Okay, you've got an idea. You're SURE it's an awesome Idea. An amazing commentary that you're certain will change the political discourse.
You post it.
Then the crickets start.
Then the comments come in. Mostly a variety of "Really?" "You're Kidding, right?" "This is Snark, isn't it? I missed the tag." (For me, the last one is believable, but regardless.)
Yep, you've done it, you've just fired off a Diary SNAFU. Situation Normal... All Fouled Up.
So, how do you respond? Well, there's several ways, and I've done ALL of them... So I think that I'm pretty well qualified to write a how to, on the proper way to save your face here on the Great Orange Satan.
(How To on the flip.)
Let's go through the typical responses.
1. They're ALL IDIOTS!
This is not a helpful way to respond. I did this one on my first diary after coming back after two years. I posted a joke on Obama. And used the word "Fanboy."
The response was not pretty. I started by mocking, then by getting huffy, then by proclaiming that the place had changed... then... It got worse. I stormed away and swore I'd never post here again. EVERYONE was an idiot, everyone hated me. Everyone was just a mindless drone chanting the party line.
And then I grew up, and read up on what I'd done wrong. I left the diary up as an example of how NOT to respond. I like to let people see exactly what I've done. And when I feel a little too cocky, I check it out.
2. It NEVER HAPPENED.
Delete Diary. Pretend it never happened. Yes, there's a few comments, but leave them with the zero recs, and hope that people forget about it.
Also a bad idea. You are losing out on the valuable experience that comes with writing something that people disagreed with. There might be a reason for that. Look it up, listen to the responses. Anything really awful usually would have been HR bombed into oblivion, so it's a good idea to pay attention to what was said. And maybe rework the diary. At some point you thought it was a good idea. Look back at that idea, and determine what it was that attracted you. Chances are it might not be the same thing as the path down La-la land that you took it.
3. You're Right! You're Right! I'm changing the diary!
You immediately are scared of offending folks and change the diary to save your face. Bad idea. This is a political website. People are going to disagree with you. An addendum or edit is acceptable, but changing the whole premise of the diary is not going to help you out. Write a new one, state that your old stance no longer applies and deal with the knowledge that you've grown.
4. Damn. That idea sucked.
Occasionally, you do a diary that just... sucks.
It was badly thought out. Your ideas stank. Nobody liked it.
Do a different diary. Do one on something that matters. Maybe even do it the same day. Leave your current one up. At some point you'll be able to claim that "Yeah, I've got a diary that nobody recced..." At which point somebody will go back and rec the diary just to prove you wrong.
Overall, Ideas come and go. Writing is an art, and occasionally you'll mess up. It happens. However, the thing is that I've learned more from my failures as a writer than from my successes.
The best thing is to be a decent person, member of the community, and overall good guy/gal/other. If you do that, eventually you'll get it right.
So, I guess what I'm trying to say here, is that if you haven't voted, you should go do that. And maybe smile a little. I got to teach my little girl about voting today. It's still a success. Despite my writing SNAFU.
10:26 AM PT: Timaeus pointed out, quite rightly, that Unpublishing a misfire, and reworking is an option. To which I say BAH! COWARDS RETREAT!!! ONWARD DIARY SOLDIERS!!!! (Juuuust kidding. Seriously, that's a great option if you catch it in time. A little harder when it's several hours later and the comments are in the teens.)