After Zula wrote an article on one of my posts, it sparked so much debate in Facebook and forums like hardwarezone for a good few weeks. NGL, they are mostly negative and kinda demoralising 😔😔
These are some of the things I did when it happens:
1️⃣ Keep calm
Only when the water is calm, you can see what’s beneath it. It is easy to panic in this situation, and react instinctively.
Stay composed and analyse the situation. Never act on your first few thoughts as they tend to be compulsive in nature, and can make things worst
2️⃣ Assess the situation
There can be differences between what you post vs what is being reported. Media companies tend to sensationalise news to attract viewers, stir conversations and gain traction, in order to stay afloat in this competitive landscape.
In my original post, I talked about not being obsessed with “spending less than XXX “ which seemed a common narrative out there to compare how low cost your wedding can be, and instead to constantly determine if each item is worth spending (value of things).
But the way the article was reported, and the quotes taken selectively made me sound like I was frivolously spending my money and discouraging everyone to not have a budget because it is a once-in-a lifetime experience. And that forms the basis of what many are furiously commenting about.
So… are they reacting to what you have put out, or are they reacting to what was being reported? After realising it was the latter, it helped me realise that there’s no point in reacting too anxiously to these comments
3️⃣ Pick the right battle to fight
There’s you vs 1000000000000 over commenters out there, and it is definitely impossible to address every single one out there. Pick a few that is more important and the one that resonates with you, to clarify
I only picked only 2 areas to clarify, which is (1) it being fully funded by us and (2) that we raised the budget prudently based on our current finances, as these 2 areas are of paramount importance given my content is mainly about sharing on how to manage personal finances, and my credibility is on the line.
Moreover, is it worth it to confront the news vendor? Given many creator’s experience shared on lemon8, it is almost impossible to negotiate a favourable term with them (other than to remove links from their article to your post).
4️⃣ Turn it into content, ops
In the positive way, of course😉
After all, it is an experience and you would have your perspectives to share about. You may also have learnt something along the way.
Sometimes even, the comments can give you ideas on what else to post. It could be a social concern, common misconceptions etc that you can share your knowledge or opinion on (Related content: Thoughts on Zula’s article on my wedding post)
5️⃣ Laugh at the comments, seriously
Some, honestly doesn’t make sense. Due to the anonymity, a significant portion of these comments can be just plain……air (do you really think they really own their words). It is easy to speak your mind, unfiltered under the blanket of anonymity (but sometimes this can bring insights on the sad truth that many people has).
Instead of letting it hurt you, let it entertain you 😇😇😇
💭 It can be hurting to be the negative spotlight for a few weeks. If possible, you can try to turn this situation out into something positive
