Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune

                              Complete works of Shakespeare

Yes, I realize I’m not Hamlet, but I do feel assailed by some people’s online comments to me. (Not here on this site but elsewhere.)

And I need to stop, take a deep breath, and remind myself that this is the flip side of getting lots of positive exposure on the Web.

How best to handle this (and keep my blood pressure from shooting up)?

Many years ago in Philadelphia I took an assertiveness training course. And the valuable concepts I learned then can be used now.

If someone is just out to attack me, nothing I say can stop that attack. And every “defense” I give is just more ammunition for the person to continue attacking me.

Thus I have to be able to remind myself that nothing I say may stop the attack, so I have to be prepared to walk away from engaging. And NEVER attack back. It can hurt your own reputation without resolving anything.

Of course I’m not saying you shouldn’t give your opinions (politely). The Internet would be an awfully boring place if no one had any opinions.

A good rule of thumb when leaving comments might be to consider whether you’d like someone to write this comment to you. If you wouldn’t like to receive the comment, you probably shouldn’t write it to someone else.

And when you’re interacting on the Web connected with your brand, book or business, you want to be especially careful not to intentionally tarnish that brand, book or business.

On the other hand, dish out as much sincere praise or gratitude as you can. When you read a good blog post, leave a comment thanking the blogger for sharing the information and try to refer to one specific thing you particularly liked or learned. Or when someone on Twitter shares a valuable link, tweet a thanks to that person for sharing. This is simply good business manners whether online or offline.

Shakespeare is credited with a deep understanding of human nature (centuries before Freud). Now in this era of the Internet, we’d do well to remember the wide range of human nature and strive to be considerate of our fellow cyberspace inhabitants.

(If you’re interested in learning more about good internet marketing, check out the Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program.)

© 2009 Miller Mosaic, LLC

For more information, read these posts:

Transparency on the Web invites telling it like it is

How to explain to your mother, husband, best friend that Twitter is not a waste of time

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