How to Prevent Negative Online Comments From Killing Your Small Town Idea: The dog park pile-on vs. the run club sign ups

A person from Alva, Oklahoma, (population 4,000) posted on the Alva Rants and Raves Facebook group, “I think Alva needs a dog park!”

Right away the negativity piled on. I am not kidding, it was things like, “I took my dog to a dog park, and he got sick!” and “I’m an expert on dogs, and I can tell you that dog parks cause behavioral problems.” And that old classic, “What about liability???”

Yes, there were positive comments, too, but you couldn’t blame the original poster for not continuing this conversation. Or even giving up on the idea entirely.

It made me think of Heidi Johnson (Tymko) and how she started her running club. She had just moved to Churchbridge, Saskatchewan, pop 800, and wanted to meet people. She posted on Facebook that the club was forming, and that they would start with a friendly run/walk. She suggested a specific route they could run or walk together and opened it up for suggestions. It worked! This was the beginning of a successful ongoing running club.

I don’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Heidi had some negative comments as well. You can imagine people saying, “Who do you think you are? You’re not even from here!” or “I’m a running expert, and I can tell you run clubs lead to bad running form.” (Did someone mention liability??)

Because she immediately took the conversation off-line and into face-to-face activity, the negativity couldn’t get a foothold.

The negative comment people aren’t about to leave home, go to the run club just so they can continue to be negative. Those are not your people.

The person who wanted the dog park could convert that conversation from negativity into an in-person conversation with a meetup. “Join me at the park for a walk. If you bring your dog, keep them on a leash. We’re going to share ideas and hear your ideas for how we might create a dog park that’s fun and safe for all our pups.”

It’s OK to use Facebook as a starting point to generate interest in your idea, but be ready for the negative comments to come. And as soon as possible, move the conversation in person and face-to-face with an activity others can and will want to join.