I have to admit, I am struggling a bit to keep up with it. Quite a bit actually.
We have 100 - 200 new images on a daily basis - and many are worthy of a comment.
But even if we would get a timesaving new next/previous navigation, as suggested in
another new thread - it still will be hard to handle.
Add to it - that some people actually feel they sort of HAVE TO comment, if someone comments on their work, or feel that they have to apologize, if they were not around for a while.

I can only say, how I personally feel about it.
I try to comment on images, that attract me and to forego first looking  for familiar names.
Nevertheless - I cannot rid me of the slight feeling of guilt - because I know I oversaw or skipped stuff well worth my attention.

So in short - I'm somewhat overwhelmed with it - and would like your input and your opinion on how to handle the commenting...

All I can say is welcome to the club. I love the commenting format here at RR, but I in truth cannot keep up either. I think we have to learn to either live with the 'guilt' or somehow free ourselves from it by acknowleding that there is NO way to comment on all of the new images and still have any kind of life away from the computer. Do what you can...no one can ask more of you.

dont have a guilty conscience?

Basically i comment when i have the time or am in the mood to go browsing through the galleries.  I dont do it on a "if i comment for you i expect a comment from you on my stuff" reciprocal arrangement which seems to be what some people do or at least expect.  I comment on those which catch my attention and that could mean those which look interesting to me (sorry but i hardly click on flower shots unless there is something eyecatchingly different about the presentation or composition), those which look good, and those which look bad but would be easily corrected by a slight change.  I then offer my opinion on the shot in an objective manner. 

As to the volume, i think my first response is the key to that.  If i were one of those photographers who gets 30+ comments per image uploaded and i upload an image per day, i wouldnt be able to comment 30 times in reciprocation unless i just had a stock reply or didnt really think about what i was saying.  So i comfort my conscience in that when i comment it is quality not quantity...

As for you commments i would say you have nothing to worry about if you take my stance of "quality over quantity" to ease your worry that you arent doing enough.  I hold the comments you leave on my shots in high regard as you are honest about it and say what you see :)

edit: PS as i am qualified as an english teacher (and thus a stickler for obvious blunders) it has been tickling me for some time: technically there shouldn't be the second comma in your quote in your signature. Say it out loud and you will see there is no pause in that part of the sentence (although that isnt the best way of checking the need for a comma) ;) Nice quote tho, who said it?

Maybe tinge of guilt, but basically we look at what catches our eye, and I feel comfortable with that. I can't comment on each photograph, and I don't expect anyone to comment on mine, if it is heart felt for the compo , I can feel it in the response I believe. I am not a great photographer, but I do occasionally have great landscapes to shoot. Sharing the beauty is what I love most, the creativity, too.

I wish I had the time to comment more...especially on images from newer artists..They  are the ones who need the advice and  encouragement..

IT's even tougher when your on staff, because of all the "work" things you have to do..
Looking for TOS violations, poor comments, selecting LWITG images..etc etc..

There are so many wonderful images uploaded here on a daily basis..It's nearly impossible to comment on everything..

At the end of the day..I feel better know I commented on images that I really liked..and didn't use the "copy/paste" method and leave trite comments..

This is why I feel LWITG is such an important feature..It gives you a chance to see some great work that you might have missed..

For sure it is impossible to keep up and comment on every image that merits one... And like most things, we are prone to comment more on images that appeal to our own tastes.. Much the same way we do in any other art form.. Perhaps it must be frustrating for images of obvious high quality, that do not get as many comments as they deserve, that has to be left to whatever reason people have for not making them!! 

However, some of this is due to them not making comments to others work, as they had not received  comments themselves,  a sad state of affairs... I try and make comments whenever  I have the time, and offer any help or advice, and appreciate the way we manage this in our Gallery..  Perhaps obvious solutions to this would to not have no names to an image?? Cant see that being popular... Or have separate galleries, where people can post images that they dont feel the need for comments, or want them... I think that is also a shame if we really like the image.. Nevertheless, there are the art charts where we can add the image to our favs, and they can get some recognition there..

Some have suggested, that there is petty jealousies looming it ugly head, I dont subscribe to this point of view, but  I do think that we should not lose sight of complimenting  others efforts be they for superb quality, or to encourage members whose work is improving etc..  I can recall how pleasant it was when I first started here, when a person whose work  I admired took time to make a comment, that reflected some of my own thoughts about it.. And also inspiration to try and improve my own work.. 

We have had this debate often in this forum, so thanks for raising it again, and hope there is some feedback on this topic...

