Linkedin: Why You Get Attacked When You Have A Viral Post And How To Respond

Be prepared to duck.

That's the opening advice I can give you if one of your Linkedin posts goes viral.

I have had a series of viral posts, with as many as 800,000 plus views, on a variety of subjects. Some with personal opinions, others simply anecdotes, and others centered around lessons I have learned as a CEO.

All have been different but all have shared a common thread; they elicit a range of responses, yes, but always a substantial number of vitriolic statements and personal attacks.

When I recently recounted a story about a job I held briefly right out of school, I was called "a thief," a "douche" and much more because I used the poorly paid position as a launchpad to my entrepreneurial career.

Wow. Of course, everyone is entitled to their opinions, but where does this raw animosity come from? If I had written about race, politics, the climate or other hotbed issues I would understand, but I rarely go near such controversial topics on Linkedin, which I view as a Crowd Learning forum as opposed to a soapbox.

I am not going to speculate on why the anger erupts over rather innocuous posts, but as they are a metaphor for all things viral on the Internet, I think it may be of some interest to know how I treat the hostility, as you may want to do the same (or exactly the opposite):

*Don't respond at all to those who are more than angry, they are apparently irrational. Why feed fire with fire. A smart discourse is not what they are after.

*Stay out of the threads that develop among the responders. It is now their conversation, not yours.

* If someone seeks genuine clarification on a point you made, provide it fully and graciously.

*Recognize that some people are out to destroy or poison otherwise healthy conversations. Ignore them.

*Never be afraid to tell the truth, take a stand or tell a story.

We all grow by learning from each other.