Ok, I first want to say I'm sorry for my previous "rant" on this subject. I was quick to post that and I came off as accusatory, that was not my true intent. I'll be the first to admit that I'm a bit of an internet "hot-head" and usually type before I think about the consequences. That being said, I want to make this a civilized discussion about leaving more constructive feedback in a forum setting.
I personally look for feedback specifically on the customs that I produce and the threads that I post about them. ANY kind of feedback that shows me people are viewing my work is appreciated. I know it sounded like I wasn't appreciative before in my rant and I'm sorry for that, I really do appreciate any and all comments.
However, I like to see comments that are structured in a way that actually tell me something about what I did right or wrong in a custom. When I’m reading feedback like “wow that looks awesome” it is nice to know that you like my work, and you like the way it looks, but if you explain WHY you like the way it looks it will help me to make better customs in the future. For instance, instead of saying “that looks great”, pick out what looks best and comment on that saying “the parts usage is excellent, and so are the paint apps!” I would like it even more if you went into further discussion and maybe asked a question about something you don’t recognize or ask how I did a certain aspect of the figure. For instance: “wow the new torso looks great, what figure is that from?” or “The weathering on this is superb, did you use a dry-brushing technique?”
Now, if you happen to have a negative response or don’t like something about the custom then I appreciate hearing about that as well! In fact I probably take negative criticism to heart MORE-so than positive because it drives me to fix mistakes, or at least to explain my thoughts and my work better.
When you criticize though I ask that you don’t just flame or call something stupid, but rather if you be constructive and attempt to be at least a little bit sincere in your efforts to call attention to problems with my work. For instance instead of saying “this figure looks like total crap” you could say “the parts you used don’t work well and the paint applications could use some work.” This brings attention to the areas that I might need to work on and improve.
The third issue I have had problems with is the excessive use of smileys and expletives. Colorful descriptions of your flabbergasted amazement don’t impress me much. I’ll be the first to admit that I fall into that routine when I see something that truly amazes me and leaves me speechless, but I usually try to attempt to at least follow up my statements with some kind of observation, question, or specific compliment.
So…. All of that being said I hope that (again) no one takes this personally. This is not an ATTACK on anyone, rather a request. I can-not stop this issue, but I can bring it to everyone’s attention and hope that people think harder about what they have to say. I feel that if you are going to take the time to hit reply, then you can at least take the time to explain your response as well.
