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The Dark Side of Blogging

Eevis on September 12, 2021

Lately, I've seen multiple excellent posts about why developers should blog. They list very good reasons, and I wholeheartedly agree with them. Blo...
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GrahamTheDev • Edited

Great advice in here Eevis. I think there is one more thing you can do to protect yourself if you feel overwhelmed, just lock the comments. Obviously that is the nuclear option, but it is better than deleting the post entirely!

You do not owe someone an answer.

On the flip side I would argue that if you want to venture into controversial topics you have to be prepared for controversy (and approach it with a "I am prepared to answer this, but I will ignore that" attitude). So having rules such as the ones you list here are a great way to "wade in" but also protect yourself if things get too much or out of hand.

Top tips! ❤🦄

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eevajonnapanula profile image
Eevis

Thank you! Yeah, one option would be locking the comments - but then again, that would lock the good (meaning, not trolls/etc.) comments as well. So as you said, the nuclear option.

And I think those good (again, not trolls/etc.), challenging comments are a good thing, and having a discussion, even debate over controversial topics is needed, because both sides usually learn. But when it comes to those comments, that are clearly trolls or using hurtful language - well, it would be awesome to be able to ignore them completely, but they drain energy.

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GrahamTheDev

It is that balance that is so very difficult. As you know I enjoy the controversy so I want to see it all, but for people who find it draining it would be great to have some sort of option to do sentiment analysis on a post and filter out negative ones temporarily for days when you don’t have the capacity to deal with it!

Maybe a feature for DEV in a few years when machine learning becomes more robust and easy to implement!

For now you will just have to rely on the techniques you mentioned here and plow through the negative stuff on the days where you have the space for it I guess!

I hope you get some time to post more frequently again, always enjoy your stuff (even the stuff I disagree with! 😜) ❤️

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eevajonnapanula profile image
Eevis

Heh, that feature for DEV would be awesome 😄 Thank you, I will definitely try, but we'll see how this fall turns out.

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Michael Tharrington

There are so many great bits of advice in this post. Thank you for sharing, Eevis!

And really appreciate you continuing to blog even when facing these challenges. Your writing is always so thoughtful and flows so naturally. That said, I can tell from reading your post here that it's not easy — it takes time to make it feel this natural! Anyway, just to say thanks for taking the time and sharing your thoughts here.

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eevajonnapanula profile image
Eevis

Thank you Michael, your words mean a lot!

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cotcotcoder profile image
JeffD

Thank you for this subject (rarely discussed).
Dealing with controversial topics is very hard because it's a balance between freedom of speech (for trolls) and censure (for good feedback) 😐. Deleting your post (and therefore your work) is a self-censure and it is a much more dangerous censorship for your self-confidence than blocking/disable comments. Be free to publish content and take care about yourself (rather than opinion of others) 😃 Good luck

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eevajonnapanula profile image
Eevis

Yes, that! Thanks, I'll continue doing that! 😊

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Maddy

Nice article dear @eevajonnapanula , I hope you're recovering well from your brain injury! ❤

I agree with many of your points. Personally, I like to use the 80/20 rule. For example, I try to write an article every week or so, and then spend more time sharing the post on various platforms. If you need to write for someone else than that's a whole different story. But if you're writing autonoumosly, quality > quantity. Writing a good article takes time! It's true, you have to organize it, edit it, make sure it's readable and informative, pick a nice heading, good images. It takes effort, but to me it's all about enjoying the process.

Regarding the negative comments, I haven't received any (not yet 😆), but I wouldn't take them personally, they're either trolls or people with no manners. Answer with kindness, you'll probably never meet these people in person.

Thanks for this article!! 😊

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eevajonnapanula profile image
Eevis

Thank you @maddy ! I am, I just got some symptoms to accompany me for the rest of my life, but I'm okay 😊

I couldn't agree with you more. And especially, when you write,

It takes effort, but to me it's all about enjoying the process.

that's exactly how I would describe how I feel about writing! And why I keep on writing, even if there are some not-so-nice or pressuring things happening 😄

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Bill Raymond

I’m sad that we are at a point where something as simple as changing a word to make people feel more inclusive is controversial. Your articles are great and you do your work, so I appreciate you for that.

One of the hardest things I’ve had to overcome, and I’ll admit to falling off this horse, is to avoid the negative commentary. If you don’t engage, they don’t get the satisfaction of continuing to gaslight you.

Thanks for keeping on keeping on!

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eevajonnapanula profile image
Eevis

Yes, that's exactly what I mean! And they often appear in cycles - after some time, someone writes a list with almost the same links as just a little time before that.

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Cesar Aguirre

For me the best to combat that pressure is to have calendar and schedule content ahead of time. It was a reliever for me. Great post!