I understand where you guys are coming from on this, but, at the same time, it sure is nice once in a while to post a work and not get ripped to shreds. An "excellent" is pretty encouraging. I agree with pakled: I'd like to at least see works from people like Diolma who are hanging back because they're not feeling like they've gained sufficient skills to post. Not that it would bother me all that much now, but I remember when I was first starting out and I actually thought about posting something that I'd worked many, many hours on. I was new and wanted very much to improve. I felt halfway decent about the work and finally posted it. However, the responses I got were harsh, condescending, and, frankly, not all that helpful. It was a long time before I posted any work of mine again, simply because I thought I must be a total no-talent doofus whose efforts were completely useless. For those of you who know me, and, in fact, know me to be a total no-talent doofus whose efforts actualy are completely useless, you'll know that I'm over it. :) I post now every now and then to Renderosity, which is much more friendly than other communities I've been on. I hope the works are well received, and I would like to know if they can be improved in a way that would make them much better. But, perhaps more importantly, I try to encourage some of the more newby artists now and then who are making great strides and who genuinely seem to want to know how to improve. As to ranking, I'm not sure how that really helps, but I guess an "excellent" and a pat on the back could be pretty encouraging, based on my newby experience. I actually do 3D work now that is for professional publication, and, whereas I don't claim to be a genius at this, I'm gaining new skills every day and my work is actually looking OK. When it comes to Renderosity, I'm pretty much here for the fun of it and to share works and experiences with other artists (not that I would put myself in that category exactly). I'd much rather log on here and gain skills through encouragement than through peevish rips from jerks who think they've got the tiger by the tail. I think we should challenge each other and maybe even talk a little slap now and then, but I think most of us are probably here because we like being here. If people are tactful, I totally agree that constructive criticism is highly valuable. Some of us lack tact. I just think we need to be careful how we word things. That said, these IMs people keep mentioning from people who get mad if they say things, even in a tactful way, that are not just blatant praise, ignore them. Don't comment on their work; let them feel self-important and just let their skills stay stagnant. They deserve nothing more or less. I've NEVER seen anyone comment on my work that was less than considerate at Renderosity, so I think we all have the wherewithal to be encouraging AND spark improvement in one another. Have a great night, all.