Unsolicited criticism on a LO - wdyt?

[lmccandless]

I received a bit of unsolicited criticism on a LO the other day. NOT at Oscraps of course! I have to admit that I was taken aback that someone would leave something like it in a comment. Personally, I always try to pick out the thing I like best about a LO and praise it. If I don't have anything nice to say (rarely happens!!), I don't say anything. Do you think it is appropriate to leave criticism? Would you do it? How would you feel if it was done to you?

I might do it if the person had specifically asked for CC, but otherwise I wouldn't presume to criticize someone else's art, particularly in a public gallery.

Just for the record, I have put on my big girl panties and moved on, but I'm dying to know what you all think. :-o

 

[PhoebeJo]

I was just involved in a discussion about this on one of my CT boards. One of the girls had a situation very similar to yours and we were talking about it. I have to say...I can't imagine why anyone would want to leave anything other than a nice comment. I guess maybe we were just raised differently but I agree...if you don't have something nice to say, then don't say anything. I just don't have it in me to say something less than nice about someone's work. Art is so subjective and personal...I just don't understand why someone would want to take the time to leave a less-than-nice comment...just doesn't make sense to me. K...I'm off my soapbox now! Sorry that someone was being unkind to you!! That's just not cool!!!

 

[petey111]

I agree too. One of my layouts here had unsolicited criticism, not from a regular, and it sort of hurt because I was so proud of the layout. I do the same thing Laura. I always pick out something positive that I like to comment on. I NEVER would presume to judge someone else's personal taste, their talent, or where they are in the learning process. Although, I have to say, after doing ADSR, I've realized that not all scrapbooking forums are as supportive as the amazing O! That's why I love it here!

 

[katg1006]

Okay...never really vocal about things...but this one is a PET PEEVE of mine.

Why? Why? I just want to know why do they think this is okay??? Why not just not say anything??

So sad that it is getting like this too. When I first started to digi-scrap it was all about uplifting your fellow scrapper Being gentle and kind to the newbies because we all started out as newbies. We had people who were gentle and kind to help us grow. Comments were actual comments something nice about your layout or your style...even your photographs. The unsolicited criticism is sad The Trend I see now...is so disconnected from the love that started the community. It's hard to see. I am hoping it is temporary.

That is why I am soooooo grateful to call Oscraps my home!!! Mama O has created a fabulous environment for all levels of scrappers and designers to learn and explore their talent surrounded by love. The Cheeryo's are the most amazing uplifting women that I am privledged to call family Our members are the BEST!!!!!! I am blessed to know each and every one of you! I can not say this enough....so I am saying it again

Laura - so sorry this happened to you!! Glad you have your big girl panties on!! *LOL* You are so much better than that! You are an amazing scrapper

 

[NicosMommy]

OK, 1st of all I have to say......Seriously???? Who the &$%%$ has the time or the *need* to make a negative comment???? I cant imagine!! I swear Laura I had to re-read your post because I could not even believe what kind of a loser would waste their time!!! I mean, is there a person that miserable that they need to have something rude to say to someone they don't even know??? I'm going off on a tangent here but I cant imagine!! I could never say anything negative about a LO! I mean the pages we create are personal to each of us and they have individual meanings, why would anybody want to down that?? I am glad and proud of you Laura for putting on your big girl panties and moving on, but I dont know if I would have the guts to let it go.......It annoys the &$^ out of me and its not even happening to me! People can be so rude!!!!

My final answer: (lol) if you dont have anything nice then say then SHUT UP!!!!!

 

[Priscilla]

no way. no how. Sometimes it's hard to say something nice but there has to be SOMETHING good you can say about a LO .. I mean you clicked on it?!

Yea.. if they ask for CC .. then sure.. there is always something I would PERSONALLY do different ... doenst make it "right"

 

[Jodie McNally Designs]

well i don't see why someone would do that - it's rude and unecessary, in my opinion. the only thing that i *can* say is that i sometimes want to tell people if they have something spelled wrong. i never do - unless it is a friend...and then i do it privately.

blah. and p.s....who could find something wrong with one of laura's layouts? i mean, seriously.

