Maybe you deserved it

Every so often when reviewing new users' posts on Stack Overflow, I see a comment from a post's owner asking why they're getting downvoted. Now, I try to explain whenever I downvote, but the quality of some of these posts - especially questions - is just bad. It's clear that the users that post this stuff didn't put in any effort, and they certainly didn't read the help center's article on how to ask, or even the tips that are put in their face before they ask a question.

A lot of these low quality questions are just requests for a task to be done for them. I'm sure their posters saw that other people's questions got great, helpful answers, so they joined the site and threw something up, expecting to get something similarly amazing. When they instead received downvotes and possibly closing, they must not have considered that it was because they didn't follow the instructions and try.

One such comment really hit me in the face: "I tried but this is the best I can do" (paraphrasing, since I don't remember the exact content). The question was a wall of code, with no visible attempts at problem solving and no evidence of research. Then there are the whiny blog posts from people who posted a question they thought was good, but got closed. Sure, some people will downvote without good reason, but it's highly likely that the poster deserved it.

Then there are those in real life that brush off valid criticism and carry on their way. These are the people who would call someone rude or invasive for gently suggesting that, say, smoking is unhealthy, or that some other behavior is not appreciated in the venue. It's certainly true that for every action there will be people who like it, people who dislike it, and people who ignore it. It's not true that everyone who provides criticism is a "hater."

Success in Stack Overflow, and in life, requires that you actually have merit. Don't let criticism get you down, but stop to think that maybe you deserved it - and then improve your ways.