Self importance (the unwarranted kind)

Everyone who has used the internet for a while knows what I'm talking about. Frankly too many people fall prey to the condition. Far, far too many. As soon as most people put something on the net, they lose any ability to properly receive constructive criticism and anything different from praise and adoration. They become aggressive, defensive and general a-holes over the smallest thing.

I don't think that is wise. It's actually quite stupid. Forgetting for a sec that you turn yourself into a giant douchebag, you’re cutting potential ways for improvement. There are many well-meaning people who honestly want to help you make your work better by sharing their opinion. An answer along the lines of "LOL Y U TROLLIN" or "Write/draw/make something yourself if you know so much" are not advisable. Again, you turn people away. Learn from comments, don't get offended by them. Hiding or deleting negative comments is also pretty retarded. It makes you look both desperate for adoration and insecure in both yourself and your work. And we can't have that now, can we?

The bottom line is that people will respect you more if they know that the communication goes both ways. Don't get full of yourself for publishing something and putting yourself out there - you're hardly the only one, you’re probably not unique. Keep your head out of the clouds and look for ways to improve yourself.

And now, the other side. The readers. Or, more generally speaking, the viewers - participate. Smart authors enjoy comments. Try making yourself valuable. Comments like "I loved it!!!1" or "Worst crap I've ever seen" don't help at all. What did you like? What didn't you like? Be helpful. People will be grateful. And it will hopefully help them improve. So in the end, you’re helping yourself. It's a win-win situation, right?