If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say ...

I mentioned that I got a new car a week or so ago even though my old car was running great. The reason I wanted a new car was that I really wanted some up-to-date technology. The best my old car could offer was power windows, cruise control, and remote keyless entry. Juke has all the new stuff: navigational system; front, rear, and perimeter cameras; Sirius Radio; push button start; heated seats; and of course, I can sync my iPhone.

Last year, just as itsseason had ended, someone turned me on to the podcast, Serial, which was perfect timing because I was able to listen to the entire season over the course of about a week. With no cool technology in my car, I put my iPad on my lap, cranked up the volume, and listened on my way to and from work - slightly unsafe, I know. A week or so ago, a friend reminded me that season two was underway, so I quickly dowloaded the first four episodes on my iPhone and listened through my car's stereo system. Ah ... the luxuries of living in a First World Country.

From Serial's website, "Serial is a podcast from the creators of This American Life, hosted by Sarah Koenig. Serial tells one story—a true story—over the course of a season. Each season, we follow a plot and characters wherever they take us. We won’t know what happens at the end until we get there, not long before you get there with us. Each week we bring you the next chapter in the story, so it's important to listen to the episodes in order."

This is not the purpose of this post, but my whole driving experience has changed dramatically for the better since I started listening to podcasts. I have discovered that I am a MUCH more patient driver if I am listening to something that gets me thinking rather than just tapping my toes to a beat. I quickly realized however that ​Serial's episodes are only released weekly which was not enough to get me through a week of driving to and from work, so I checked out This American Life - the creators of Serial.

From their website: This American Life is a weekly public radio show broadcast on more than 500 stations to about 2.2 million listeners.

The first episode I chose to hear, #545 - If you Don't Have Anything Nice to Say, SAT IT ALL IN CAPS, was about the horrible, or just plain weird, comments people make on social media. Halfway through the episode, I was hooked.
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This particular episode was divided into several different mini-stories. It was the first story of episode #545 that was so fascinating. The woman telling the story was talking about trolling - people who make mean and hateful comments on social media because they can.

The topic resonated with me because bloggers often suffer the same treatment. I've written over 1,600 blog posts myself and have luckily never received any truly nasty comments. That's probably because my posts are hardly polarizing and they rarely push people's buttons. Some of you address hot topics though, so I know that you've more than likely been attacked by a troll or two.

For a short while I had a commenter who couldn't wait to take pot shots at me and seemed to take particular delight in criticizing me. While it irked me, I actually laughed at some of her comments and usually rolled my eyes. I rarely responded because friends and other readers tended to come to my defense.

Ultimately, I realized that she just wanted to spew nastiness for the sake of being nasty. If she really didn't agree with me or didn't like what I was writing, she didn't have to read my posts. I sort of took it as a compliment that she found my writing compelling enough to come back for more. I haven't heard from her in awhile - maybe the quality of my writing has gone downhill?

How do you deal with the mean people out there? ​Do you delete their posts? Fire off a witty retort? Do you let other readers put the trolls in their place? Or do you do nothing at all?

And please, social media trolls, this is NOT a personal invitation. Do your business elsewhere!