ENCOURAGE commenters, don't complain

Tamron SP AF 24-135mm f/3.5-5.6 AD Aspherical IF for Canon

10/22/2003 03:13:34 PM · #2

Excellent commentary :-) I agree completely.

kinks

Olympus E-500 EVOLT

Olympus 17.5-45mm f/3.5-5.6

10/22/2003 03:25:08 PM · #3

I love comments and like them more, if they say, what is wrong with my photo. I feel me sad, if I got a low number and comments like "it is nice". Please be more critical, it helps a lot.

Trinch

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

10/22/2003 03:43:46 PM · #4

Originally posted by kinks:

I love comments and like them more, if they say, what is wrong with my photo. I feel me sad, if I got a low number and comments like "it is nice". Please be more critical, it helps a lot.

Your point is good, but you grammer and use of commas is distracting. Try, "I love comments but like them more if they say what is wrong with my photo. It makes me feel sad if I get a low number but all the comments say, "It is nice." Please be more critical, it helps greatly."

How was that comment? That being said, you did better than I could if I wrote it in Estonian. ;)

10/22/2003 03:43:54 PM · #5

I like the comments, negatives or positives. I learn from those that can teach me something, I do. But I like the others too. If they say: "Is very nice" will make me feel good because that is why I posted the picture, to let others enjoy what I found nice and worthed to be looked at. I never saw a comment that say; "I don't like it" without a reason. If I don't like a picture, I don't rate it or I rate it under 4. I wish more people would have time to write comments. But is their time and I respect the fact that they are spending it to make at least a few comments, here and there. I write as many as I can, even I know that I have not much to say yet, not until I learn some more. For now is just to let the photographer know that his picture was found good by non professionals. Which I think, is necessary to be known too. Forgive my english if I made mistakes. I'm still learning it too.

MikeO

Fujifilm x100

10/22/2003 03:58:05 PM · #6

Originally posted by Trinch:

Originally posted by kinks:
I love comments and like them more, if they say, what is wrong with my photo. I feel me sad, if I got a low number and comments like "it is nice". Please be more critical, it helps a lot.

Your point is good, but you grammer and use of commas is distracting. Try, "I love comments but like them more if they say what is wrong with my photo. It makes me feel sad if I get a low number but all the comments say, "It is nice." Please be more critical, it helps greatly."
How was that comment? That being said, you did better than I could if I wrote it in Estonian. ;)

Trinch - this site is about Photography - its not about learing correct Grammer or for English lessons - so lighten up. Some people may take offence so be warned!!

:-)

Trinch

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

10/22/2003 04:07:48 PM · #7

Chin, hence the "That being said, you did better than I could if I wrote it in Estonian. ;)"

Normally, I wouldn't have said anything, but seing that she was asking for comments, I couldn't resist. ;)

karmat

Apple iPhone 7

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM

10/22/2003 04:28:40 PM · #8

I have to chime in here. I used to leave a lot of comments, both positive and negative. Then, complaints about comments became the chic thing to complain about. Now, when I leave a comment, it has to be an almost earthmoving picture.

Basically, I stopped
1) Leaving comments about "obvious" (at least to me) stuff because of the threads about how everyone only notices the one negative flaw in a picture and nothing else. (Commentary -- if that many people notice it, maybe that should be a hint).

2) Leaving comments on pictures I really liked because of the threads about how those are probably the ones that need it the least, or how comments that only tell the good aren't very helpful.

3) Stopped leaving comments on pictures that I didn't like because that was being subjective, etc. etc.

It reminds me of a story.

Once upon a time, there was a man who had a grandson and a donkey. One day they were going to town. They were walking along, and the first person they passed said, "What a waste. A perfectly good, strong animal, and those two people are walking." So, the man put his grandson on the donkey and they went their way. The next person said, "That is what is wrong with the world today. Look at that young person. So selfish. Riding while the old man walks." So, the boy jumped down and the old man got on. The next person said, "I can't believe that. That poor little boy is having to run to keep up. What is with the world today?" So, the little boy got on the donkey as well. Then, someone said, "Oh my gosh, how inconsiderate. Working that poor animal to death like that. You would think a person wouldn't mind a little exercise."

With that, the old man, pushed the donkey in the creek, sent the boy to boarding school, and took a cruise to Hawaii with the first commenter.

If, you are still reading, :-), I would also like to point out that with all the complaining about comments, or lack thereof, I have started only getting positive ones. My "score from commenters" might be like 8.6, but my final score might be like 5.1. I suspect others feel like I do!

Message edited by author 2003-10-22 22:15:46.

Sonifo

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

10/22/2003 04:39:52 PM · #9

Karma~Love the story! It is so hard to please everyone.

kiwiness

Canon Canon 1d x Mark II

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

10/22/2003 04:45:16 PM · #10

Originally posted by Sonifo:

Karma~Love the story! It is so hard to please everyone.

I'll second that.

zeuszen

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

10/22/2003 04:53:52 PM · #11

Originally posted by Sonifo:

Karma~Love the story! It is so hard to please everyone.

And why please everyone?

emorgan49

Olympus E-5

Olympus 50mm f/1.8 MF Normal Zuiko

10/22/2003 05:26:55 PM · #12

How many people get angry private messages if they leave negative comments? Is it just me?

