The Darker Side of Blogging - Here we go again...
Seriously? I'm asking myself how many haters are out there! It's been really bugging me! Recently, I got this comment from a so-called Word Eater. It looked like this:
For the last time...I DO NOT BLOG TO GET FREE BOOKS. NOR DO I 'FAKE' MY IMM POSTS!
Word Eater has left a new comment on your post "Radiant Shadows Contest + Tour Info Dates!":
do you ever do reviews on the books you show off getting all the time? all i see are interviews, contests, covers. i'm surprised you even get sent books. this blog sucks.
Not only was I angry at this Word Eater, but I was really really hurt as well. The only reason why I haven't been posting the reviews for the books I get, is because I ask the publicists when they want me to post my review and interview, and I merely oblige to the date in which they want me to review the book on. Is there something wrong with that? And also, I know that this is a lame excuse for not reviewing as much, but there are actually things more important then blogging to me. I'm currently taking four AP and honors classes and I'm only a freshman. I need to keep my grades up because I don't want to waste the money my folks spend to pay for my school every year. I'm on the varsity badminton team and practice loads. And on top of that? There's blogging. Even though I'm always so stressed about school and friends, I still blog, you know why? Because I love it. And seriously? It's not fun when somebody tells you your blog sucks so if you want to say something nasty, say it to my face and leave me an email to reply to, or don't say anything at all. I'm sorry for a little harsher than usual in this post, but I'm really sick and tired of all the haters out there.
For all of my loyal followers and readers, I love you guys and will be posting more reviews this month =) Sorry if I've been a little absent in reviewing for a little while. I love reviewing books and I hope you guys will be there to read them when I do. Thanks you guys. Y'all mean a lot to me =)
About the Author
Reggie is the (not so genius) mind behind The Undercover Book Lover. She's currently a sarcastic college student trying to juggle school, blogging, and her (non-existent) social life. In her spare time, she enjoys writing her not-closed-to-finished novel, photography, reading, and blogging. She can't get enough of oreos (especially the golden ones!) and caramel macchiatos and she loves everything vanilla or cookies and cream.
Follow Her on Twitter at @ReggieWrites
Follow Her on Twitter at @ReggieWrites
55 comments:
Ignore that little twat! Do not let anyone rain on your parade, or your totally awesome blog for that matter!
My best advise, let the miserable people be miserable, that is your best revenge!
WTF!!!!! (pardon my language)
First off.... you don't have to explain yourself.
Because, seriously, Word Eater.... People do have lives!!!
I had an ignorant commenter before but not on my blog.... on another forum I work to manage. Ignorant and rude- not particularly highlighting qualities.
Honestly, many of the books on my IMM posts I have yet to get to. Reading is amazing and I find great pleasure in it but there is only so much time. However, books I commit to writing reviews for I read asap.
If I were you I would let this bad apple slide. Heck, Word Eater might be an inspiration for a fun new meme for your blog: "WTH Comments" Featuring all the comments that make you go WHAT!? HUh? Ugh! Argh! HaH HaH!
Stay cool... study hard and blog what you want when you want.=)
I'm so sorry that you got that mean comment, Reggie, and I can understand that it hurt! Try to lift your head up high and be proud of your wonderful blog! I love it and you write brilliant reviews!
I think all serious book bloggers understand what you're saying. All have a life to lead, they don't just sit in front of their computer.
Sending some comforting (((HUGS))) from Norway
*Hugs*
Oh, Reggie. Damn that word eater! Why don't he/she eat his/her words now?? (sorry for the language.) That is totally rude and inconsiderate. Hello?? There are other priorities that bloggers attend to. And I completely understand. *hugs* You've told me all about the pressure. And I can really see that you're a busy girl who is determined to excel in academics, sports and even in blogging. DOn't let that awful comment get to you. Okay? You're tone of the best bloggers here. Ignore it.
So sorry to hear about that. But mean people are just that mean and you don't have to explain yourself. This is your hobby, you aren't paid to do this so you can do it how you like it. And I think you are doing a great job! Keep up and don't let them get you with their hateful words!
