I've been blogging for eight years, and fortunately, my experience has been very positive. My blog is small, so I've never had to deal with any real scrutiny or negative comments the way popular bloggers have. However, I'm of the mindset that if you put yourself out there for all to potentially see, you can't expect everyone to like you. Not everyone is going to fawn over every outfit you post, the way you do your hair and makeup, or even the things you choose to write about. The same goes for meeting people in real life. You may have an irritating co-worker that just rubs you the wrong way. or an acquaintance that gets on your last nerve. Why do we expect the internet to be any different?
I personally have never understood the aspect of fashion or beauty blogging where it appears as if only positive feedback is accepted. Yes there is a difference between constructive criticism, such as "that top isn't the most flattering untucked" versus "you look fat." I wouldn't dream of saying something like that to anyone in person, and I wouldn't say it on social media either. But, differing opinions can be helpful and even essential to building a good rapport with the people that take time out of their days to stop by and read whatever you have to say. It equals growth. If you treat blogging like a business, wouldn't you want your customers to be happy? As long as it's not mean-spirited, I just don't see the problem.
I used to cringe whenever I got an anonymous comment because I immediately assumed it was going to be rude. But most of the time, it wasn't rude at all. The only instance I'll delete a comment on my blog is if it's clearly spam (these usually involve adult services if you catch my drift). But otherwise, what someone writes is what stays on this space. I've noticed a huge uptick over the last two years where people are monitoring their comments to the point where it's ridiculous, and I wonder what truly motivates them to even have a blog. If it's only to solicit your readers to worship at your feet and tell you how beautiful and amazing you are, then I'm not sure you're doing it for the right reasons. Unless you fancy yourself an expert in something, why not let people have their say? I would much rather have meaningful discussions, even about trivial topics like lipstick shades and why you think off-the-shoulder tops suck than have you just tell me how cute I look. I mean that's very sweet and we all like being complimented, but I've looked at some of my archives and Lord did I make some bad choices.
Interaction is my favorite part of blogging, and I feel like that's really lacking these days. So go ahead and tell me you disagree, and I won't take offense or delete your comment. Let's talk! And for the record, I love anonymous. Keep it real.
