Well said Linda.

I also think there is a mentality of "I'll pat your back, you pat mine" and I don't think it's always based on the artistic merits of an image, it seems to be more of a co-dependant ego stroke fest. (If that's too blunt or harsh for anybody, I'm sorry in advance)

I've been posting here for a couple of years now, and have always left the comments and ranking options on my posts. I'm not really sure what my motivation is for still leaving them on as the comments rarely influence how > I < really feel about something I've posted.

I don't leave comments on many images, I've always been a bit stingy with them. I tend to lurk around the fringes, and only come out when there is something that I just find so wonderful I need to speak up.

There are a lot of fantastic artists here, and when I have access to a high speed connection I spend a bit more time looking and wishing I could do some of the things I see here that I haven't quite figured out. I really do enjoy the time I spend here lurking in the shadows.