Don't worry about haters. Ignore them. They do this because they are bored and have absolutely nothing to do.
I love your blog, and you don't have to be blogging 24 hours. We know you have a life, as we do. ;D
A similar thing happened to Kirthi as well. Seems the blogsphere is getting a bit dangerous!!
Ignore him/her, they have no life. A person who bullies others for pleasure, is just wasting there life.
You have a book blog. It is yours to do with what you want. You are promoting books with "interviews, contests, covers". Even if you never ever posted a review, who cares? It's your choice.
Ignore the loser. They're just jealous.
Don't listen to haters like that. They obviously have no idea the effort that goes into a blog like this.
Ignore these people hon, they are jealous, insecure, bored, all of the above. You enjoy what you do, never be ashamed of that, ever, and keep doing what you love!
Also *high five* on the honors classes, good lord!
Sister Blogger Love!
Monica
The bottom line is this: it's YOUR blog, you run it the way YOU WANT! You don't have to explain yourself to anyone. I think you do a GREAT job and book blogs are not just about reviews. And your classes should come first (and badminton, love that game!).
*Steps down off soap box.
A wise friend of mine would say "how sad that word eater feels that way" meaning, word eater is a sad person. I know it is really hard to ignore something like that, but word eater could just not read your blog. How sad that word eater goes through life being miserable.
We do not need to be sad. You are doing a great job (at more than just blogging, obviously!). Try to ignore it, which I know is really difficult, and know that you are blogging because you enjoy it. It's your blog, you can post kitty photos every day if that's what you choose to do. I hope you see what I mean. It's YOUR blog, not ours. We like what you do so keep it up!
OMG Reggie (((HUGS)))) I agree ignore this little ugh, idiot! You rock...your blog rocks - we love you! :)
Reggie,
When you are as awesome as you, you are always going to have haters. There will always be people drinking the haterade. Your blog is one of my favorites and one of the best ones out there. You've created all this and you're only a freshman? You rock Reg!!!
Oh, I'm so sorry! You poor thing - I can't believe someone would say that to you!
don't you worry about some bi***! Excuse my language! but this upsets me as well! I love your blog and I think you are wonderful! Please do not let some ignorant person upset you! YOu have lots of people out there that love this blog and you! Keep up the good work! : )
No worries hun, your blog definitely doesn't suck. Word Eater is just jealous of your awesomeness! :)
Wow is all I can say to that comment! How horrible of this person to say that!
Keep up the good work. Ignore the haters, really, because they will always be there and it's just better to not feed the trolls.
((Hugs)) Don’t let the rude comments get you down. Some people just can’t resist spreading the hate around. Your blog is fantastic and no one expects you to sacrifice school or your social life for it. Try to ignore the rude folks who are going to hide behind a screen name and spout nasty things because they have nothing better to do.
~Christie
Your blog is awesome! Word Eater is just totally jelous of your blog so therefor they feel the need to put it down. There blog must suck otherwise they wouldn't be commenting on yours. Some people can be so ignorant!!
People are ridiculous, it's not like books read themselves on their own.
We all have lives and responsibilities, and I know some poeple can read 12 books a week. But I read 1-2 books per week, so I can't review more than that per week =P
You do the best you can and balance it with your life. Not doing it wouldn't be healthy!
I love your blog Reggie! Don't let any silly comment ruin your great work! It's your blog;you are entitled to do whatever you want with it!! Lots of love :)
I read Radiant Shadows in January, but I'm not posting a review yet because that was 3 months to the release date when I read it.
People are lame.
You blog because you like it. You like sharing your thoughts on the books you've read.
NOT because you want to get free books.
ARCs are nice. I love having one, but that's not the reason I blog.
If I'm buried in homework, I don't read books & I have nothing to blog about. I'm not going to bs stuff.
If people think you or I have time to fake a post, they are insane.
Don't worry about them. I happen to like your posts.