 

[Jodie McNally Designs]

oh, and are those big girl panties the big ol' granny ones? just curious. love you!

 

[cellomom]

blah. and p.s....who could find something wrong with one of laura's layouts? i mean, seriously.

this is what i'm saying...seriously...for real!!!

 

[lmccandless]

Thanks for the supportive comments, everyone...well, except Jodie who naturally could not resist making an issue out of underwear. (And NO, not granny ones...not ever. ACK)

Even though I really wanted to PM the person with a "if you can't say something nice" message, I have taken the high road and stayed quiet. This thread was definitely a great vent though!

 

[Yam]

Something terrible happened to me also, months ago, in another forum. I am a "heavy" writer and I believe that a big part of the scrapbooking is to express yourself, your dreams, your hopes, your history...everything, and leave a legacy to the ones that will come after me, my grandkids...you know what I mean...
I did a LO that some lady didn't take the time to really read it and contacted the owners of the shop/forum saying that she wants to complain and say goodbye as she will not be a part of a forum if I, an antisemite, as she called me, will be there...me??? In the name of GOD! I am jewish, I am an Israeli, I lived in Israel 30 years and my kids, grandson and friends live there...and it's all in the LO!!! but she jumped without reading and said things that so deeply hurt me that I got really sick. The owners of the shop and other people defended me, but I was seriously hurt.
So...I guess it happens more than I thought...it's sad, life it's so hard anyway, why to make it more difficult and cruel???
I am sorry it happened to you too :sad:

 

[petey111]

Oh Yam!! I am so sorry this happened to you and I am so glad you didn't give up on the digiscrap community because of it. We are so happy to have you be a part of the O!

 

[Hybridgal]

I've done paper scrapping for almost a decade and now I'm still relatively new to digi but...

I will never understand the need to anything other than positive comments or feedback on someone's work in a gallery - even if it were somewhere they asked for a critique there is a positive way to say it, you know?

There is just no place for rude or mean in a gallery - ever. Period. I hate that this happened to you but at least you can rest a little easier knowing you're work is terrific enough for them to be jealous of you; otherwise, they wouldn't have taken the time to try to hurt you.

 

[snappy2003]

Hi gals! Hi Laura, I know how you feel...it happened to me twice so far, once at another place and once here (the person has since moved on). What I did was PM her nicely and ask what she would suggest I do differently and thanked her for her time. That shut her up I guess cause I didn't hear from her again LOL.

 

[snappy2003]

OH, Yam! I am so sorry that happened to you! You are such a sweet person! I find your culture type layouts very interesting, sounds to me like it is that person's loss for jumping the gun.

 

[WendyW]

I think it is absolutely never appropriate to leave criticism on a layout unless the artist specifically asked for it.

Nobody deserves that, ladies!! I'm so sorry you've experienced that!

 

[sabdesbois]

I would not appreciate either an unsollicited criticism that I didn't ask for. People can really be rude and what for?

One positive attitude to adopt (a good advice from my mother when we were younger): whatever criticisms, it's better to have some bad than to have none... it means that your work is not leaving people unconcerned and that your piece of art are interesting people.

 

[wombat146]

Just to jump on the bandwagon I agree with everything everyone has said so far and just can't believe that some people can be so very mean and cruel! and Yam, glad to hear that you have moved on, don't waste time feeling bad about what that person said about you......... I bet SHE hasn't been published TWICE!! xxx

 

[faerywings]

Yam and Laura- ((((hugs))))
I know I would be devastated (before I put on my granny panties -not! :lol: )
I am with you all, there is not a place in the galleries for unsolicited criticism.

I know my LO's aren't "outstanding" but I do them for me. Some of them are extremely personal and heartfelt. Others are more fluff- but either way, they come from the heart. For someone to say something bad.... that's just wrong.

Sabine- good advice from your mom too.

 

[nina]

i am sorry this happened to you laura and you did great to stay quiet and say nothing.
i know how it feels.
2 years ago i was posting in a german forum gallery and this gallery was full of criticism. noone noticed that the person who created the page worked hard and with love and heart on this page, and so does everyone! i didn´t feel well there and logged out.
people can be so rude sometimes!

