a special breed of jealous, mean spirited pricks.

• 9 pure_drivel // Jul 21, 2008 at 2:42 pm

  My website doesn’t really get enough traffic where I’m doing much other than deleting spam comments. But the few negative comments I have I’ve responded to with as much class as I can muster. I personally think purely inflamatory comments like, “you suck,” and, “shut up,” don’t really add anything to the discussion. I would have no qualms personally removing them from my website, or with anyone else doing the same.

  There’s something to be said for allowing everyone to say their piece, even if they’re just going to provide some mindless flame. But I don’t think anyone can fault you for wanting the discussion to be less reactionary and more thought provoking.

• 10 JMHebert // Jul 21, 2008 at 2:42 pm

  Some people are just evil and mean. They are not giving constructive criticism they are just being mean. In my opinion these people lost their right to voice an opinion, not because they disagree me but because they are just being rude.

  I know it is easier said then done, but you have to ignore people like that and look for the valid critiques.

• 11 nrek // Jul 21, 2008 at 2:58 pm

  The Internet is filled with troll’s looking for a response, and typically, any recognition is counted as a response. Not sure why losers need to vent negative junk from their life through a keyboard – and attempt to disrupt creativity and constructive writing, but they do… Depending on severity, they get left for others to marvel at their stupidity, or they get deleted to save people the embarrassment of the actions of their fellow man… whichever.

• 12 karyrogers // Jul 21, 2008 at 2:58 pm

  I’m probably in the minority, but the youtube/myspace haters have never bothered me. Getting called names, having my sexuality questioned, and other over the top comments are nothing more than amusing at best and annoying at worst. I liken it to a wee person calling me names (e.g. poopyhead). It’s nothing to get upset about and sometimes it’s amusing if they get really creative.

  Every now and then someone will actually have a negative criticism that is well thought out and posted with mostly coherent sentences. I do think about those and if I think it’s something I haven’t considered or I think that person is missing the point, I might engage that person in a one-on-one conversation.

  But. I do comedy. It’s subjective so I realize not everyone will like or get the humor.

  The comments that really hurt my heart are the ones that the person misses the joke. If it’s satire, maybe they miss that fact and get really worked up about it. Or if there’s a twist on the ending and they leave a comment leading me to believe they didn’t bother watching the whole thing before telling me their thoughts.

  In the end, I take every comment, positive or negative, with a grain of salt. If the comment is particularly hateful, I generally look for the humor or, not finding it, shrug it off. I don’t spend time to delete the hater comments. In some cases it would keep me very busy. =)

• 13 @DowntownRob // Jul 21, 2008 at 3:03 pm

  Saw your question and post link on twitter…

  The silly negative comments reflect the level of distaste people can have if there are no repercussions to their words… the comments have no value, but some feel as those they’ve accomplished something of value just by seeing it themselves – like most graffiti.

  On a site like youtube, the comment system itself should automate reducing comments of little value to not be seen, as is done on other web sites. Voting on comments value or usefulness, or number of replies, provides a way of determining which comments should be given more exposure, and which should be reduced to almost nothingness.

  @DowntownRob

• 14 sarahatwood // Jul 21, 2008 at 3:10 pm

  Yeah, I love all your comments!!!!!!! It seems like most people don’t delete unless its really bad, which is good to hear.
  @Langley No, YOU suck!
  @NuclearBastard hee hee, any comment that includes tits just makes me laugh.

• 15 pcnerd37 // Jul 21, 2008 at 3:21 pm

  I actually wrote a post touching on this subject a couple of months back after seeing these issues. Generally, I will leave comments alone unless they are inappropriate or extremely disrespectful. When I get those posts, I will delete them, otherwise I try to leave them alone. I do have wordpress set to have me approve all comments on my blog from people who haven’t had a previously approved comment. This helps cut down on a lot of the crap because I can catch it before the rest of the world can see it.

  Anyway, here is my post I was talking about called Seven Suggestions for Becoming a Constructive Commenter: http://globalgeeknews.com/blog/?p=20

• 16 Foss // Jul 21, 2008 at 3:25 pm

  It’s fair to ask for manners, but they generally come with maturity, and you can’t expect it with teh intarwebs. As the comments have already stated, anonymity + audience = dickwad. It’s hard to ignore it, but you really should. Just remember that these people will grow up in a few years. In the meantime, the majority of people that really enjoy your work, won’t be vocal about it. No news is good news!

• 17 sarahatwood // Jul 21, 2008 at 3:28 pm

  Thats a really good point, Foss. People are more likely to leave a negative comment than positive. If they only have nice things to say, they usually wont say it.

