You’re never going to please everybody, and at some point, somebody is going to post something online about your company that makes you look bad. In some cases, the information will be flat out incorrect. In others, it will be a matter of opinion. Regardless of the circumstance, it’s important that you act fast to minimize the damage to your brand.

So, what should you do when a blogger lets loose on your company?

• Leave a comment—Show the blogger and the readers that you care about making things right. Leave a comment on the blog addressing the statements made about your company. If there is any misleading or false information, point it out in a professional, polite manner.
• Don’t be defensive or hostile—No company ever looks good when being defensive. The internet is a tough place, and the more defensive you get, the harsher the criticism will become. Stay professional.
• Contact the blogger directly—Most bloggers will post their contact information on their website, or you can find them on Facebook or Twitter. Get in touch with the blogger directly to try to smooth over the situation. If there are any inaccuracies in the article, let them know. If you made a mistake, try to see what you can do to correct it.
• Stick around to monitor the ensuing conversation—After you leave your initial comment addressing the blogger’s criticism of your company, you can bet that others will probably respond to what you have to say. Stick around, and if you feel the need to jump in again on the conversation, do so. But stay professional and don’t get into spats with other commenters.
• Know when it’s time to move on—Eventually, there may come a point where you’re not going to change the blogger’s opinion and you just have to move on. Bad press happens, and one article isn’t going to kill your reputation. You just have to continue to actively monitor your reputation online.

Have you ever been ripped by a blogger? How did you handle it?

2011 was a great year on the SEOHosting blog. We published a lot of interesting, helpful posts, gained a lot of new readers, and got a lot of positive feedback about the blog. For those of you who might be new to the blog or if you just want a bit of a refresher on what you read over the past year, here are 10 SEOHosting posts from the past year that are worth (re)reading.

1. Don’t Let One Bad SEO Company Ruin Everything

There are lots of shady SEO companies out there that rip off clients for thousands and thousands of dollars. They give a black eye to the entire industry, causing a lot of people to write off all SEO as a spammy, ineffective tactic. This post offers hope to those who have been the victim of an SEO scammer.

2. 7 Ways to Increase Engagement on Twitter

A recent report shows that customers who engage with companies over social media spend more money and have increased loyalty. This post offers 7 great tips to help you engage your audience more effectively on Twitter.

3. The Case Against Writing Every Day

We’ve been trained to believe that the more you write, the better you become. Experts have always encouraged writers to write every single day. No matter what you’re writing, just write. But is this really sound advice?

4. The One Question to Always Ask Yourself Before You Tweet

Want to make sure you’re Tweeting content that your followers actually care about and will respond to? There’s one simple question you should always ask yourself before sharing anything on Twitter. Read this post to find out what it is.

5. Don’t Try to be All Things to All People

One of the biggest marketing mistakes you can make is to try to be all things to all people. Having an undefined or poorly defined target audience is a surefire way to create ineffective marketing.

6. 5 Warning Signs of a Bad Client

Not all customers are worth having. Some customers can cut into your profits and give you a huge headache in the process. Check out these red flags bad clients tend to wave exuberantly.

7. 4 Really Good Reasons Not to Offer Discounts to Customers

Think offering a discount is the best way to drive sales and get more customers? Think again. Offering discounts might do more harm than good to your brand. Find out why by reading this post.

8. The Science of a Good Slogan

What’s the secret behind the world’s best slogans? How can you create a memorable slogan that helps build your brand? Check out this post for an insightful breakdown on the science of slogan writing.

9. 5 Easy Steps for Keeping Your Emails Out of the SPAM Folder

You’re not going to have much luck with email marketing if your messages get flagged as SPAM. The good news is that there are 5 easy things you can do to improve the deliverability of your emails.

10. Why Your Leads Aren’t Converting Into Customers

All the leads in the world are useless if you don’t have a plan in place for converting them into paying customers. Read this post to find out how you can do a better job of converting your leads.

Do you have a blog? Share your one favorite post from it by leaving a comment below.

So, you want to be a better blogger, eh? Well, you can either try to go out there and learn everything on your own, or you can pick up some helpful tips from these 27 awesome blogs about blogging.

I’ve included a short quote from each blog’s about page so you can learn a little more about them.

1. Problogger—”This site is dedicated to helping other bloggers learn the skills of blogging, share their own experiences and promote the blogging medium.”

2. Copyblogger—“Copyblogger is all about helping you get traffic, attract links, gain subscribers, and sell stuff!”

3. How to Make My Blog–”I am Marko Saric and I write articles on all things blogging. I am a blogging consultant and I help bloggers with their WordPress blogs, with Thesis Theme, with branding, blog promotion, search engine optimization, and affiliate marketing.”

4. Daily Blog Tips–”Daniel Scocco started developing blogs and websites in 2005, and Daily Blog Tips is the place where he shares what he learned along the way. The blog was nominated under the “Best Web Development Blog” category in the 2007 Weblog Award.”

5. Dosh Dosh—”Dosh Dosh is a blog offering internet marketing and blogging tips, alongside social media strategies. Best consumed by bloggers, entrepreneurs, web publishers, marketers, freelancers and small business owners.”

6. John Paul’s Blog—”I am a Blogger and Internet Entrepreneur and a Kidney Transplant Recipient. I have been making money online for 6 years. This blog is a keep it simple, no BS, how-to on how I can help you become a Blogging Entrepreneur too.”

7. Blog Herald—”The Blog Herald is a premier source of news, information, tips, and commentary on blogs, the blogging industry and bloggers worldwide. It has often been cited by both the mainstream media and bloggers as a reliable source of facts, figures, opinion and trends about blogging.”

