Drawing a fine line [ BASHING ]

[Sean Cochran]

One thing I've noticed on other forums is that rules or no, "certain" people get away with a LOT of frankly abusive behavior... then when a new guy or someone who's not in the "inner circle" steps up, they're branded a troll or a troublemaker. .

Been there done that. Thats what I like about KD, I have seen a few posts here that when I saw them I thought "oh no, here we go" because they were made by a new maker who may not have known any different. From other forums I was conditioned to expect the usual beratement of said new maker. What I didnt expect was to only see real constructive critisism and heart felt encouragement.

I agree that with growth comes some pain, but like Boss said the written word doesnt always come across as intended. Most of human communication is nonverbal, and that is just not present online so the only way to avoid problems is to avoid the situations that cause them.

 

[BossDog]

If you ask for constructive criticism I think that's great. Just ask for it in PM...it's personal and respects the forum rules..

 

[Paul Mathews]

Drama and conflict beget drama and conflict. Before you know it everyone is taking sides and 2guns. I've seen too many worthwhile contributors disappear as a result of it on other forums. I really appreciate the way Tracy and the moderators deal with issues before they become issues. I love dogs , but I hate dogpiles .

 

[The Tourist]

Drama and conflict...I've seen too many worthwhile contributors disappear as a result of it on other forums.

I've seen the same thing, and it's becoming a real problem.

For example, I've been flamed and ultimately banned from a sharpening forum because I refused to acquiesce to the moderator's favorite style of edge.

That's right, I got trashed and banned for my refusal to admit that a convex edge was the best edge, not just now, but in history. Not only did his sycophant jump on me, but I started getting 0200 e-mails spiced with "mood altering enhancements."

This guy has such an ego problem that in his own forum he is referred to as "the maestro." That forum has descended into a place where he gives his opinion and twenty other guys add, "Me, too."

We're not even sure their knives are sharp.

 

[Fletch Helical]

If you ask for constructive criticism I think that's great. Just ask for it in PM...it's personal and respects the forum rules..

So if I (or anyone else for that matter) post a knife looking for constructive criticism it can't be done on the forum?

I've only posted one knife so far but have 3 I'm in the process of getting ready to go off to HT. But my whole purpose of posting my work on here is that I want people to point out any weak areas or flaws. Something like "looks great but here are some things to consider" is a very simple way of addressing whatever flaws may be there.

The proverbial "pat on the back" I think is something everyone appreciates when they post their work. However you can't necessarily seek advice for improvement if no one points out what's wrong or can be improved, etc. It would be like sending your kid to school and no matter what work he/she turned in the teacher just gave them an A+. Sure it helps the kid feel good about themselves but if they're spelling all their words wrong and putting 6 down as the answer to 2+2 they're not really learning anything. And in the long run it's only going to hurt themselves.

 

[Ironwolf]

I think the very fine line that exists
(when asking for input)
is that there are 2 kinds of critique:
personal/aesthetic
and technical/functional.
I've seen knifes that I liked the looks of
but perhaps had minor functional design 'flaws',
and vice versa.
And,some folks just have a very thin skin,
might take something to heart that puts them off making knives when
what they feel about their baby ain't echoed by their peers.
Just remember ya'll;opinions are like fire hydrants:
there's one on every block,and some stink!