Ah comments.....what a lovely topic that is. LOL. I am one of those that just can´t be selective when it comes to commenting. I admit that i comment on just as many images out of guilt/obligation than i do because i really love them.

There are numerous reasons for that. One is because i feel i owe it to those who was generous enough to take the time to leave comments on mine....and that is alot of people just there.
Another reason is because i´ve gotten quite a few IMs whenever i´ve missed someones uploads wondering if they did something wrong or whatever to cause me to overlook them. Sure it´s easy to say that one should just ignore those IMs....but in a weird way they do make me feel bad. :sad: I also get spam-IMs every now and then from people i don´t even know, LOL. I actually love those IMs....they´re sooooo sad....the title would say "Hi Zacko" ....then in the message box there´s only a link to their upload and nothing else, lol. Oooh....and how many of you have gotten comments that says "I have now taken the time to look and review your work and i now hope you do the same in my gallery."...or "I also uploaded a photo of a sunset, you can find it in my gallery. Look here" and then a link....have any of you gotten those? I tell ya...those "requests" are really easy to ignore though. :biggrin:
But the biggest reason is simply because i love commenting....and i know people are getting encouraged by them which makes it all the more fun.

Bottom line however....is that i do comment way too much when i "get in the zone"....and therefor i´m now sitting here with carpal tunnel syndrome as the result of it. :sad: So if i´m ever gonna allow comments on my own photos again (´cause right now i can´t in good concience since i´m not commenting frequently myself...sigh...there´s the guilt again) i need to find a way to balance the commenting and try to not let the people begging for comments get the best of me. And as you said Klaus...there´s ridicilously many uploads every day now....and more and more are joining with paid memberships where they´ll upload 3 shots every day. That´s an entirely different topic though that i´m sure many of us has different opinions about as well.

P.S. Since i´m certainly not qualified as an english teacher i hope Rich can overlook all the typos and bad grammar in this reply of mine. :tt2:

On the first image that I posted in the Photography gallery, I got several comments that said: "If you leave comments, you will get comments back; that's how it goes, it's a sharing thing". So I tried to be a good 'sharing' member and started commenting like crazy. For a while I was one of the heaviest and most supportive commenters. And I got a fair share of comments back. Then I saw that some of the best images got almost no comments, while some of the worst got more than ten times as much. When I stumbled upon the best image ever uploaded on RR (IMHO), I was amazed that it only got four comments... I wrote this to someone, who replied: "Of course it's an excellent image, but how can that guy expect to get any comments if he never comments himself?" I'm afraid that this is the way it goes on RR... It's not about art; it's not about the quality of your work... It's as simple as this: if you leave more than 30 comments daily, you will get more than 30 comments back. Then you can post an image that your 2-year-old daughter took by accident, you will still get more than 30 comments. I have not one single doubt about that. Turn and toss it how you like... I don't think this is a very supportive way to improve one's work, or to improve the quality of the works in the gallery in general... And I believe that the quality in the RR photography gallery (and in the commenting) has become really very much below average... I wonder how that came about... Anyhow, I stopped commenting regularly and I saw the comments on my images drop accordingly. Now I see members commenting on every image around mine in the gallery, except mine. And of course I know why... but I have my ideas about that. After all, it's a sharing thing... Edit: I know this sounds harsh... I must add that this does not apply to all and everything; there are exceptions. It's not all that bad...

I comment as I always have done when I see an image that appeals to me, that does not mean it is just the highest quality or skill level, simply what appeals to me at the time of viewing. I don't have the time to go systematically through the galleries so it is on a very ad hoc basis. Somedays I will go through many images and leave comments other days none at all. 
My pet hate is thumbnails that are different to the main image as I am firstly looking at the thumbnails deciding on which to view larger. I understand in the case of nudity or violence and would encourage people to post a thumbnail that can be viewed by all, but for the majority of images I would like to see the thumbnail the same as the image.
I am sure I miss many fine images that pass me by without my comment, that is unfortunate but the only practical way to participate in the site for me.  I would like to add that I am always  happy to view and pass comment on any pic if the poster requests it from me.
I do understand the reciprocal commenting and do not feel there is any harm in that whatsoever. If I walked into a bar and someone smiled and said 'good evening' I would reciprocate with a friendly greeting out politeness .

ONSLOW: I agree to most of what you  said. I just have a problem with the reciprocity.
If politeness is replaced by expectations or even demand - then there is something wrong.
Anyone, who would tell me - that he/she will only comment, if I comment back will have to wait until hell freezes over before I would comment - even if it would be the best artist in the world.

"My pet hate is thumbnails that are different to the main image as I am firstly looking at the thumbnails deciding on which to view larger."

DITTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And ditto the stuff you said about reciprocal (must find it in dictionary) commenting. That´s only logical and natural behaviour and it´s something that is not significant for RR only.

One must also remember that not all are that interested in improving, but instead they use RR as a way to show their families or friends their photos. And then there´s those who ask for constructive critizism and yet when they get it...they get pissed off and deletes their galleries and what not. Or people who deletes their photos simply because they didn´t get as many comments as they had hoped for. I wont waste any time commenting on those no matter how great their photos are if they´re gonna delete it later on.

I think the most important thing to remember is that nobody is forcing anyone to comment or to allow comments. Nobody is getting paid to comment....if they were...i´d be a milionare by now. LOL. And nobody is charging us any money to upload one (big) photo a day either....i think we should all be a bit more grateful about this place....take the good with the bad.....after all, i think we got a pretty sweet deal going here.

Everyone approaches it differently. True, I am more likely to comment on someone's work if I know them and have enjoyed their images in the past. But if a thumb looks promising, i'll take a look and comment if I feel so moved. One of the things I like about members like Geert is knowing that even if I leave him a ton of comments, I may not see one from him for a while on my own work. No pressures there, so I comment when I want. (well, I do that anyway) And I know he commented because he wanted to. My pet peeve is the 'stock' comments -- members who copy and paste the same mindless pleasantries in each and every image in the hopes of garnering comments themselves. I have not seen so much of it of late, but it still circulates. As a Coord, I try to get through the gallery and comment on newcomer images too, but I invariably miss some. The reprocial system is all well and good, but I agree that when it becomes expected, then they system is not working. :EDIT: Sniff, so you guys don't like my creative little GIF thumbs? Sniff, sniff. :sad: ;')

LOL! Don´t worry Kort, i love animated GIFs myself. It´s when the thumb is completely misrepresentative i feel it´s annoying.

And oooh ooooh...the copy and pasters! Yeah that really is such a slap in the face on those of us who actually type every letter. I once got a copy-paste-comment that complimented the "rich and beautiful colors" in my photo....and that person can´t even have looked because i had uploaded a B&W. :woot:

ROFL! :lol: :b_funny: :lol:

LOL! That is too funny!

Like Richard, I don't have a problem with the reciprocal nature of commenting. If someone makes the effort to comment on something of mine, I don't see anything wrong with my taking the time to see and comment on what they are doing. But I do get annoyed by the copy and paste ones. Those people are clearly only 'commenting', ( if you can even call it that ), to generate comments on their own work. I'd rather they didn't comment on mine at all.

I'm just grateful to receive whatever genuine comments I do get, and do my best to comment whenever I can. And when I can, I think it's only fair for me to give first priority to those who have been kind enough to be supportive of  my own humble  efforts...If time should then allow, I will venture into the gallery and see what else has been uploaded.  That's all I can do. And if someone ends up having an issue with that, then I honestly think that's their problem . Anyway, this is just something that has worked for me.

Then again, unlike Andreas, no one has ever spammed their uploads on any of mine, nor ever sent me an IM because I haven't commented on theirs. I think that's just crossing the line. No one has a right to 'expect' comments from anyone here, if you ask me.

Anyway, just to clarify, all I'm trying to say is that I think there is a difference between courteous reciprocation and  expectation.

PS-As to thumbs being different...I must admit to having done that myself. Guilty as charged.But the only reason I've ever done that, is because sometimes the thumb as a  'miniature' just doesn't look good to me, and a crop looks better  or more dynamic at that small size. Sorry, if that has bothered anyone and I will think twice before doing it again.

Okie dokie. I'm done now.   :^ )

( And yes, Kort, I always like your clever thumbgifs. )

I Totally agree with Marlene (thanks Marlene, you said it much better than I could). 

But,LOL, here I go again... IMHO, I think if someone were to stand back and listen, at a public gallery, what you would hear would be much like what you read here at the RR galleries. " oh, I really like that one", "this is just awsome" etc... You might hear a few critiques but for the most part , as they're browsing, they may say nothing. That shows in the number of views vs number of comments. 

I love getting comments about my images, REALLY I do. They make me feel good and so I try to comment on others as I can. But I know that they may not be about quality at all and most of the photos I post are about sharing with others what I've seen and just hoping they are enjoyed. 

While I do appreciate critical comments and long for them, I still think that the forum is probably the best place to solicit those.

thank you very much

IMHO, I think if someone were to stand back and listen, at a public gallery, what you would hear would be much like what you read here at the RR galleries. " oh, I really like that one", "this is just awsome" etc... You might hear a few critiques but for the most part , as they're browsing, they may say nothing. That shows in the number of views vs number of comments.

