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I lurk too much and it annoys me


Dragonlover

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I'm in a similar boat. One of my favourite plogs is Insane Psychopath's Iron Warriors 5th Company. I don't know why really, mainly because the guy is really enthused with his hobby and you can see that with the quality of the models he pumps out, but also the background, planning of projects and use of ideas from other frater makes it exciting to see what he's doing next. It's Chaos too , which also helps....

 

But I digress - I feel similar to a lot of the people here - I'm not a known name, I don't do the meta, I don't add much to plogs apart from, "hot daymn, that's sweeeeeetttt" and I don't update my own log. 

 

But I will start updating my log, today in fact, and I think the "hot daymn, that's swweeeeetttt"  comments are good for people like me, as it's motivating to know that others know your minis are great. C&C is always welcome I believe by all frater. So, basically, I will post more, thanks for the motivation!

Quite a few peeps saying they'll either start or revive their plogs which is great! I'll just say this about what some have mentioned in regard to theirs - don't feel obligated to work on them all the time, and don't feel bad for letting it go dormant for a while. Sure there are some amazing people who are consistent and passionate with theirs but most of us wax and wane.

 

E.G. my own IG thread which I started full of enthusiasm and has since gone quiet as I've not done any painting for it! Do I feel bad? Nope. I'll start it back up when I'm ready. This goes back to what I said earlier (and if I'm honest one of my forum soap box topics :whistling: ) - this forum is a resource and you can use it however you want and how often you want. Don't feel like you have to do anything, this hobby is to be enjoyed not endured.

 

So: keep being awesome everyone, you all add to the B&C and you're not as unknown as you think - we all have our place :thumbsup:

If you read a comment or see a picture and have  a thought about it - post it! 

 

Think of it from the other side - if you'd post something and get a reply, either positive, negative, in agreement or disagreement, it means a lot (as long as it's worded nicely!). So do the same, add to it. 

 

This thread is a good example, I bet you're excited every time someone else chips in.

 

I also think it's worth making an effort on providing feedback on painting blogs. It also means a lot. My WIP thread is generally ignored but I have thick skin so it's not going to stop me, and also the quantity and quality of my models is nothing compared to most of the other contributors. 

I just find posting on a WIP thread is a good motivator to actually get stuff finished. If no-one else is going to see it, there's not much incentive to do the finishing touches - if you're going to photograph it and upload it it feels good to have the model 'done'. 

About the not posting something when you think you don't have to add anything new ... it often happened to me that I see a post I agreed on but it also included a statement I totally didn't agree on and people just ignored it. Then later on the next post was basically the same thing but put it in different words without that one statement I didn't agree on and suddenly it got a lot of 'likes' and people started to quote it and extended on it etc.

What I try to say is that even if you think you have nothing to add to something someone else already said it isn't necessarily the case for people reading your comment. Different words cause different reactions even if the message is largely the same.

Comments keep logs alive, in both directions! Liked are nice but limited in effect, especially when the person painting is working on something over a long period of time and you can see the progress as it develops. Some times I ask for opinions as I am trying things out, getting answers would make all the difderence. Even if something doesn't sit right for you it is worth mentioning as the op may not be quite happy with it either and you may help them create something that they are happy with in the end.

Comments keep logs alive, in both directions! Liked are nice but limited in effect, especially when the person painting is working on something over a long period of time and you can see the progress as it develops. Some times I ask for opinions as I am trying things out, getting answers would make all the difderence. Even if something doesn't sit right for you it is worth mentioning as the op may not be quite happy with it either and you may help them create something that they are happy with in the end.

 

Yeah that is the other important aspect of it. It can feel a bit lame like a pat on the head sometimes to just put something like "nice one" but it really does help keep the thread relevant but also keeps it on the front page where it can get more exposure.

 

Speaking from personal experience, for those that are struggling and not getting comments there are a couple of things to remember.

 

Keep an eye on view counts for one, a large number of people will look at a project and go "oh wow that is cool" and then click out without saying a word so try not to let it discourage you if no one is saying anything. Sometimes it's just a matter of you've not made enough progress for anyone to say anything.

 

Post questions and ask for advice. It's a good way to start a dialogue and get people invested in your project and more importantly help you learn from the community. A good way to look at this is if you see someone in the street and say "Hi", they say "Hello" back and move on because there is nothing more to say, if you say "Hi, how are you?" they are much more likely to start a dialogue. 

 

If someone does post a comment take the time to respond to them personally in the thread even if it is just a thanks. Use the multiquote button if you need to. If the comment strikes you as negative ask them what they would change. You are much more likely to get a return visit being polite and respectful, if they take the time to engage you take the time to respond back rather than moving on and just posting more pictures.

 

Likes may seem like another easy option but sometimes there isn't anything to say if you are looking at a bunch of grey plastic. Despite the ease of clicking I actually like the like system, it's encouraging to see the little bell with a one next to it when you log in and when trying to get a project completed.

