Why Comments and Suggestions Are Important
It goes without saying that social media has really changed how we communicate with each other. As a result, some people have become fearful about providing even constructive criticism. But here’s a scenario where someone spoke up and helped countless others.
In an iorad tutorial I posted in the square a few months ago, I enabled comments, which allows users to interact with my content and provide feedback. I received a comment today from someone on Step 3 of a tutorial. I wasn't aware that the user interface of the product in this tutorial had changed since I made the tutorial, and this commenter posted that the place where the tutorial said to click didn't exist. I thanked the commenter and said I'd update the tutorial. And I did!
Since it’s hard to keep up on rapidly-changing technology, I was grateful that this user spoke up. Not only that, but iorad to the rescue!!! The user interface had indeed changed, and in less than 10 minutes, I was able to reply to the commenter and to add and delete screenshots from and regenerate audio for the tutorial to update the learner's experience. iorad FTW!!! It’s not that I couldn’t have done that editing on other platforms, but seriously - 10 minutes??!! I solidified both my and the learner’s reputations with a quick response and an updated answer.
Making good, constructive comments allows one to not be fearful of hurting others’ feelings, of being seen as negative or critical, or of the other person's reaction. To have confidence in one’s ability to make constructive criticism, here are a few helpful tips:
- Be specific. Don't just say, "Your work is bad." Instead, say something like, "I noticed that you made a few typos errors in your tutorial. It would be helpful if you could proofread your work more carefully before submitting it."
- Be timely. Don't wait until too much time has passed, which might cause others to also access misinformation. Give the feedback as soon as possible so that the creator can make changes.
- Be respectful. Even when giving negative feedback, it's important to be respectful of the other person. Avoid personal attacks and focus on the specific behavior or issue that you're concerned about.
- Be open to feedback yourself. This shows that you're willing to learn and grow, and it can help to build a stronger relationship.
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Furthermore, what were the logistics that enabled me to respond to the learner’s concerns from an asynchronous platform like the square in such a timely manner? I enabled Notifications in my the square account, so that when someone comments on one of my tutorials, I get an email notification. Notifications in the square are worth activating! Here’s how to use Comments and Notifications in with iorad and the square.
- Enable Comments in two places in your editor: Here's how to enable Comments and here's the Advanced Setting to activate Comments.
- Enable Notifications from the square
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