Internet bashing, mistakes, and regrets!

Hello all!

It’s been some time since my last post! I must say, 2011 was not my best year at all! After losing my mother to an eight year battle to cancer, my energy was at an all time low. Just getting the energy to work was a feat! But after a lot of self-work, I’m better and back at it. I do what I do because I never want anyone to go through what she went through! She was my hero-a strong and positive woman who rarely complained, even in her darkest hours. I love you mom, more now than ever!

Back to my topic. We’ve all done and said things that later on down the road we regret. If you haven’t, then I commend you! I admit that I am a constant work in progress. Some of the things that I learned and believed last year or even last month may not be valid today, and truthfully, that is definitely okay by me. I enjoy learning, proving myself wrong, and doing it all over again. However, when I started putting up new videos of myself on YouTube, I must say that I was absolutely terrified!

Why would I be terrified, you may ask? Well, have you seen the comments on YouTube? People can be very cruel in today’s cyber world since it’s very easy to bash someone that you’ll probably never meet or see in your entire life. Years ago, I did a series of videos for the website Ehow.com that I would just love to forget! I did a series on running tips that I really, really don’t like! The information in those videos is out of date and definitely not something I’d put on the internet today. So, when people comment on these videos, I tell them I did them 8 years ago and since then, I have learned a lot!

But my question is-why do people feel the need to criticize others so harshly via the internet? Does one gain a great amount of satisfaction from doing this? I understand the concept of constructive criticism and I actually don’t mind it, as this leads to learning and growth, but when one is downright cruel, it is just sad and upsetting to me.

Do I regret doing the videos? Not really. It gave me experience on camera and a project to work on. Do I wish they were off YouTube? YES! Mainly because many people have the inability to realize that times change and material does become obsolete.

So, what I am getting to is this—be careful when choosing your words to comment on another person’s work. Although I do understand some content is faulty, it is never kind or compassionate to be cruel. Constructive criticism is best!

In perfect health,

Jeannette