First off, I know I could be better about leaving comments. I generally focus on trying to say nice, concrete things about others' posts...and hitting that word count goal. I'm not so good at giving constructive criticism, because I don't want to criticize what others' are doing. I think the only constructive criticism I've given so far this class was reminding someone that "Google" doesn't count as an image source...so the biggest thing I could do to improve the comments I leave is try to find nice, friendly ways to say more than just what positive things in the post struck me as cool or interesting or especially creative.
For comments on my own posts, of course I like reading what works well for people, especially if it's when I've tried some storytelling technique different from my usual. :) It's helpful to know when these things actually end up working well! There hasn't been a whole lot of constructive criticism, but what people have posted has been good for learning formatting and such that makes for easier reading. It's definitely something I should think about more when I'm preparing blog posts. The most engaging comments are from people who have clearly taken the time to read and think about the posts, and who let their personalities and reactions come through in their comments.
Hey, I wanted to let you know that I have appreciated the comments that you've left on my stuff! They have been well thought out and meaningful.
ReplyDeleteA tip for leaving constructive criticism on posts that doesn't hurt people's feelings is to do what I like to call "sandwich comments"!
To do a sandwich comment, you put a compliment (or a couple of compliments), a constructive criticism (or a couple of criticisms), and then ANOTHER compliment (or a couple.)
So: compliment+criticism+compliment = sandhich complimenting!
I do the same thing! I focus on the word count rather than the content. I feel horrible doing it, but sometimes I'm rushing. I need to focus on setting time aside for writing really good constructive criticisms. You've always been helpful in your comments. Honestly, I don't feel like my writing is being belittled when you analyze it. You provide really good feedback that helps me make better choices when writing. It's awesome!
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