the Monday Musings column from that consultant bloke

One of the things that comes with the territory of an internet presence is criticism: You offer your opinion and others may not agree. If they don’t, a lot of them are all too willing too launch into print and tell you, often in ways that avoid politeness.

I developed a thick skin in my younger days, firstly at work where things that we would now label as bullying were commonplace. Back then it was banter and, often, it was to see what you were made of before admitting you to the clan. Later, I became a football (soccer) referee, and I learned a lot about leadership out there in the middle of the pitch, as well as how to take it on the chin when someone was not happy with me.

As I developed my own businesses customer feedback became a factor, and an occasional bad review was almost inevitable. Some of it you can learn from, even if it is only to spot people that you don’t want as customers, but the general rule that I evolved was not to lash back at someone who was unreasonable. These things are often public, and anyone reading it is possibly going to be put off by adverse criticism of you, but they will almost certainly be put off it you join in with the mudslinging.

At the end of the day it is all about opinions. If you are going to stick your head over the parapet and say something you can expect too be shot at. If you get some positive engagement then that is great. Sometimes the quickest way to establish a fact is to take the Publish and Be Damned approach: Don’t ask for help, just publish something and there will be loads of people who will tell you that you are wrong, and why. You’ll have your answer pretty quickly.

But if you are going to put anything into the public domain, then be prepared to take a few brickbats. Learn to duck, but, whatever else you do, don’t throw them back.