• 18 Wellman // Jul 21, 2008 at 3:32 pm

  I really liked your post, i have been thinking about the whole “social graffiti”, as I like to call it. And it seems to me there are too many people that have lost touch with the old idea, “if you don’t have anything nice to say…”, I would rather see people posting on my stuff that “If you have something constructive to say…” Now I would love to see all the social graffiti go away, but I know it will not. So I welcome their comments and contributions to the discussion, but like any party, if you are not playing nice, go home.

• 19 jennifer stavros // Jul 21, 2008 at 3:32 pm

  Someone once told me that if people are looking at you with disdain you must be doing something right.
  Learn to face your biggest critic… if you can’t look in the mirror and see yourself as perfect as well as flawed then you’re not a person.. you’re a vampire.
  All criticisms, even negative are constructive. You cannot succeed unless you experience life. Failing is part of that process imho.
  Don’t let people see you are getting to you, even if they are.
  There’s a lot more beyond smile and nod.
  You’re a tough one gal. Don’t stop being real.

  @Scandalous

• 20 sarahatwood // Jul 21, 2008 at 3:47 pm

  I like the was Wellman puts it…“If you have something constructive to say…” because its not about nice, its about adding something to the converstation. Which leads me to Jennifer Stavros’ point that all criticism is constructive. Are you saying “shut up you stupid bitch” is constructive? Or “I hate you”?
  I don’t see those as constructive. If that person can tell me why they want me to shut up or why they have disdain for me, then I’d be happy to read that. That I would consider constructive.

• 21 Daniel // Jul 21, 2008 at 3:59 pm

  With WordPress you can just edit their comments. Make it embarrassing =)

• 22 StephenMcc // Jul 21, 2008 at 4:14 pm

  Internet comments are such a mixed blessing – and by mixed, I mean – pretty early on they’re just not worth it without some form of moderation.

  Site moderation usually hides stuff from the lowest ranked commenters. If your site isn’t big enough for that, just remove the content of the comment, leaving a note that you did it.

• 23 Casey McKinnon // Jul 21, 2008 at 4:18 pm

  Luckily, this won’t happen to you too often. It’s the result of having a viral hit on YouTube. Last year, Galacticast’s Heat Fozzy was featured and got rave responses and due to the over-the-top silliness of the video it didn’t really get any mean comments. It wasn’t until we launched A Comicbook Orange and we had our Frank Miller episode featured that I started getting personally attacked.

  Most of the comments were about how annoying my voice was, and I was very hurt at first. But, then there were the few who started defending my voice saying it was soothing. I emailed Zadi to see how she delt with it and that helped me a lot. The whole thing subsided, and even though we got featured almost every week, we didn’t get the troll-storm again… phew.

  It wasn’t until one of my personal (daily self portrait outtake) videos was featured in March this year that I started getting the trolls again. And, again, I felt upset… especially since it was a personal video, not a show to be judged. Again, it all went away within a week.

  The moral of the story is: The first time you’re featured you will get a storm of trolls. But, the good thing is that the people who subscribe to your show will not be trolls, they will be real fans who are excited to see your next show.

  Here’s where I draw the line, though: All personal attacks and racist/anti-Semitic comments are deleted as well as the user blocked. End of story. And let me tell you… when RoboJew was featured, there were A LOT of anti-Semitic comments (I deleted approx. 500!)… it was ridiculous.

  I recently started moderating my comments on YouTube, sometimes it’s for the best… and as a female, it’s a good precaution.

  Oh, and just in case I don’t already tell you how wonderful you are… you’re wonderful. <3

• 24 Ken // Jul 21, 2008 at 4:18 pm

  I suspect you already know this… but we’re your friends and we care.

  Don’t let those horrible comments have too much power in your life. It’s pretty apparent that those who comment so negatively have no class!!!

• 25 imacynic.org // Jul 21, 2008 at 7:51 pm

  When I used to do podcasts regularly, I used to get a lot of negative feedback over the orientation of the content—And sometimes, they are personal criticisms (like me making a bad host, no personality, or that “[I] just suck.” But then, I think about how everyone somehow grows a 3rd ball sack when they’re behind a computer screen, typing vulgarities on a keypad.

  So, whether I suck or not is besides the point, the worst thing I can do on my part is be defensive and give kindle to feed the trollers/pundits and other dickwads.

  When someone wants to stir something up publicly like that, I think they know what they’re doing and people just give in to that without even knowing it.

