I hadn’t blogged in a few weeks, when I had an idea and opened my WordPress interface to post my new thoughts. Low and behold, a whole slew of new comments were waiting for approval. Excitement surged until I saw that most of them were from one person. They all started fairly amicably enough, the commenter used my first name. But I noticed a pattern after 2 of them. They were all negative. Nit picking. Nuance seeking.

If you read any kind of thought blog or opinion blog, or list blog, you agree with some, hate some, and forget 99% of what you read. The best you can hope for is “interesting thoughts.”

But I when I recently read “ignore all negative comments” I wondered, was that too far? Was I being too thin skinned? But I realized that my feed, my blog, my comments are mine.  I have enough acquaintances and family that can help correct me. Constructive criticism almost never is. Its merely destructive. Criticism takes a piggy back ride on the work and efforts of others. It should only be received in the context of relationship from someone who is alongside in the trenches, trying to make the world a better place.

Not someone who trolls your blog to tell you how wrong you are.

So turn off the comments. Delete them. If the person really wants to give you constructive feedback, they’ll call you or email you personally.

Oh wait, they can’t because they don’t have either of those.