A Welcome Thought?

[RBarr7817]

I recently received an invitation from Udemy to create another course. My answer is never again.

[AHardin]

All students are entitled to their opinions, and we'll inevitably have people who dislike our courses for one reason or another due to the way we speak, our accent, the we we present the material, our cadence, our student activities/labs (or lack there of), the course not including something the student expected, etc. Leaving a course rating, and not responding to your requests for details regarding the student's rating isn't merit for Udemy to remove it.

You should focus on what you can control, and continue to work on create solid content for your courses because neither you nor I can control how students across the globe will rate our courses. 1-to-2 star reviews are inevitable for even the best-of-the-best courses on Udemy. It happens to all of us.

With that said, you really shouldn't include the student's name in your post and publicly shame her in the instructor community, as that's not the purpose of these forums and large community.

[RBarr7817]

Thank you. I agree in the principle of understanding that it happens. Then do as I ask and completely remove the course from the platform. If the student can disgrace me anonymously, I am ENTITLED to ask her to come out publicly and explain why. There are a lot of unbalanced individuals out there, or who maybe are just having a bad day.

She was the first one, and she knew the course was brand new. When we get negative reviews on Amazon, etc, at least they're public, and we can engage somehow politely.

[LawrenceMMiller]

Congratulations on all of your self-congratulatory accolades. You must be a real genius. You only have one problem. You obviously have spent no time studying what makes an effective course on Udemy and what results in marketing, sales. 

You have three course, two of which are free (which always results in poor ratings), and your courses are "light", with low perceived value. And don't pretend the problem is that one woman who you chose to publicly assault in your message. And, labeling someone as a "hater" does not tell us anything about her, but it does tell us about you. She is not your problem. Look up "locus of control." You may find a clue. 

I am very experienced and very good at a very limited number of things. But, I really suck at tennis, dancing, playing the piano and lots of other things. None of your previous accomplishments make you a good online instructor. Focus, man!!! 

[RBarr7817]

Thanks, Lawrence, for the feedback. As a former National Sailing Champion, I loved your sailing image on Team Leadership and the advice given. However, I stand firm; independent of how new I was at creating an Udemy course at the time, it would take somebody with a gun pointed at me for me to give that person a 1-star, especially someone whom I know nothing about and have never met before in my life. That would be the equivalent of the pale criminal, who has the courage of the knife but not the courage to face up to what it had done.

I believe people are so finger-happy online because there is no accountability, public forum, or public debate.  I recanted from a 3-star I gave to an Amazon book after engaging with the author online, and he re-framed or narrowed his broad statement about a certain subject. I accepted his views on the specific group it applied to and removed my rating. Simple.

Dialogue, or the 'caduceus' as an instrument, is not only the symbol of democracy, but it is the only way to make progress in society.

[Bella]

Hi @RBarr7817 we're sorry to hear about your negative experience with one of your courses on Udemy. We appreciate the time and effort you put into creating your course and sharing your knowledge with our community.

In accordance with our Community Guidelines, I must remind you to refrain from making derogatory remarks about individuals or making assumptions about their mental health. We understand that negative reviews can be hurtful and frustrating, but we must maintain a professional and respectful environment on our platform. We take user privacy very seriously, so I went ahead and removed the name of the student from your post. I appreciate your understanding. 

Regarding the review in question, I understand your concerns about the potential impact it could have on future ratings. However, our Trust and Safety team cannot remove reviews without clear evidence of a violation. You can read more about when a review is against our policy here. Please feel free to reach out to policy@udemy.com for further assistance in addressing your concerns. 

We understand that receiving negative feedback can be discouraging and disappointing, especially after putting so much time and effort into creating a course. However, we encourage you to view it as an opportunity for growth and improvement.

We hope you will continue to consider sharing your expertise with our community in the future. 

[LawrenceMMiller]

@Bella Her name is still there. 

[Bella]

Thanks, Larry! Fixed it. 

[Ahmed_Jendoubi]

Hi Bella @Bella,
Well crafted response and well done follow up action in this case.

Best regards,

[RBarr7817]

Thank you, @Bella Bella. Let me see if I can edit the reply later. But you could also delete the course from the platform. I see it as a problem for everyone who would benefit from it. I follow my advice, and I'm doing great. It was my birthday, and I remembered that horrible incident just as my research into Longevity Medicine got much deeper, and I am creating something more impactful. 

We also must re-think how we engage in society and not just accept anonymous attacks. Intelligent discourse is critical. Do you know if a person had a fight with a boyfriend, or just got denied a job, or anything else that same day, that framed the action?

The 'hater' comment has a little projection involved because I remembered that when I was deciding whether to launch another program (not here) that coincided with my birthday. 

I had horrible customer experiences, and I never, I repeat, NEVER gave anybody a 1-star—especially anyone at my intellectual level. I would be profoundly embarrassed. To give anyone a 1-star, that person would have to be Lucifer. 

[PhillipBurton]

@RBarr7817 , you have three courses which have 3.8, 4.1 (free) and 4.2 (paid) stars.

None of those courses are "destroyed".

Phillip