  However, I know it doesn’t change the fact that sometimes, some comments will hurt from time to time…or become very personal which a lot of people expect, but don’t really comprehend until it actually happens to them in this line of work (Think Sara Lacy a la SXSW Conference).

  Logically, it makes sense that you should care about what people say when your work becomes personal but then again, it wouldn’t make sense to get all bent out of shape over people that are out there to 1up or defecate on you or someone else’s comment.

  All in all, just as humans are receptive to negativity, I think we also take positive feedback for granted because it’s what we want to hear, and it’s what’s expected. I think you can hold it self-evident that there are plenty of people who probably admire you, your work, and that there are plenty of people who are in agreement with others who observe your work. Anyway I probably went off on big tangents but that’s everything I thought about.

  <3 Jamie

• 26 Jimmy Rogers // Jul 21, 2008 at 8:35 pm

  I read all the comments I get and if they are negative I usually take it as a “learning experience.” Anyone reading my personal blog usually knows me so I don’t get a lot of mean ones, but on other blogs I have gotten some nasty ones. Personally I don’t let them bother me (though sometimes they startle me).

  Also, sometimes it is important to see if you really did say anything to make people mad. I did a politically oriented article once and a lot of readers (predictably) got mad. The thing that surprised me was the number of people who were mad because it wasn’t tech news per say. It was kind of a “know your audience” moment.

• 27 sarahatwood // Jul 21, 2008 at 9:24 pm

  I too can roll my eyes and say whatever to the YouTube “trolls” but what bothers me is that these people obviously have unhappy lives. If they can say such mean things, then chances are they have been spoken to in that way and that makes me sad. I feel all this negativity that is being spewed out is like a cry for help from miserable people. That makes my heart ache.

• 28 Elsie Escobar // Jul 22, 2008 at 7:12 am

  I hear your heart aching over all the negativity. It’s a really really powerful energy, and it’s amazing how much longer it stays with you than anything positive. You may be walking along and all of a sudden that darn comment will creep in and make the pit of your stomach feel slightly dull and achy.

  My (yoga) teacher would make sure that we always focused on those that were there with us and deepened the conversation. In what ways do we enhance life? In what ways do our words and actions empower others and become ever more auspicious. This sort of stuff is not really ‘heard’ when you get negative criticism. Not, so much in my podcast, nor my videos but face to face I’ve had to deal with people that are less than thrilled with me and my work (or so I thought), dark, no eye contact, no smiles, total detachment, but they continued to come back, and eventually became my biggest supporters.

  With my videos I do get a lot of creepy folk, and a few haters, but mostly creepy ones. I generally delete all comments that have to do with doing things to me physically or loving certain parts of my body. I do not believe they enhance what my intention is at all. If they have a problem with me as a teacher, even if they are haters and not articulate, I keep those comments on. They are entitled to their opinion.

  “You suck and I hate you.” Oh, the power of language. I would delete those things simply because my choice is to enhance and support goodness. Those comments are infringing on my personal choice, and my values. If they say ‘you suck and I hate you because of A, B and C’, and there was a genuine desire for communication, I would step into the conversation, and honor their opinion.

  There’s lots of love coming to you Sarah, you are a mighty woman with lots to offer, always add to that and cast light to those that bring out the best of yourself. They are your best teachers, and it may just be the haters xoxoxoxxoxo

• 29 will // Jul 22, 2008 at 12:03 pm

  One thing we have learned here is that blogging about comments is a surefire way to increase the number of comments you get.

  Did I ever tell you that I proposed to my wife in the comments of my blog? There’s a something we can all try.

• 30 TheFizzle // Jul 22, 2008 at 12:08 pm

  For the most part, it’s good points all around in this topic and responses…

  I’ve gotten such remarks in many forums online. While I have the overarching notion that people are born with a lack of consideration for the thoughts, feelings, time, and effort of others – I generally try give them the benefit of the doubt even if they hang themselves with their words.

  It takes both ends of the bell curve to paint the whole picture. It’s sometimes not as easy to cherish the good without the bad to remind us how good we sometimes have it – even online.

  Keep it up Sarah… Even if a few don’t appreciate your effort, many do.

• 31 Matthew Morse // Jul 24, 2008 at 10:29 pm

  @TheFizzle… well said.

  Keep your chin high, Sarah; just remember on the rise many will try to pluck the “Stars” from the sky… the trick is to rise above it and you’re doing just that. Enjoy the good that comes along and keep spreading your own around… people will catch on…

  Peace,

  M@

• 32 Clintus // Jul 31, 2008 at 8:43 pm

  I got tired of it and have left YouTube for good: http://www.idoitdigital.com/2008/07/29/goodbye-youtube/

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