A note on Criticism.

[cat_on_coals]

For those of you that are thinking about posting your art and writing here in the S.I.B Community(And even for some of you that have), there are some things that you must keep in mind

Comments

[whitecarnations]

That being said, you also have to be prepared to receive both kinds of comments: simple, unabashed praise with no constructive points, and brutal opinion differences. Also, one shouldn't try to play their work down. Posting things like, "This doesn't compare to what others have written--" or "Well, this piece isn't that great--" should be avoided.

If you're confident enough to post it, just let the work stand on its own merits. Giving it a prop up isn't going to help. Honestly, I tend to skip reading pieces with that sort of play-down in front of it. Just makes me think that the author must not think very highly of the work if they label it like that.

[cat_on_coals]

Indeed.

[cjk1701]

Exactly. Seeing "This story sucks" or "this is my first fic, so be gentle" does not make me want to read it. An author should try to sound as confident as possible without bragging, and the story should be judged on its own merits, without an emotional preface.

[u2queenbee]

I've only posted two things and I admit I have done this, but I have never, ever shared my writing with anyone before and I found it difficult. I hoped people might enjoy it, but I wasn't really looking to try to improve because I don't intend to make a living out of it, and I wrote it for me. If people think it sucks, well...then they think it sucks. I don't really care or want to know.

That said, I don't expect or intend to write any more here, so rest assured you won't see any more annoying emotional commentary from me. I'm just here to look at the fanart. :)

[polara777]

Hear hear! Thank you mods for posting this.

[cat_on_coals]

*Laughs!* I'm so not a mod.

[nowt]

What brought this post on exactly? *is curious*

[cat_on_coals]

We've had some issues lately that kind of go along with the topic. Someone will take a person's comment the wrong way, or will go through the reviews and delete every negative/concrit comment that was left.

Not a good practice for the Comm.

[viserys]

It's also worth noting, though, that "not every posted article will appeal to everyone" can go both ways. Just because someone posts something you don't care for doesn't mean you have to leave a nasty comment. If you see a character or pairing you don't like, just scroll past it. If you read something you don't like, but don't have anything constructive to add, don't comment.

I'm not saying this to sound like, "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all." Just that, if you have nothing constructive to offer the author or artist, there's no reason to just leave a comment like, "omg this sux & u suk". No one gets anything out of that.

[cat_on_coals]

This is something that I live by. I am not fond of slash, and generally have a very negative outlook on it--however, I will never tell anyone that their particular 'ship or story is wrong. They have a right to write and enjoy subject matter that appeals to them. Who am I to tell them what they shouldn't like?

[aimo]

This. Eg: I'm not a Cullen fan (well, crazy bus Cullen, anyway), but I understand the appeal in his character and his relationship with Amell/Surana, pre and post-Circle of Magi quest. If one doesn't agree with the author in terms of subject matter, hey, different strokes for different folks...doesn't hurt to move along, as tech says.

Also, it's also something to keep in mind that there is and always will be first-time/novice posters of fanmedia. For someone who's never done so before, it takes a lot of courage to put out one's work for the world to see, and it's understandable if those inexperienced with public criticism wouldn't be able to take it well. It's even more regrettable if that discourages them from participating in the future, considering this community celebrates appreciation of the game in all forms of expression.
Not that I'm suggesting walking on eggshells, but being gentle helps. If you feel strongly about something they can improve, there's always private messaging :)

Just my 2 cents.

[whitecarnations]

I agree. I believe that PMing should be used more often than it is. After all, a really /pointed/ criticism, no matter how constructive, can seem like an attack when posted for everyone to read. Utilizing our private messaging system helps a lot.

[bearit]

How bad is it that I scrolled through recent entries to see instances of this? How much worse is it that I was disappointed I couldn't find any? (Granted, I didn't look especially hard...)

But, I completely, 100% agree. As someone who rarely gets feedback on her work, I'm of the mind that ANY feedback is good feedback. If I receive concrit, it's better than praise to me, because that person actually cares enough about my work to see me do better and to give me specifics as to the areas I can improve as well as the areas that I'm good at.

[melcene]

Have to admit, I did the same thing, mostly because like mariposacomplex, I was shocked that such a thing had happened here. I'd never seen anything come close to mean before, but I have been away a while.

I also agree though... as someone who's only just gotten back into writing after over a decade, concrit is MUCH appreciated so that I can do better next time :)

[the_lost_rowan]

It happened to me on my post of my fic. I think I handled it well, I'm hoping my response isn't the reason this was posted. Of course, I'm crazy and just here for the cheese, so it doesn't really matter.

[bearit]

I just found your post, and I really don't think you're the reason this was posted. You responded well to both the concrit and the attack (and the attack seemed more... bitter... than anything else, and he (she?) not only attacked you but the entire comm as well, the way I read into it). If anything, the attack itself might have been the reason this was posted, not your response to it.