A Creek etiquette question ...

[Ken Wright]

or perhaps looking for an understanding.

The Creek has craftsmen(women) ranging from board busters to some darn good artisans which produce a wide range of work quality in their pics. Everybody who posts a completed project here is obviously proud of the fact that, no matter the quality, that they finished a project and are looking for encouragement and accolades. Too often I see where someones project is posted and they receive little to nothing in the way of congrats or encouragement and I see others that get bunches of posts.

Whether the work is excellent or obviously a beginner's effort ... whether we know the person or not ... shouldn't we take the time to acknowledge the effort?? I've noticed a good example of this on the board tonight.

Don't intend to be a jerk .... just thinking about the community building thing.

[Jason Roehl]

You're dead-on in your assessment there, Ken. I think you're right that we all need to be encouraging one another in the craft we share and put in that extra effort to publish pics of our projects. You never know who you might inspire to stretch their skills or look at a construction or finish challenge in a different way.

[Kevin Gerstenecker]

I agree with both Ken and Jason. I really like to see what other Woodworkers have accomplished, and the ideas that they come up with. I probably post a reply to any photos of finished work............I may have missed a few, but that was purely unintentional. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I can always find something outstanding and beautiful in any piece, whether or not the piece is museum quality. We need to remember we all started as Greenhorns, and some of the most pitiful things I have made over the years still have some outstanding qualities in their own special way. Encouragement is always a great motivator, and I always try to offer that in my posts in reply to others work. Any woodworker who is honest will tell you that not every undertaking turns out well, it is those who can hide or overcome the little mistakes along the way are the ones who are becoming masters of the craft. Now that I think about it, like Granddaddy always said, "There is no such thing as perfect". Great thread guys! :D

[Joe Tonich]

Ken,

Your right and I'm guilty as charged. I usually don't respond to pic's but I look at and enjoy them all. As stated, I do get ideas from them and they help clarify in my mind how to do things. I definitely appreciate them and should let them know. I'll have to work on that. On the other hand, I only post pic's once in a while to let you people know that I actually DO make something out of wood sometimes! :D

Thanks for pointing it out,

Joe

[Martin Shupe]

You are right and I am guilty too...

The best thing I like about the Creek is the project pics.

The second thing is the camaraderie.

The third is the excellent advice available.

However, I rarely post a comment about a pic, unless I have a question about the project. Heck, I have looked at Jim Shaver's amazing Shaker bench, yet have not told him how impressed I am with it. Sorry Jim. I really like ALL of your Shaker stuff, being a Shaker student myself.

I will try to do better in the future.

Martin, fighting the weather from Newark to Memphis tonight.

[Paul D. May]

I have been gone a while and posted a few pics on another site a couple of days ago. It seems that if you are not a "core" member, you don't get as good a response to your posts. I tend to come back here more often than not since it appears less of a club than other places. It is interesting to read that when almost 500 people read a post only 6 have something to reply about it.

Maybe I'm getting crotchety but JMHO.:eek:

[Don Farr]

I couldn't agree more or word it better than previous post. I enjoy and learn from the pictures. Whoever said a picture is worth a thousand words knew what they were talking about.

There is another new menber on this forum that makes some of the most beautiful cutting boards I've ever seen. Maybe he will post some of his pics. Because of his pics and his help, my woodworking skills have gone up a notch.

[Dave Anderson NH]

I always view the posts of projects with pictures but I seldom reply. Unless I have a question or I it is a project which for some reason really turns me on I prefer to keep silent. While kudos are fine, often I just don't have much to add and I kind of hate to waste bandwidth with just a "great project" kind of post. Just because I don't reply doesn't detract from the poster's workmanship or design abilities, I guess it's just not my style. The other point is that I will often reply privately, particularly if I have abunch of questions.

This is not a criticism, it's just the way I am.

[Bob Janka]

Folks,

Dave Anderson and I must have similar thoughts. I'd rather not post just to join the crowd in "ooohs and aaahs". If I can't find something new to say about a posted project, I usually keep quiet.

For us, perhaps we could use the Thread Rating system. At the bottom of each thread page is a button with a pull-down menu next to it. The ratings are from 5 to 1 (best to least). We could use this feature to give some feedback to woodworkers who post projects.

Perhaps we could even ask Keith & Aaron to tailor this feature for project ratings?

Just a few thoughts...

Cheers,
Bob