 

And lastly, as I said before, getting back to the main op post and support other people's project threads. This will help you become more recognised in the community and increases the chances they will check out your thread. Don't pimp your stuff in their thread just encourage them and open a dialogue, it's one of the advantages of having a community like ours. People may have their differences and varying opinions but at the end of the day we are all like minded people who just want to share our love of the hobby. You might not become an over night mega star of the hobby but if you are patient you will become recognised and supported, just don't give up as there are plenty of us willing to work with you here at the B&C.

 

If anyone does get truly stuck I'm usually around most days so drop me a PM and I will gladly do what I can to help.

I don't post a ton either unless some specific issue really has my blood up for good or for ill (I went a bit nuts a few weeks ago about the plague of using averages instead of distributions when doing mathhammer which was a bit much). I would say, in general don't worry about it. Say what you want or don't say what you want as long as it isn't too negative and disruptive. I will defend to the day I die the combi-flamer, flamer, heavy flamer msu Sisters squad doubled up in a Rhino. I know it's worse than what the meta demands and it doesn't really fit into competitive play, but it's the best. For gaming, just convey your experiences. For modeling, I don't use B&C much but instead a local gaming forum, but I post up everything I finish and don't worry about it. Just do what you want, whether that's lurk or post things that seem off from what's "right."

I find that instead of saying "that's cool" all the time or just slapping the like button, it helps if you pick out something specific and comment on it. I've always looked at comments as a way to both give praise and also offer some constructive criticism to help them improve, but over the years of posting on a number of hobby sites I've seen that a lot of people will take any sort of criticism - no matter how constructive or gently it's handled - as you being negative and dumping on their stuff. It's one of the main reasons why I only do that with folks here that I know are ok with it and why I don't post nearly as much as I used to. 

I find that instead of saying "that's cool" all the time or just slapping the like button, it helps if you pick out something specific and comment on it. I've always looked at comments as a way to both give praise and also offer some constructive criticism to help them improve, but over the years of posting on a number of hobby sites I've seen that a lot of people will take any sort of criticism - no matter how constructive or gently it's handled - as you being negative and dumping on their stuff. It's one of the main reasons why I only do that with folks here that I know are ok with it and why I don't post nearly as much as I used to. 

 

I'm out of like but know that I totally agree on the first part of your post. ^^

And yeah more and more people are like that. Doesn't stop me from offering feedback at least once on their work. If they respond negatively about it or with "yeah whatever I won't change it" or something like that it'll be the last time I commented in that thread and that's it.

I find that instead of saying "that's cool" all the time or just slapping the like button, it helps if you pick out something specific and comment on it. I've always looked at comments as a way to both give praise and also offer some constructive criticism to help them improve, but over the years of posting on a number of hobby sites I've seen that a lot of people will take any sort of criticism - no matter how constructive or gently it's handled - as you being negative and dumping on their stuff. It's one of the main reasons why I only do that with folks here that I know are ok with it and why I don't post nearly as much as I used to. 

 

I've generally only ever seen positive or constructive feedback given here. Compared to a few other sites I've visited this seems the friendliest, which is why I'm happy to post my own mediocre models here and I'm not sure I would elsewhere. I'd like to improve my skills and it seems there are folks around here with bags of experience and skill and the willingness to share and give advice.

Even here I've seen some pretty destructive criticism which I will always call the person out on, and people getting seriously butt hurt about any constructive criticism. True, the bad stuff is much worse on other sites, but we're not immune to it. 

B&C is Utopia compared to the other forums I'm on (and usually just lurk). Since 30K more or less died this is the only forum I actively participate in. Social media is pretty ridiculous too. I think we're all lucky we've got an established quality community here.

I find that instead of saying "that's cool" all the time or just slapping the like button, it helps if you pick out something specific and comment on it. I've always looked at comments as a way to both give praise and also offer some constructive criticism to help them improve

Very much this. A lot of the time it's difficult to muster more than a 'that looks good', honing in on a specific really helps.

 

As someone who doesn't manage to update his log as much as in the past it's nice to get something a little more substantive than a like (though those are appreciated, don't get me wrong!) to help still feel like part of the community.

 

Constructive criticism I'll usually only offer if I feel like the poster can do better or if they've solicited it.

B&C is Utopia compared to the other forums I'm on (and usually just lurk). Since 30K more or less died this is the only forum I actively participate in. Social media is pretty ridiculous too. I think we're all lucky we've got an established quality community here.

Reddit 30k is actually the biggest 30k forum IMO, but it does have more toxicity than this forum which is, like you said, a Utopia compared to other forums out there. 30k Facebook groups are even bigger than both reddit and B&C, but are also exponentially more toxic. Facebook is the last vestibule where being a narrow minded toxic asshat is fully accepted and expected when it comes to this hobby.

 

The Heresy30k forum has pretty much died like you said, but it was never a whole big thing to begin with, it was always 15 people or so that were the high users, and most seem to have gone elsewhere. I still frequent it, but like OP, I just don’t post there any more. Penddraig is still the best!

 

And I guess that’s what my point to OP is. Really you don’t need to interact to be part of the community. Iv go to all those places Iv mentioned earlier, but B&C is the only place I post since it’s the only place I can have a reasonable back and forth with other users. If you don’t feel like posting, don’t force yourself. You’re here to have fun and if you make this a chore, then whats the point?

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