8. Successful Blog—”Strategy, ideas, social media, and the business of a successful blog and online presence. Successful Blog is where bloggers meet…”

9. Blogging Pro—”We regularly discuss a wide array of blogging-related topics, from personal blogging, to blog monetization, to the technical aspects of blogging and even other emerging forms of new media.”

10. Blogtrepreneur—”Popular entrepreneur blog for young entrepreneurs and small business owners who demand excellence in business.”

11. Blogsessive—”Blogsessive.com is the place where you can find blogging tips, WordPress tools and plugins, themes and answers to your blogging related questions.”

12. Lorelle on WordPress—”Helping you learn more about blogging and WordPress every day with help, tips, advice, and techniques for blogging and using WordPress and WordPress.com. ”

13. Fuel Your Blogging—”Fuel Your Blogging is here to make you even better. We know, we know, you’re already a kick-butt blogger who knows your stuff. We’re here to make any new blogging stuff even easier to come by.”

14. Thou Shall Blog—”Blogging is all about sharing and learning. This blog serves as a personal journal documenting my journey into blogosphere to discover the unknown and sharing what I learn along the way in the hope that somehow someone will benefit from it.”

15. Blogussion—”Blogging tips and tricks including making money blogging, designing a WordPress blog, search engine optimization and more blogging tips.”

16. Kikolani—”Kikolani is about the art of blogging – blogging tips, social networking strategies, and other useful information to help bloggers become more successful in blogging.”

17. The Blogging Academy—”The Blogging Academy is resource for bloggers and webmasters. We offer unbiased blogging advice and blogging tips on how to get the most from your blog.”

18. Performancing—”Helping bloggers succeed by creating a home for professional bloggers and a place where those new to blogging have a one-stop resource with tutorials, analysis, tips, metrics, plugins, themes, jobs, monetization tools and a community base to share ideas & build strategic relationships.”

19. Build a Better Blog—”Creating A Business Blog: Tips and Tricks from The Blog Squad Denise Wakeman, Business Blog Consulting and Online Marketing Advisor.”

20. Tycoon Blogger—”This blog is a hybrid between a personal blog and blogging tips blog.”

21. Blog About Your Blog—”This blog is a hybrid between a personal blog and blogging tips blog.”

22. Mextena—”Blog Dealing with Blogging Tips, Make Money Online, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media News, Tech Updates and more.”

23. Top Ten Blog Tips—”Top Ten Blog Tips – a simple concept that provides exactly what it says – lists of blogging tips.”

24. Smart Bloggerz—”SmartBloggerz helps people to be a successful blogger and teaches how they can make money online. On this blog, My aim is to provide quality articles in simple to understand way which won’t make you confused while exploring how to be a better blogger.”

25. Bloggers Passion—”I started this blog to share the blogging news and tips, my personal experiences and what you can do and what you should do to become a successful blogger. Blogging is an art and the more you do it, the more you perfect you become.”

26. MyBlog2Day—”How to blog and make money from blogging is not a myth anymore. Here is step by step tutorial teaches you how to blog with success.”

27. BizChickBlogs—”Here, new bloggers and those who seek to improve their blogs can find content to help them start from nothing, and create a blog with readership and community. I enjoy helping women in business launch successful blogs, so if that’s you, please feel right at home!”

What are some other good blogs about blogging? Share your favorites by leaving a comment.

You’ve already heard of Copyblogger and the SEOmoz blog. You’re also probably already subscribed to ProBlogger and Search Engine Journal. But you might be looking for more blogs to scratch your itch. That’s why I’ve come up with 13 lesser-known blogs you should read in 2010.

1. The Write Blog—Quickly becoming one of my favorite copywriting blogs, The Write Blog offers everything from grammar tips to advice on getting more conversions from your sales copy.
2. Vertical Measures Link Building Blog—The Vertical Measures Blog covers all things SEO, but its main focus is on link building.
3. Blogsessive—For those obsessed with blogging, Blogsessive is for you. From blog writing tips to reviews of the latest WordPress themes, Blogsessive covers it all.
4. eReleases PR Fuel—An excellent blog that educates readers on PR and marketing. Many of the posts have to do with improving press releases to get maximum impact.
5. Search Engine Marketing Group Blog—Backed by SEOHosting regular commenter Gerald Weber, SEM Group Blog focuses on social media and SEO. The great thing about this blog is that it features a lot of guest posts from top experts in search engine marketing.
6. How To Make My Blog—This blog has all the information you need to improve your blog. I always pick up great advice from How To Make My Blog.
7. Bob Bly Direct Marketing Blog—If you’re a copywriter, you’ve probably heard of Bob Bly. However, many people forget that Bly has a blog where he discusses copywriting and direct marketing.
8. Blueliner Internet Marketing Blog—The Blueliner blog covers a wide range of internet marketing topics, including click fraud and social media.
9. Diva Marketing Blog—A fun and interesting marketing blog that covers social media marketing and how it fits into your brand’s overall marketing strategy.
10. Retail: Shaken Not Stirred—As described on the blog, Retail: Shaken Not Stirred is “a cocktail of e-retail and cross-channel strategies, tactics, observations, and ideas.”
11. Vertical Response Email Marketing Blog—This is my go-to source for the latest news and tips on email marketing. In my view, this is the best email marketing blog going today.
12. StreamSend Email Marketing Blog—Another email marketing blog, the posts on StreamSend provide tips for getting more from your email marketing campaign.
13. WebMarketCentral Blog—Lead generation, social media, and interactive PR are just a few of the topics covered on this web marketing blog.

Which lesser-known blogs do you think we should be reading in 2010? Share your favorites in the replies (feel free to include a link to your blog too)!