You go Reggie. I think your blog is awesome, its obivious that you put a lot of work into it on top of everything else you have going on in your life. Don't let the negative comments get to you, look how much support you've gotten already. *HUGS all around*
In anything that you do in life there are going to be people that praise you and people that hate on you. Unfortunately most of the time people are just jealous and will keep it to themselves, but being that the world that we live in today they are able to get online and post whatever they want.
I know it's hard, but my advise is to try your best to ignore people like this. There are far more people out there that enjoy your blog and visit everyday then the ones that don't enjoy your blog.
So just keep doing what you're doing and keep smiling. That makes people that leave comments like this more mad. Most of the time they are looking to get a reaction out of you.
A big giant BOO to that person! Do your own thing. I understand just how hard high school was so keep on working hard and blog what YOU want and WHEN you want. Keep your head up!
I'm sorry Reggie! Ignore the hateful comments! You're blog is great and nobody can take that away from you :) Don't even sweat it!
Your blog was one of the first I followed and I was suitable surprised and impressed that a teenager could and would take the time to develop a blog and post such amazing reviews. I enjoy them immensely and figure that "Word Eater" is simply
jealous of your ability to function so well on so many levels. Keep your chin up and step over the sh***.
It amazes me how rude and childish some people can be. Don't listen to the haters. We all love your blog and hope you continue to do exactly what you're doing.
I made a post about this incident (as well as others in the blogging community)over at my blog.
http://ahauntofancientpeace.blogspot.com/2010/04/think-about-it-thursday-5-blog-hate.html
Just ignore people like that, to be honest it just seems like they're jealous of the fact publishers send you books (which, you probably don't even ask for a lot of the time - I've been sent a few books for a review but I never asked for any, it was publicists that came to me and with one of the publishers, they continue to send books other than the ones they mentioned in the beginning and I'm never expecting them).
Really, some people don't seem to get that blogging isn't a full time thing and in order to post reviews you need to find the time to do so in your real life (as well as making time to actually read, which can be difficult when you're busy).
That's part of the reason /I/ participate in the IMM box meme (which, 95% of the books are books I bought myself anyway) - partly because I really enjoy reading other peoples, it's a good way to find out about new books.
But also, because sometimes I having been reading as much as I'd like to, the IMM box posts are still a good way to spread the word about the books, that way even if I don't have time to read and review them right away people still find out about them.
Anyway, don't let idiots like that get to you.
Your blog is one of the best ones out there, I don't understand how people can say stuff like that. I can understand that it hurt, but the person is probably just jealous of you anyway. Keep up the good work :D
Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb. I've been blogging for years and I always get stupid comments. Once you start calling out harassing commentators, they go away. But it's painful to see rude comments and it gets my blood boiling.
Remember, you rock. :)
I just came over from Nikki's at Wicked Awesome Books to put in my 2 cents worth in support of your site Reggie. I "lurk" on a lot of different sites where I find wonderful news about authors their new releases contests for different book giveaways and book reviews on all the different genres. I have my own blog and if someone decides maybe I do not "measure up" to whatever their idea of what a blog should be my answer to that is do not visit my site.
Do not worry about the person who posted the "hateful comments", jealousy and anger over some one else's fun and good relationship with the publishers who use you as a reviewer is getting them nowhere fast and does not hurt you in the least after all words are just that words..
Keep blogging as you see fit, enjoy your young adulthood and school and extracurricular sports activities and you know what in the end it is your life and your blog so just do not worry about it when someone is talking trash. It just means you are doing something right somewhere and that is all that matters, your loyal followers are coming back for a reason!!!
jackie b central texas
Word Eater: F off.
Reggie: Don't listen to that jerk! I love your blog. And I have noticed that you've been posting less reviews, but I definitely hadn't felt lke Word Eater did. I totally understand your reasoning! I really hope you don't let this discourage you. There are so many people who love your blog!
They fail. Just ignore them.
:)
*hugs* we love you!