Absolutely fantastic description! I completely agree with that!

I used to comment on almost everything when I first got here - it almost felt like an obligation (didn't want to hurt someone's feelings seeing that I "commented on THAT person's image, why not mine?!"). The shear volume of images hit me fast - and my days get crazy enough as it is with deadlines. Now I go through specific galleries as to what I wanna see and only comment when an image strikes me for some reason.

Some comments on my images have a specific "I expect you to comment on mine, too" feel to them. It feels weird, but I don't usually have the time to go through everyone's galleries to find one to comment on.

BTW - Pushinfaders - I look forward to the LWITG posts because (ducks, expecting heavy blunt objects to fly his way!) I rarely select the Photography Gallery to go through - it's usually C4D, then Max, then Vue - if I have time after that I usually randomly peruse. So, basically, the LWITG is how I catch up with the photography of the week.

Yes, I know, I'm a photographer and I don't look through the Photography Galleries - so if you haven't gotten comments from me, don't take it personally ;-)

More and more I'm lurking the forums instead, looking for the occasional tut/technique to pick up, asking and giving advice, etc.

You can't possibly comment on everything, and you'll go insane trying. When you DO comment, just try to make it sincere - the copy/paste comments are glaringly shallow.
-Lew ;-)

Basically I comment when I have the time, and I don't look at the name, sure I have some in my favo list, but most of the time I went through the gallery and look at the thumbnails. I must admit that a thumbnail invites me to open the bigger file or not. I think we all love comments in my view......if you don't want them or like them you can disable it.....

Onslow: so far I know if you upload the bigger file then the thumbnail will be the same as the bigger picture. No need to do it by yourself. I always make my own thumbnails the same size

Go ahead and call me a superficial b@stard  :blushing: but I have expectations as far as comments go, and it also ties into my pet hates. 

I'm placing an embargo on the artists who continually just upload images, and that's it as far as their interaction with the community goes. No time to type in a few words in the information box during uploading. No time to go to the gallery and post a few comments. It's just as if they point and click to upload, then sit back and wait for their following to post praises! These days I'm finding myself  weighing this rather than the merrit of the image.

I don't care if people don't comment on my images, perhaps they dont like it, or they don't like me, that's fine, I can live with that. If you're uploading it would seem to me your part of the community,  and that's a two way street! I feel like I'm selling myself short commenting on images whose artists have not even the slightest inclination in interaction.

haha...... OK my rant is over :tt2:

I have a lot of sympathy with Newbie_Renderers position and share it to some extent.  I must say though that for me there are times when I don't feel that I need to add information to the image, the work speaks for itself.  I do try to comment on all those images that catch my eye without regard to who posted them but I'm sure that like many of you I miss worthy images on a daily basis. 

I'm lucky and have a broadband connection but I have a friend who contributes to Renderosity regularly but who only has access through a dial-up connection due to financial considerations and cannot play as full a part in the community as they would like.  I'm sure that there are many in the same position it's just unfortunate that we cannot tell who is and is not in that position.

On a slightly seperate topic - i think everyone should upload the exif or at least post what settings they were using.  That way any critical comments can offer advice.  There have been times when someone was asking for advice or i was wanting to offer it, but i could only be vague about it because i didnt know what setting were used.  Is there any reason not to upload the file including the exif?

Other than that they are the fingerprints of your photo? And if you´re concerned with getting your photos ripped off, then you might wanna hold onto the file containing the EXIF so that you can really prove it yours. I´ve come across photos on this very site even that has been ripped off from other sites...and i could prove that via the EXIF.

I agree with Andreas here....the exif data can be used to help prove ownership. But keeping the RAW file is even better in cases where proof is required.....you should NEVER give away your RAW file.
Further, posting the exif data doesn't really help for critiques either....as it is not indicative of any processing done to the posted image.

@Andreas....I hope that you have provided ripping proof to the mods here so that this habit does not continue.....

BTW, I only comment when I have the time....which, unfortunately is not that often.  When I do have the time to browse, I will go through the gallery, scan each thumb and then click on the one that appeals to me...some get a comment, some don't.  There are a few folks whose work I really enjoy..and I will check on their work.  I also try to view the weekly gallery summary.

I have in the past yes, whenever i´ve stumbled upon something like that.

