I was not sure about posting this. However, if I can help just one person, it is worth it. I want to start this by saying that this is simply my opinion and strategy for dealing with negativity on YouTube. I hope my thoughts do not offend anyone, as that is not my intention. I had a comment today on my YouTube channel that really upset me. It was not a negative comment towards me, this was worse; it was a comment from a wonderful subscriber saying they were to scared to make videos because they may receive negative comments!
The truth is you probably will. The thing I have found is the bigger your channel grows, the more negative comments and dislikes you get. I am very lucky, I do not get too many of them and I have the most wonderful subscribers, I cannot tell you how grateful I am. In reality, my channel is still small but when you are starting out, the chances of negativity are very slim.
Here is the thing; you really have to remember that the negative comments are about the person making them and not about ‘you’. It is about how they feel and not about how ‘you’ feel. I must say, if I get a bad comment it makes my heart sink for a second or two as it would for anyone but then I remember a few things. I would certainly say, it’s worth you thinking about them too.
First, they have spent time, however short, watching my video. That means, I am getting paid because of their engagement and I am thankful to them. Because of them, I can keep doing what I love. They probably have given the video a thumbs down too so this along with the comment, boosts my viewer engagement rating which means I am more likely to be in the recommended for you list. Any engagement helps your channel to grow!
Second, and I believe most important, is that the comment they make can be for many, many reasons. They may have something bad going on in their lives right now. Maybe they are losing or have lost a loved one. Maybe they have had a negative experience on YouTube that day themselves. Maybe they have had some really bad news. This is something I always think about and it helps me remember that this is not about me. It very well may be because they are an unpleasant person. If this is the case, well, I feel bad for them because it cannot make for a happy life. This also may still be down to their circumstance and may not be their fault, but it certainly is not yours!
Third, focus on the good. This is something the person making the comment is unable to do at this time for whatever reason. You give a lot of yourself when you create a video. You share your knowledge, opinions, ideas with people and so many people are grateful for that. The positive comments, the lovely people far outweigh the negative. Focus on the good; it’s the best way to get through life. I will read it out loud to my self. ‘I have 1000 views, 135 likes and 3 not likes.’ Those 3 not likes become insignificant.
My final thought: Please, if you want to make a video…make it. Do not let the fear of what might happen stop you and certainly do not let negatively from others stop you. Do it for you and the many people that will want to watch, will enjoy watching and will continue watching. Further more, if you watch a video and do not like it…move on. Watch something new and spend your short life enjoying. Its sad you have to think about this, before you even begin your journey but I hope this will encourage some of you to start a YouTube Channel.
Thank you so much for reading, Tracie x
