Blog Criticism: How To Handle Gobshites

It's inevitable in this day and age; if you put something online, there is going to be someone who disagrees with it. Whether it's 'trolls' or just those who disagree with a view point, the rapid expansion of social media means that it's easier than ever to be a 'keyboard warrior'- hiding behind a laptop facilitates a new generation of soapboxers and insulters. People don't need to slag someone off to their face- why take that risk when you can do it anonymously from the comfort of your own three-seater sofa with a nice glass of Pinot Grigio by your side?! When running a blog- a channel where you are constantly putting yourself and your opinions out there for the world to see- you are bound to run into the dreaded HATERZ at some point. It's a fact of life. But the part you do have control over is how you respond to them. Here's some advice from my personal experience...

I started this website when I was 18 (back in 2012), in the summer before I started university. My need for something creative and intellectually stimulating had been lost with the ending of school (forever), and a blog seemed a great way to channel my passions, keep my mind ticking over and work at something productive over my summer break. I have always loved writing, and obviously love beauty, so this site seemed like a natural step to take. At first, I tried to keep my blog on the relative 'down-low' as I wasn't sure how friends, family and strangers would receive it. I've never been a particularly confident person, especially when it came to belief in my own ability, so putting myself out there was a huge step for me in my own personal development.


Background over, a few girls from my school found my blog and started taking the absolute p*ss out of it on Twitter. From actively taking screenshots and saying how awful and cringey my blog was, to replicating photos I had taken for posts, they completely tore my work, and me, to shreds. I was totally mortified, and after a couple of months, had already lost any ounce of self-belief and enthusiasm for my new blog. I was going through a really tough time (family and personally) back then too, and something which was becoming my little outlet bubble had been completely burst- it very nearly pushed me over the edge.


After neglecting my blog for another 18 months in fear of being mocked by my university friends, by last summer I felt I had grown enough to re-start it and turned this site into what it is now. I have never looked back. Having this blog as a constant in my life, something to turn to to express myself within, a retreat from the pressures of everyday life, has been a massive help to me over the past year. Seeing my hard work and dedication pay off through the growth of this blog has been amazing...I now regret letting those gobshites ever put me off in the first place. I write this because I know many other bloggers view their blog in the same way; a safe-haven, a little corner they can rant on to get everything off their chest, a place where they can say exactly what they want to say.


Never let anyone make you feel worthless, whether it is through your blog or not. It's difficult not to take insults personally (I know I did initially), but what they think of you really, really doesn't matter. If they have taken the time to bitch about you, then they are either 1. a bit obsessive and/or jealous, or 2. going nowhere in their lives to have that time spare. They are publicly showing such an awful side to themselves which will ultimately backfire; remember, everything you put online is there forever, so they are only shooting themselves in the foot. You are far better than them; pick yourself up, brush the comments off, stay respectable and polite and make them see how amazing you actually are. They are not worth your time, and for every 1 person who hates you, there will be 100 who love you. I think having experienced hate has made me more resilient to it: if someone insulted me or my blog now, I wouldn't give a sh*t. Most of the time, hatred and vile abuse online is a result of jealousy. Keep on doing what you're doing, be successful and make them realise how petty they are. Ain't nobody got time for bullying.

Besides, the more they go on your blog to bitch about it, the more views you're getting...right?

Have you had your share of hate? What advice would you give to those on the receiving end of the gobshites?

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