By Mitch Keeler

Dealing with feedback, either positively or negatively via your web site, design or Internet project can be a hard thing to do. A lot of people say you should soak it in like a sponge, while others say you should reply to everything. Well, consider yourself checked in to Dr. Keeler’s therapy session on getting in touch with your feedback.

How to Deal with Positive Feedback?

Now this is the cream filled good stuff that makes you want to get out of bed in the morning. Myself, anytime I get a positive ‘bit of e-mail, web site comments, or anything else of that nature I save it – most of it in e-mail form. That is what I would suggest for you too. Create a new folder on your desktop or in your e-mail client and move the positive feedback and reviews you have gotten there so they are not forgotten. Now, next time you get a bad or negative review pull that folder out and take a look inside. It is solely there to cheer you up.

How to Deal with Negative Feedback?

First thing to remember is don’t get your feelings hurt. It might be hard to do more times than not, but you have to face the fact that people are more direct, bold and well.. meaner Online than they would be in a face to face confrontation. Now if the comment is just off the wall idiotic I would advise you to pay no attention to it at all. As I said before, some people consider an Internet connection the license to be really big jerks. Of course, some of it you could play to your advantage too. For example, if you have somebody who says something un-true or says you have your facts wrong – call them on it. Start up a section on your site for the neigh-sayers and address the ones that may have a point. Fix your flaws if you can, and ignore the morons. That sums things up without the need of a pink little bow.

You Have Gotten No Feedback at All?

Don’t get worried if your not hearing anything back (either positive or negative). The old saying, “No news is a good news” still rings true in your line of circumstances too. More times than not, if somebody is happy with your web site or services they usually don’t bother to let you know. It is always the unhappy ones that are the loudest in the crowd.

There is no cookie cutter solution for dealing with feedback. Some methods work better for some people, and the same advice can not be said for every type of Online business or web site.