Personally, I don't ever include EXIF ...most importantly, because, as said, they are my 'fingerprints' ...but also because of two additional things... 1- no two photos can ever be replicated the same way twice, so what's the point?  and 2- when I upload I don't upload WIPS. I may say I'm not thoroughly happy but I'm still showing my finished product, for all intents and purposes. Quite frankly, if I thought it wasn't good enough, I simply wouldn't upload it...But that's just me. ..Then again, I rarely upload because of that very reason...lol.

1- no two photos can ever be replicated the same way twice, so what's the point?

I've always thought that, too - because if I was standing right next to that person, my shooting data would be different to produce virtually the same image. At best it's a starting point.

The ONLY time I can find it helpful is if/when someone does something like a waterfall at 1/4 sec shutter speed to get the water a silky blur, or made sure they had their aperture set to f5.6 or higher to make the colors of the flames show in a big fire.

If there wasn't a specific reason for their settings, I don't see the point in sharing - yes, I know we're veering WAAAAYY OT here -sorry ;-)

EXIF is slightly comment related. When we post an image here we are posting what we want to show. Some people prefer to keep their settings to themselves. I always use Save For the Web, which strips photos of their EXIF anyway. But it is a good idea to leave it attached if it relates in some way to the feedback you wish to receive.

Making this thread resurface cause i just ran into something i truly hate in the gallery right now. This right here is my pet hate:

Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 3

Why not just pick ONE of these and upload instead of cluttering the galleries up with clones. This is something i simply will never understand why people would upload 3 basically identical photos at once. :huh: No wonder it has become impossible to keep up with the gallery.

I've said most of this before, but this certainly is the best place to say it again.

You should not feel guilty for not commenting if you don't have the time or can't think of anything useful or interesting to say.  If you have nothing to say, I see no reason for you to feel obligated to say anything at all.  Also, the reciprocal system that's already been mentioned I think actually is hurting the community -- it's becoming more and more "uncool" to offer genuine advice and put real thought into your comments.  I don't want anyone commenting on my stuff because they feel like they owe me something.  Respect is infinitely more satisfying than guilt.

However, in terms of commenting in general, I think it is a tad selfish to just post images and never comment on anyone else's.  It makes you look like a snobbish, "too cool for this website" type.  If you have some artistic knowledge to share, by all means, DO IT.  You never know who might benefit from your input and encouragement.

I've only had one experience with somebody sending me IMs that "gently hinted" that I should drop by and leave a comment or two.  I'm not sure if it was his intention to be annoying or manipulative because he clearly wanted advice, as opposed to simple attention, but still I think that's rather self-centered behavior.  If I'm interested in your work, I'll check up on you.

The "copy and paste" comments are, I think, very disrespectful to the artist.  It's pretty much saying "I'm too good to say anything thoughtful but I still want people to think I'm nice".  That's not to say that everyone who does that is a jerk; they could just want to show their respect but not have the time to be eloquent, or they could just not have been here long enough to understand how common and irritating micro-comments are (I made that mistake a few times in my first month or so here, and I apologize -- I thought the word "woah" over and over again was the ultimate compliment).

Also, I think constructive criticism, when worded carefully and politely, is the best thing in the world for an artist.  I even appreciate the constructive crit I've gotten that I didn't agree with, because it's the thought that counts.  The thought that someone actually cared enough to tell me how they think my image could be improved.  Alot of people don't have the spine to accept true, helpful comments for what they are, and if you run into one of them, just back away slowly like you would from a rabid dog.  You've shown them respect by offering them advice, and if they can't take it, they can shove it.

And lastly, I want to say this directly to Zacko: you don't have to comment in my gallery anymore, even if I leave comments in yours.  Trying to be a Comment Wizard is clearly causing you stress and I figure one less gallery to worry about might do you some good.  I really respect you, and although I am honored by your critique, if it is a chore to offer it than you probably shouldn't.  Thanks for being awesome.

Very valid points there. I couldn´t agree more with what you´re saying. May i ask though why that last statement was directed only at me?

"May i ask though why that last statement was directed only at me?"

Because you seemed to be the most stressed out about feeling like you had to be commenting constantly, plus you've brought it up before.  The same goes for anyone else, though.

The comments are welcome and I am taking note of critique. I am also interested to see how many views each photo gets. Its of interest because it gives me ideas about what has worked when I try new techniques.  If time permits I do have a look at the gallery of artists who comment and if something catches my eye I leave a comment. That is how I discover new talents who may not post often but have wonderful work to share.

The interaction on here is good because magazines just do not give me the feeling of belonging  to  a  worldwide  group of creative people and sharing visions. Looking for a new image each day to post keeps me awake and more aware , it is a challenge I enjoy  and sometimes I post a gem . As I improve my standard will get higher,thanks for all the help and feedback.