How to respond to negativity on the Internet

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Rules to help repel attacks and defend your position.

At work, I often have to deal with counter-content. This is what we call materials that respond to some accusations against the company. Perhaps there were hiring problems, supply disruptions, or the new management decided to fix the old ones' mistakes. There are many reasons, but the task is one - to convey the idea, answer the negative and discourage possible questions in advance.

I'll tell you about the principles that help me defend my position on the Internet. These tips will come in handy for businesses, managers, foundations, government officials, and ordinary people presenting their ideas to the public.

How not to do

Defending yourself on the Internet is difficult: the opponent has the original of your words and a lot of time to find logical loopholes.

The task of counter-content is to show the complexity of the difficulties that have arisen. One circumstance leads to another, and further along the chain. If the author himself proposes a solution, taking responsibility and courage, this captivates the audience.

Let's go from the opposite and look at an example of a failed post. Situation: a network of city bars launched a video by February 23rd. In it, women wash dishes, sit with children, leaf through the magazine Domashniy Ochag and watch Argentinean serials. Meanwhile, successful men are relaxing in a bar.

The video caused a resonance, someone tried to arrange a boycott, and as a result the advertisement was removed. A couple of days later, the owner of the bars publishes a post:

About the video, which you already know everything about.

1. Our advertiser is great. It happens that it gets carried over. Now there was such a case, but I believe that everyone has failures.
2. Personally, I don't check ads before posting. I think the guys can do it themselves.
3. No, this is not a tricky move. Believe us, we are not happy from these scandals.
4. Haters, how I adore you. You are ready to take offense at everything and make unnecessary advertising. And now they did not disappoint. Keep it up!
5. But seriously, we went too far. Sorry if anyone was really hurt by this.

All men with the upcoming holiday!

In general, the reaction of the leader is a good welcome. However, with this particular text, something is deeply wrong. Let's figure it out.

• Broken logic. Thoughts are broken up into blocks, but logic jumps unpredictably. It looks like this: everyone is wrong → a call to understanding, advertising has not been checked before → admission of a mistake, thanks to haters → protection, again admitting a mistake. As if the author's attitude to what had happened changed several times, but he still did not understand his thoughts.
• No emphasis on apology. If the video was deleted, it means that it was considered unacceptable for the company and its customers. To respond to the negative, it is appropriate to apologize, but only a couple of words are devoted to this.
• Sincerity is not felt. Half of the voiced theses duplicate each other, so there is a feeling of avoiding a direct answer.
• And then what? Will the company strengthen quality control? What are the lessons learned from the brand?

The author laid out his thoughts as they are, but this is precisely what creates the feeling that the reader is being fooled. The text lacks proofreading - that's all.

If you consider the post as counter-content, then it does not work as it should. Let's see how to respond to the negative by making minor edits to the source text.

How to react to negativity correctly

1. Tell a story

In my opinion, the best way to strengthen your position is to tell a story. She has a hero, conflict, overcoming and a clear structure. In general, everything that our life is almost always devoid of. If you reduce thought to a formula, you get: history> life.

The most commonly used structure is the classic one. Let's see how it can help modify the original post.

1. Application. I apologize for the video we released on February 23rd. I myself consider it a failure.

2. Argumentation. Our advertiser is a good guy. He loves to experiment, and we appreciate that. Yes, sometimes he gets carried away, but there is no person nearby who would correct him. And now something similar has happened. This is a lesson for me.

3. Conclusion. Our team does not feel any joy from the scandal, so we will make sure that such videos do not appear again. Well, I congratulate everyone on Defender of the Fatherland Day. Take care of yourself.

We have not done anything fundamentally new, but it has already become more intelligible.

History implies sincerity by default. It gives the reader the illusion of being in control of life. In reality, everything is complicated, but in the text it is clear, understandable and with faith in the future.

2. Fix the negative in the center

Stick to the sandwich principle: start with the good, mention the bad, and end with the good too.

People remember and assimilate what is at the beginning and end. This is a fact that is hard to argue with. The first to apply this feature in practice were politicians and traditional media. I recommend carefully and without fanaticism to take an example from them.

The beginning and end of the text are the focal points. Most of the users will only read them consciously.

Negativeness is not only direct attacks in your direction. These include the possible risks that the reader calculates. It is important to highlight all sources of negativity and provide a structured response to each. It is impossible to answer only one problem, and delicately forget about the rest.

Now let's improve the answer using the new knowledge.

1. Statement (positive)

I apologize for the video we released on February 23rd. I myself consider it a failure.

2. Argumentation (negative)

Our advertiser is a good guy. He loves to experiment, and we appreciate that. Yes, sometimes he gets carried away, but there is no person nearby who would correct him. And now something similar has happened. This is a lesson for me.

I understand why people were hurt by our advertising. It demonstrates inappropriate behavior and plays out stereotypes that have set the teeth on edge.

3. Conclusion (positive)

Our team does not feel any joy from the scandal, so we will make sure that such videos do not appear again. Well, I congratulate everyone on Defender of the Fatherland Day.