 

[dabittymama]

I think we like to have happy nice things said about our pages and it is so rude to comment otherwise. I would be pretty hurt.

 

[dabittymama]

well i don't see why someone would do that - it's rude and unecessary, in my opinion. the only thing that i *can* say is that i sometimes want to tell people if they have something spelled wrong. i never do - unless it is a friend...and then i do it privately.

LOL, Jodi you would have a field day reading my journaling . I am not known for my grammar skills.

 

[Kristin Aagard]

OMG how rude! I can't even imagine why someone would do that...actually I can. Jealousy. That's the only reason I can think of.

I can understand constructive feedback if you requested some, but random hurtful and rude comments are so...weird. lol So yeah, I'm gonna say they are jealous of you. I just can't think of any other reason to do that!

BTW, I just about shot coffee out of my nose on the granny panties comment Jodie. BWHAHAHAAHA!!!! That's the last time I'll take a big gulp of something while reading in this forum.

 

[Scrapness]

I once was checking out a digiscrap forum (in my mother language) I wondered how many belgian scrappers were out there. But there it was kind of "the thing", to give criticism like : you should have done this or, you're page would look beter like that. i didn't like it at all. I didn't stick around, i think that is just to negative. I love people saying what they like best about my page
and I thank everybody here at oscraps, because they always leave such nice comments!!!

 

[clarabear]

Don't get me wrong...O have seen layouts where I think in my head if only you had...and instead I take a step back and say "what is good about this?" and comment on that. I would never in a million years put up unsolicited critisism. I know I post layouts that I like and enjoy looking at myself and am usually proud of (although sometimes a layout doesn't quite look how I'd like). I assume everyone else posts layouts that they themselves are proud of. There are many different ideas of creativity and differennt ideas. For instance...I am not a fairytale scrapper. For my personal scrapping I don't have the time or use for it...but I see some of these layouts that others create and completely wowed by them. They just scrap different than I do. There is definately no right or wrong way to scrap and no one has the right to say that there is, especially Jo-Random on a forum. If somebody thinks it is okay to be like that because they have the cover of the internet they are still a mean spirited person. We all have plenty to critisize on our own layouts since most people are their own hardest critic. We don't need that and I am so glad it didn't happen here to you, although I am sure it has happened to somebody here unfortunately.

Laura - your layouts rock. Don't know what they were thinking or why they think they have nothing better to do than be a critic. Totally inappropriate.

Sorry for all the random rambling here. It is late and I got myself going.

 

[val]

hi,
I have been turning around this post, and I agree on one point : unsolicited citisism is awful and rude.

But I love to be able to ask for advice.and sometime i miss some " criticism" ( constructive one, of course)

It do exist on the web some fab place, where you are challenged and few great scrapper come with advice and ideas on your layout. I find it SO important too. But yes, if you want-need this you go to a special place done for that ( or youo ask for it in your comment), and you do not criticize freely, in the "wild".

well I guess I am not bringing a lot of new things in here...

val

 

[Madi]

Laura, just saw your gallery, and all your layouts are gorgeous!!

 

[timounette]

hi,
I have been turning around this post, and I agree on one point : unsolicited citisism is awful and rude.

But I love to be able to ask for advice.and sometime i miss some " criticism" ( constructive one, of course)

It do exist on the web some fab place, where you are challenged and few great scrapper come with advice and ideas on your layout. I find it SO important too. But yes, if you want-need this you go to a special place done for that ( or youo ask for it in your comment), and you do not criticize freely, in the "wild".

well I guess I am not bringing a lot of new things in here...

val

I think like you Val.
I love constructive critiscisms because that make me progress everyday. And sometimes we can't see the little detail which make the difference. But there are forums (small one where people all see things on the same way) were we can do that...

 

[t_a_l_i]

I have a real problem with that kind of thing. Unless I ask for criticism, I don't want any. If you can't find something you like to comment on my page, then move on to the next page. Please! I understand that my pages aren't beautiful to everyone. But, they are to me.

 

[lmccandless]

I actually like CC under the right circumstances. I have several friends that I exchange screenshots with on IM while we are creating pages. I love their input and CC on my LOs! The difference is that I asked for the input and it is from people I respect and trust to give the feedback!