When Blogging Get’s Feisty: What to do with a Blog Controversy
A recently trending topic among the blog tip community is the subject of blog controversy. Because blogs are opinion-oriented and involve user interaction, most bloggers are no strangers to controversy. Whether the conflict is internal (heated debates in the comment section) or external (blogs writing dirty material about other blogs), it is always interesting to watch things escalate.
Internal Controversies: An Example and Observations
Last week on SiteSketch101, Nicholas Cardot took an unconventional stance on the value of the popular Thesis theme for WordPress.
I believe that Thesis is not a good value for most bloggers and after having done a lot of research into it, I can’t honestly recommend Thesis to my readers, to my followers, or to my friends and I would strongly encourage you to steer your business away from it as a business model.
What followed was a foray of emotionally charged comments either being critical of Cardot’s position or in favor of it. The comment number on the post ended up in the triple digits. Looking back on the ordeal, Cardot shared his feelings on the matter with Alex of Blogussion.com:
I honestly had no intention of creating a debated issue out of it. That was probably a bit naive of me. The comments came pouring in. Some people called me ignorant. Others labeled me as uninformed.
As I look back over the article and effect that it had on my site, I don’t regret sharing it. I believe that we should be able to challenge the way that people think. We should be allowed to post articles that go against the status quo and we should be able to do so without name calling.
I don’t believe in writing controversial topics just to be controversial; just to get attention. I do believe in standing up for your beliefs and in sharing your opinions and when that means being controversial then don’t back down.
The consensus in the comment section of last weekend’s Wired Weekend (a weekly series on Blogussion that opened discussion on the worth of blog controversies), aligned with Cardot’s opinion. Controversies are great for getting traffic and increasing reader participation but should never be pursued purposely. Below I’ve posted a few of the notable comments:
Alex,
This is my first time responding on Blogussion. Let me first say that your work here is moving. Great job not only on the design, but also the content.
As for the discussion today:
I believe that even though controversial issues create the most buzz (ex: 8 years olds at a dance competition), intentional controversy should be frowned upon. When someone writes simply to ignite anger or stir up a fight, negative energy consumes not only themselves, but also those who participate in the debate.
That being said, I do believe that opinions matter and we should not be afraid of sharing ours. In this case it is obvious that Nicholas Cardot had no intentions of sparking a riot of hate comments; therefore, although I disagree with the author, I am inspired by his willingness to break away from the mold. I also notices that his responses were always formal and polite (unlike some of the others) and that says a lot about his character.
- Justin
What is interesting is how there could be some many opinions on whether the author of a blog tried to make something controversial or not. This is why pointing out your voice and building a community that understands you is important.
So I knew Nick of Site Sketch 101, would not intend on starting a controversy. Sure one might be started from a good debate, but I feel if you have intentions of just having a good debate based on your true feelings about a certain topic, we should all not be afraid of expressing them and now that there is a possibility of their being a “controversy”. But, we need to not have those intentions. Our intentions need to only be to voice our true honest opinion and ask for everyone’s feedback.
It’s time to be respecting of each other’s comment whether you disagree or not with it.
As a blogger you stand infront of a crowd so if you are not ready for debates just don’t blog.
Controversial posts as the one at site sketch are what it really is about. That is how you will build longtime readers. They invest a lot into your blog with the comment and the emotions attached to their opinion.
People will cool off after such a debate pretty quickly and will definately come back for the new content and opinions you publish.
This is just what you get when attack long held beliefs.
- Alex
External Conflicts: An Example and Observations
Today Your Mind Your Body, a blog sponsored by the American Psychological Association, hosted what they called a “blog party” to promote mental health writing on the web.
The CEO and founder of Psych Central, the Internet’s largest and oldest independent mental health social network, became angered by the aim and purpose of the event, which he believed undervalued Psych Central and other mental health web publications.
I often tire of the insular approach taken by professional organizations looking only to protect and promote their own turf, rather than looking out for what’s best for the person in need. Psychology’s great, don’t get me wrong (and yes, I understand the APA’s sole purpose is to promote the profession of psychology)! But psychology is just one of many professions that treat mental illness, and it’s silly to think that psychology has all the answers. It doesn’t. It has a lot of them, but only an integrative approach that encompasses all the professions can offer a patient the best treatment.
An author from Your Mind Your Body reacted in the comment section:
As a founding blogger for Your Mind, Your Body, I was disappointed to see PsychCentral’s comments about our Blog Party. As readers of many of the mental health and psychology blogs, websites, and Twitter pages, there was certainly no intention on our part to imply that there isn’t already excellent mental health writing on the web.
It can be safely assumed that most blog clashes go unnoticed. After all, like in the Psych Central example, most reputable blogs don’t like to lend reputation to enemy blogs by linking to them. And many times the author of a controversial blog post doesn’t see all of the reactions to the post.
With that being considered — is there a market for controversy? What bloggers gain fame by deliberately debating controversial topics? As for myself, I can think of a certain pink-loving gay blogger with a last name that ryhmes with Lerez.
Please leave answers and other thoughts on the matter in the comment section. Don’t be afraid to start a controversy.
Tags: blog controversy, blogging psychology
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