"I desire you would use all your skill to paint my picture truly like me, and not flatter me at all; but remark all these roughnesses, pimples, warts and all; otherwise I never will pay a farthing for it."
-Oliver Cromwell

This is the essence of business blogging. To make the human connections with your readers, customers, and potential customers that are necessary for a blog to be authentic, you must commit to showing your warts. This means allowing comments from unsatisfied customers. You don't have to let the comments stand as the last word. You can rebut them or issue a Mea Culpa, but you have to be open to the world.

(Note, we're talking about valid complaints. Spam and baseless attacks can and should be deleted)

A perfect example of this is the Savile Row tailor who has made a big name for himself in the blogging world, Thomas Mahon. Thomas publishes the fascinating blog English Cut, and blogs on Savlle Row suit making, the tailoring business, and much Savile Row history. In a recent post, he posted a note from a customer. It was a good note, but he used the opportunity to highlight some of the problems inherent in his business.

From the article:

So there you have it. I made no money on the job, and I'll have a nervous breakdown if anyone picks that cloth ever again. But I don't care, because the end result is the customer's letter above. Of course things are normally a lot simpler than this for everyone. I simply wanted to make him a suit he'd be delighted with, and he knew that. Fortunately for me, he had a wonderfully kind and tolerant approach to this situation. Now, no matter what happens in the future, I know I've gained a super customer whose patience has earned him a suit he'll be delighted with for years to come. If he'd not been so understanding, we could of parted unhappily and the whole experience would have been tainted.