Consumer Defense | Gregory Johnson
21 March 2010 | Sunday
Friends,
This posting began earlier today as a personal appeal to my website visitors. I’d discovered what I felt was a misleading and somewhat mean-spirited review somewhere on the Internet that needed addressing. It was presented as a negative review of my book (which I’m okay with), but morphed into a negative commentary about my life and journey of simple living.
In the process of writing what I felt was a courteous clarification, I was relentlessly maligned by a seemingly unrelated (yet suspiciously defensive and quick to respond) third party. I soon realized I was engaged in what could only turn out to be an unfruitful battle against someone with much more free time (or funding) than I have. They not only went after me verbally, but also anyone who posted a positive review of my book. I’ve documented this and reported it to the administrators of the site where this occurred and I’m not going to pursue it further.
It’s amazing that even when you’re trying to do good in the world, there are still people out there who want to criticize you.
My advice to anyone in a similar situation is to take the negative energy from unpleasant people and interactions, and redirect that energy by drawing from the experience and creating something of value. Here’s a perfect example…
Instead of trying to engage in a debate and joining in a mudslinging invitation, I redirected my energy to write a report about the broader problem of misinformation on the Internet. The report includes tips to help identify (or contend with) fake or biased product reviews on the web.
The next time you encounter an unpleasant person or experience, try this method and let me know how it worked for you!
Regards,