If I say "I could see your picture better if it had more pixels", Someone will write me that they took it with a cell phone and it was the best they could do.

If I say "It is too dark on my monitor, dark pictures often suffer in the voting because of the wide variation in voters Monitor calibrations". someone will write back that they MEANT ot to be dark, stupid.

Has this become a common practice? Maybe this is why there are fewer constructive comments.

Imagineer

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

10/22/2003 05:34:36 PM · #13

Originally posted by Trinch:

Your point is good, but you grammer and use of commas is distracting...

Hate to pick nits Trinch, but "grammer" is spelt 'grammar' and "you use of commas..." should be 'your use of commas...'

Glass houses and all that!... ;)

kiwiness

Canon Canon 1d x Mark II

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

10/22/2003 05:39:27 PM · #14

Originally posted by Jon Lucas:

Originally posted by Trinch:
Your point is good, but you grammer and use of commas is distracting...

Hate to pick nits Trinch, but "grammer" is spelt 'grammar' and "you use of commas..." should be 'your use of commas...'

Glass houses and all that!... ;)

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM

10/22/2003 05:40:46 PM · #15

[quote=emorgan49]How many people get angry private messages if they leave negative comments?

Maybe there should be a box to check if you want only good comments or you can take the constructive ones as well. So, we see the mark "I can't stand a bad word about my photo" and we know what to do.

PaulMdx

Canon EOS-1D

10/22/2003 05:44:29 PM · #16

Someone (can't remember who, sorry) suggested a while ago the idea of a "Hit Me" mark against a submission. All that meant was a commenter didn't have to be tactful when they commented because the person asked for honest opinions.

I think it's a good idea, as most of my time commenting is spent trying to say tactfully what I could say in a couple of words otherwise.

In reverse, that means if there's not a "Hit Me" mark, the person will naturally just give nice comments.

I bet I know which group will get most too. :-)

LucidLotus

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

10/22/2003 05:44:40 PM · #17

Originally posted by emorgan49:

How many people get angry private messages if they leave negative comments? Is it just me?

I'm almost done voting/commenting on Lighting, and will start All Alone in a few minutes, in the bunches I've done I have left some negative comments, and have received responding private messages but they haven't been angry.

Most have been thank you's and explanations of why/how an effect got created. I try to balance my negatives with positives though, so maybe that's affected how they were taken.

I myself have received 3 comments on my all alone already which is a record for me so far (incidently this is my best image vote wise thus far too, correlation perhaps?). Very much appreciated, for all you commenters.

kinks

Olympus E-500 EVOLT

Olympus 17.5-45mm f/3.5-5.6

10/22/2003 05:55:53 PM · #18

I do know here are 2 more estonians. Does it mean, i can write in estonian now?
Mulle tÃµsisest meeldib see lehekÃ¼lg ja mulle kÃ¤ib hullult nÃ¤rvidele, et ma ei oska piisavalt inglise keelt.
What ever, I like this site (it means, if U transate it to american language - "this is the best site which I have ever seen)and the challenges have helped me a lot. Not my mistake, that estonian language does not rule in the word.
//www.ibs.ee/dict/ English-Estonian-English

Canon PowerShot Pro 90 IS

10/22/2003 05:56:58 PM · #19

Originally posted by LucidLotus:

I have left some negative comments, and have received responding private messages but they haven't been angry.

I never knew it was allowed to send a private message to somebody that commented your photo. I never answered back because I thought that the photos should remain secret. And I really wanted to answer to some that left comments about the weird name of my submission. It was burning me to do it and tell them how stupid I was on my first submission and how I didn't know that the dead line can be other than midnight MY TIME... Yeap, I was trying to decide the name at my 10 pm when I couldn't update no more.
But this helps. Next time, I will send a message if I will want so much to do it. Thank you for bringing this to my knowledge.

coolhar

10/22/2003 06:00:02 PM · #20

amazoneea, your instinct was right. Best to wait 'til after the voting to reply to commenters.

Olympus 17.5-45mm f/3.5-5.6

10/22/2003 06:05:53 PM · #21

Well... then, I suppose I will wait... Only, waiting is not fun sometimes.

kinks

Olympus E-500 EVOLT

10/22/2003 06:07:46 PM · #22

Why U have to answer to negativ comments? I have had answers to questions. It is normal, that You have a question about a picture (mostly, because You do not understand what the author was thinking). It is hard to understand why the picture does not meet the challenge. May be you are wrong?

Quadrajet

Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM for Canon

10/22/2003 10:01:55 PM · #23

I was one of the people that responded to one of LucidLotus' comments. I feel that it's ok to respond to people who either show an interest in how something was done, or are confused about a part of my image.

Quadrajet

Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM for Canon

10/22/2003 10:07:39 PM · #24

I should also mention that I'm new here, but I am not new to commenting in photography contests like these. If a person gives a positive comment along with tactfully written constructive ideas on how to improve the image, that's perfectly fine with me.

That being said, I have a problem with the "I don't like this...you should have done this better" types of comments. Tell me what you don't like and how I could have done it better, oh and isn't there ANYTHING you liked about the shot?

Eh just my 2 cents.