Keep the level of positive to negative at a 2: 1 ratio. Every critical question must be answered. It can be presented in a block with arguments or at the end of the text if there is one universal solution for all problems.

3. Keep the initiative

Admitting a mistake does not mean giving up the initiative. Maintain your role as facilitator by proposing a solution or setting the tone for a dialogue.

Real life example: if you tried to change the mobile operator with number portability, then you know how persistently you will be persuaded. Number porting must be confirmed with the old operator. Employees of the company will inquire about the reasons for the dissatisfaction and offer a discount. If all else fails, they will put pressure on the feeling of guilt. In my case, they said: “We have offered you so many bonuses. It's a shame you don't give us a chance."

It turns out to be a paradoxical situation. The client initiated the transition to a new operator, he is the main one in this scenario. However, the operator will try with all his might to intercept this role. He will try on the role of the victim, then he will make it clear: he knows better what the client needs.

There are several ways to keep the initiative.

1. Consolidate dignity. We are appreciated for our friendly atmosphere, and you can be sure that it hasn't gone anywhere. Advertising is only an external attribute, don't let it confuse you.

2. Show respect for the interlocutors. Our team does not feel any joy from the scandal, so we will make sure that such videos do not appear again. Well, I congratulate everyone on Defender of the Fatherland Day.

3. Initiate future dialogue. I will definitely watch the next holiday video with my wife. At the same time, I will find out if the advertiser has understood his mistakes.

Neutralizing negativity on the Internet involves a measure of coolness. Set aside the written answer for at least 10 minutes. Then read aloud, especially paying attention to the ending. Is the initiative retained by the author of the text? This step separates the amateur from the professional.

What you need to remember

1. Soft manipulation is part of our world. We manipulate the reader's opinion by giving the story a bulge and vivid detail. This should be taken with understanding. We all know that there is no pure objectivity.
2. Nobody likes rough manipulation. People can forgive a lot, apart from deceiving and hiding an important piece of the truth. If you respect your customers, forget about propaganda.
3. It is helpful to show the crisis situation from the inside. This works well when the question is related to a set of problems. For example, a construction site has stopped because a contractor has violated an agreement, and it takes time to hold a tender and find a new one.
4. Direct evaluations should be avoided … Let the readers come to their own conclusions.
5. The answer must be an ultimatum. How to respond to a complaint correctly? Give a complete answer and suggest a solution. It's like with a good book: I read it - and everything cleared up. Questions may arise later, but this will not obscure the feeling of satisfaction with the answer.
6. You need to respect the reader. Be direct. Dots, sarcasm, and potirany are not appropriate responses to negativity. Any attempt to avoid a direct answer will be perceived as a flight.
7. Sometimes you just need to relax. Someone can foaming at the mouth to prove you wrong because of the slightest inaccuracy. You can't do anything with such people.

What are some good examples to take note of?

VkusVill and Rospotrebnadzor

In the spring of 2018, Rospotrebnadzor fined Rospotrebnadzor and fined Vkusville more than 6, 3 million rubles; VkusVill, 6, 3 million rubles. The company was accused of violations of technical regulations and sanitary and epidemiological requirements.

In response, VkusVill released a full analysis We love Russia! Why has Rospotrebnadzor fined VkusVill? situations. From the article, the company's clients learned about the details of the Rospotrebnadzor examination: for example, that the department's employees transported fish samples in a container with a temperature that was five times too high. The article was reprinted by the media, and the network's reputation was saved.

Maria Sharapova and the reception of meldonium

When the Meldonium scandal began, only one athlete from Russia personally announced a positive doping test result. It was Maria Sharapova Press Conference March 7th 2016 12:00 PM PST Maria Sharapova.

The athlete said that for 10 years she had been taking the drug on the recommendation of a family doctor, without knowing about the ban. At the same time, Maria took responsibility for herself. The performance of the tennis player in front of the press appealed to the fans and indirectly forced WADA to consider WADA Opens a Door for Athletes Who Tested Positive for Meldonium measures to mitigate the system of fines for the use of meldonium.

A year later, the tennis player returned to the sport, and the stream of advertising contracts did not even think to dry up.

"Fire" and bug fixes

In Yekaterinburg announced In Yekaterinburg opened the beach "Fire" - a guide to the beach, prices and services opening a private beach called "Fire". The organizers promised European standards, but the opening was a failure. "Queues for the toilet, you can't wait for service, parking is anywhere", - visitors to the paid beach "Fire" share their dissatisfaction with the opening. Visitors were waiting for an order in the bar for hours, the staff was rude and collected an additional entrance fee.

The entrepreneur who opened the beach studied the reaction of the visitors and identified all the pain points. He corrected mistake after mistake and reported on his Facebook. Honest posts of a businessman were positively received by the audience, and the following seasons “Fire” closed quite successfully. Owner of “Beach Fire”: “We want to open a hotel and work all year round”.