Oh, Reggie, I love your blog. Don't let the negative comments get you down. I feel like I only do reviews on my blog, it's refreshing for me to see different things going on. And come on, who doesn't love contests!? You're great, have a nice day, and way to keep up with the school work and sports.
You're a star and a blessing to writers and readers everywhere. We love you!
Joelle
http://www.joelleanthony.com
For some good advice on handling nasty comments check out ProBlogger.net's aricle: The Day I was Flamed at my Blog and 7 Steps to Handle Flames with Grace. He has some usefull points. Sorry to hear about your troubles. It's a shame.
I'm so sorry! Don't worry about it. You're amazing. So keep it up!
I have noticed that a number of smart, articulate bloggers get slammed like this, and they're usually teen girls. Your blog is well managed and your reviews are detailed and articulate -- you clearly have intelligence and skills well beyond your years. I can only assume that Word Eater is JEALOUS and possibly has too much time on her hands.
Way to go, Reggie! Stand up to that loser. Just so you know there will always be at least one person who loves your blog no matter what : )
I have been following your blog for a little while now, and though I do not visit all that often (life gets in the way...lol), when I do visit, I enjoy my time here!!
I understand that the comment could hurt, but try not to let it get you down. It seems to me that there are a lot more people that love your blog than there is people that think it sucks. What I don't understand is....if Word Eater thinks your blog sucks, why was he/she reading it, and commenting? If I thought something sucked....I wouldn't waste any time on it!!!
Yeah, just forget about that comment. School is more important then blogging, I guess he/she didn't think about that.
wow, there are tons of crazies out there sorry you got stuck with that comment ((hugs))
There are so many mean people. I decided to just start saying on my IMM posts which books I bought because I am a compulsive buyer and don't want to be accused of not reviewing on time books I paid for myself! sigh.
I don't think the whole comment was mean in its entirety. Sure the sucks part wasn't nice at all but I think you need to read between the lines. If you have been receiving tens of review copies and don't have the time to review most of them, then you need to re-approach publicists asking that only certain genres are sent to you.
School is very important. Your parents money is important. But those review copies you receive and don't review, they are a waste of the publishers money. Only accept what you can handle with your blog and school work load. School is more important.
This is a lesson most bloggers learn at some point. I was swamped with review copies and ended up reviewing a book a day for a couple of months. It did my head in but I didn't want to let the publicists down who put their faith in me. It wasn't possible so in the end I started asking them to not send as much and it was better for both me and them. Try and take a positive out of a person's harsh way of expressing their concerns. You sound stressed about juggling it all so it is probably something you are already thinking about. The blogosphere is a tough place to exist sometimes but look after your life outside of blogging and keep a cool head :)
Reggie - Ignore people like that. You are doing a great job and though I don't comment usually, I am always keeping an eye on what you are posting and I think you do a great job.
Reggie,
I love your blog, and I hate it when people have to ruin the good feeling that most of us have about the book blogosphere. Keep up what you're doing. It's great. :)
Reggie,
I completely agree with Adele. I myself have a problem with finding the time to review all the books I get.
In you review policy if you state that not all books you get to review will be reviewed near the release date and might be reviewed fairly late, I think that the publishers and your readers will know that not all books will be reviewed.
But I think the problem that this commenter and a lot of other people have is that you get books that everyone wants, which is a privilege and if you get these highly anticipated books, you should review them.
Being a good student is the most important thing and having a life outside of blogging is also really important. I know plenty of bloggers who maintain review blogs, lives, and school because they stay up really late and work unbelievably hard. I'm not saying that you're not, I'm just saying that school shouldn't be used as an excuse because most YA Bloggers are in school. You shouldn't make blogging your top priority but possibly spend a little more time reading/writing reviews?
I'm sorry the commenter said those mean things.
Don't let it hurt you. I'm just 1 in a million, but I do indeed love this blog. And, I understand completely that busy schedules interfere with blogging.
-Dahlia
That's terrible! And it's also not true, because I think that your blog is wonderful, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!
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