Sometimes the fact that people don’t like you can be a catalyst for innovation.
A friend of mine, Terry, loves retro computer games. Well, I say "retro" but I really mean computer games that he liked as a kid. What he likes about those old games was the attention to game play — the desire of the programmers to engage and surprise the players without reliance on advanced graphics.
As a programmer, Terry now creates Flash games that are a tribute to the spirit and style of these retro games. And, as is the nature of the web, he receives feedback from near and far — some good and some not so good.
Some, but not all of us, can take criticism. But Terry has taken this to a new level — he is embracing the love. He has established a new site to showcase some of the more negative emails. Does this prompt him to change his approach? Sometimes, apparently.
Most importantly, if you can get someone to go to the trouble of telling you how much they DONT like you, then I believe the advertising world calls this "cut through". Don’t they say there is no such thing as bad publicity?