I have to say that my experience has been different. When I was new here I used to receive lots of comments and ratings for my work. However, once I disabled the ratings portion the comments dropped off significantly. These day, although my work is much better than it used to be, I barely get 2 or 3 comments even though I ask for them. No sour grapes there, I don't post for the comments. I do find that people will heap compliments on other artists who use their freestuff and store products and list them all in movie style credits that stretch on for paragraphs. They will also pile it on deep with anyone who says "this is my first image". Sometimes it seems as though the worst work gets the most compliments, highest ratings and the least amount of constructive criticism. Comments like "Oh this is sooooo wonderful, keep up the good work!" really do little towards helping someone to improve their work. Soon all you get is a popularity contest with "clics" of people praising each other's work every time they post. I also find that if you express an opinion that is not popular or "PC" in the forums, you will get fewer comments on your work as people hold a grudge against you for expressing how you feel. All this matters not to me, I stay out of those circle jerks. I just can't help commenting when someone complains that someone else should be punished or banned for NOT complimenting them and offering an honest opinion. Which is how this thread started. A little more honest critique and a lot less patronizing praise would serve us all well in the long run. In all honesty I'd rather hear someone ask "How did you do that?" than say "Oh, that's sooooo wonderful!", at least I have an answer for the former. All this is just my humble opine, you're all welcome to disagree with me.