The reason why it bothers me, at least the reason why it would bother me if someone decided some of my images did not belong in the Fractal Gallery, is that it's not only Renderosity members who look at my gallery; and I want those people to know that all my images are created using fractals. I don't want to have to go through amending all the comments on each image to say so. It's a small thing, but I've been creating fractal images for a very long time, and like to create images using fractals that are not necessarily obviously fractal; and I don't want a third party telling me that my images are not 'fractal enough' for me to label them as such. It's really not that big a deal. All I want to know is that none of the categorisations of my images are going to be changed without my knowledge or approval.

I wasn't being a 'hair-splitter', nor am I against the new guidelines. All I was trying to clarify was what exactly was meant by the statement that old images would be moved, and will the artists be consulted?

I hope that you won't be moving any past images from the fractal gallery to the mixed medium one without consulting the image creators! What constitutes a 'recognisable' fractal? Just because one person doesn't recognise that the constituents of a partcular image are fractal, doesn't mean that they aren't. All of my images are fractal, though many 'purists' might argue that the fractals are not always obviously recognisable.

I agree with kansas: I much preferred it when people didn't feel the need to indicate that they had voted all the time. One of the good things about the voting system is that if it is used anonymously it's not open to accusations of being used to try to garner votes and comments on your own stuff.

I'm usually pretty careful about saving everything and filing it all away neatly so I don't lose anything, but I had a long break from my computer a while ago, and when I came back to it I had a look at some of my old work-in-progress renders and found an image I really liked, only to discover that somehow the upr/ufr files were missing. It's a horrible feeling, you have my sympathy. I decided I liked that particular image so much that I'd try to recreate it, which I thought initially would be impossible (I don't usually have a clear idea of what I want to do when I start a new image, and even when I do I usually end up with something completely different), but actually, not only did the determination to rediscover the image keep me focussed, but all the effort ended up with a much improved result, which I now think is one of my best pictures... ...so don't lose heart, you could try to recreate it and make it even better the second time. Best wishes, Simon.

Hi Keith. I agree pretty much with your stance. What I'd like to add is that I think when somebody has made a critical comment or suggestion for improvement, then there is more of an obligation to respond to them to thank them for taking the time. I used to try to respond to all commenters on my images, but there just aren't enough hours in the day. I do, however, think it is important to reassure people that their critical comment is appreciated to foster the kind of community spirit you and I would both like to see. Best wishes, Simon.

I agree, it's beautiful. Post it.

Hi Matt. As far as I'm aware, I'm not in any cliques :-), I don't comment on many images, and I do fight the temptation not to constructively criticise. I think the rankings as currently used are virtually meaningless, although the number of 'excellents' received is somewhat of an indicator as to how much an image affects people. I've frequently considered disallowing rankings on my own images. I for one am perfectly happy for you or anyone else to make suggestions about my images. Whether I agree with them or not, it will make no difference to my willingness to comment, rank or vote on the commentor's images. My one wish is that more people would vote for images, not because I'd like to see my images in the Hot 20, but because I'd like the Hot 20 to more accurately represent the best of recent posts. As it is, I get the impression that some of the cliques you talk about tend to dominate it, and stuff that really deserves to be there doesn't make it. It was only recently that there was a thread here in which people said they didn't have enough time to look at everything. Me too! I'd like to be able to use the Hot 20 knowing that I was less likely to miss anything worth seeing, but as it is, I can't honestly say I think it represents the best of what there is, not just my opinion of what the best is, but even the general consensus. So come on people, when you see something that you really think shouldn't be missed, vote for it. Commenting on it is less likely to attract attention to it, as it has to be found before your comment is seen. Best wishes, Simon.

Yes indeed, welcome! I agree with everything Andreas said. Your first few posts to the fractal gallery have been one of the most impressive debuts I've seen here, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what comes next.