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dannysuling — Essay. On the Act of Commenting (v3.160306)
Published: 2016-03-06 05:46:46 +0000 UTC; Views: 1265; Favourites: 1; Downloads: 10
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Description
A discussion of the act of making comments and the more general issue of critiquing.Related content
Comments: 8
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I'm pleased you found the essay satisfying, and want to help sharing it with others. As to whether it's "long"...well, you should see some of my other essays!
In principle I have no objection to posting the essay at "bestcustomessays," but I went over there, and it doesn't appear as if it's a frequented site, so I don't really know that anyone will see it there. Nonetheless, I like the idea of giving it a little potential exposure. Here's what I propose: I want to see the exact final content that intend to submit before I give permission, to make sure that the crediting is accurate and that the contents have not been edited by someone other than myself. Would this be agreeable to you? If so, you can send to me (via attachment is probably best) the document you intend to submit, at my email address:
dannysuling@gmail.com
Looking forward to hearing from you further.
Dannysuling
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I love this piece. As a writer/musician who comes here not to be that, I easily end up falling into the comment-as-art category. If I enjoyed reading, I would read you and your links much more carefully and discuss more. You're a bright light in my DA life, danny. I used to enjoy reading at length, but I'm just horribly distracted these days...
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You are so very kind to give me such support. I have always found your commentary and suggestions very helpful, and always look forward to anything you have to say.
On being distracted...wait...I forgot what I wanted to say!
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Had not yet noticed this alternative use of Deviantart. But is something I will think about.
People like to be personal, and maybe became "social networking" is the fortune of all and every way of speech in near future. As a general rule I try to go in the opposite direction and avoid to say anything how depends on my, specifically, to be false or true. In the same spirit I try to savor what other people say online after exclude the implicit (or sometimes explicit) ad hominem from it. Good general rule, but not perfect.
I don't comment as much as I think I should, accepting your "critiquing is itself an art" point I probably should make some effort in build some critiquing skill for myself. If I comment something is almost always something I liked. I believe some few times I point a detail which could count as "negative", but is inside a positive context. That's probably more the equivalent to cheap handicrafts than art of critiquing, so I do have allot to think about your On The Art of Commenting.
On the other hand have been luck in some sense, can't remember any rude or unpleasant comment made about my things here. The comments to my gallery are rare in fact, but all are at very least nice, even the ones how point some negative aspect of my draw (especially this ones, actually); some are good, some great.
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Thank you so much for the comment on the essay. I agree pretty much with evertything you've said.
The reality of being a good critic is that it requires being a good listener! So getting good at critiquing requires a lot of practice listening, which I believe is what your comment is pointing to. By that I mean that always jumping in early with one's own opinion is probably not a very good strategy, even if one has appropriate expertise: it cuts off the flow of discussion and keeps other people who are less confident or more shy from expressing their opinions, which might contain useful information. The really good conversationalist, and really good critic too, tries to get the other person(s) to talk and talk and talk, because information is power, and what other people have to say can help tailor one's own opinions and ideas more directly and effectively to what the other person is thinking and feeling.
Beyond being a good listener, of course, is knowing how to deliver good feedback. And your remark that you try to embed the "I wish" into an "I like" is a generally useful tactic. And one I heartily recommend. Alas, it doesn't work for everyone, especially for people who are "dug in" and not really open to hearing any kind of critique. For those kinds of people, learning how to be more direct yet still respectful is an important tactic, and requires lots of practice to get effective at it.
I'm glad that the thoughts I expressed in my essay provided some food for thought, and I'd be delighted to hear from you further, at any time.
Thanks again for sending your comment.
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I think the comments I dislike the most are those in which the commentator seems to be having a "masturbatory conversation" with themselves regarding how an image they are looking at stimulates them... Whatever makes their day I suppose but I've had a few who worked their way through my gallery [last I looked there were just short of 500 NSFW renders in my gallery] and it seemed like they were leaving that kind of comment on almost other every image.
I would like to have feed back... but not the kind that makes me feel like I have to take a shower with disinfectant after reading it. Give me meaningful feedback. Tell me I missed something or that it would look better with thus and so render settings or by changing the camera placement or the props... Tell me I'm and idiot and why that is so... I'll deal with it.
OTOH, comments like "Naked female prisoners are the best kind! Besides, keeping them nude saves on expenses such as prison uniforms." or "Sneaking around naked used to be so relaxing." or "I like it when the spoils of war are naked females!" are useless to me as an artist.
I ignored the commentator and I now see they have a "strike through" their user name so hopefully they have moved on to where they are welcome.
Do keep up your commentary... it is helpful.
regards
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I shall endeavor to do my best.
I of course greatly appreciate your responsiveness as well. And I look forward to hearing from you whenever the urge strikes!
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