I am one of the regulars here and so as not to offend anyone personally I wish to remain anonymous. I wanted to point out that there is a trend of thanking people for commenting on your images. When you make a comment and you thank the person for commenting it makes it seem like you are almost paying the person for their comments. When I receive a thanks on my profile I feel like my comment has been cheapened to a consummer product and I feel like never commenting on that user's images again.

Everyone has experienced the joy of having your image being appreciated and knows that you are always grateful. You do not need to post a 'thank-you' everytime you receive a comment. It only leads to oversaturated profiles where the person who posts the most comments receives the most "thanks". The profile page is there for an appriciation of the artist himself not of the singular feedback they give. Sure you can thank them for their comments on your images, but do you really need to do it 50 times? All that is needed is a "Thanks N for all of your wonderful and thoughtful comments on my images. I really appreciate your time and consideration." To me, I find that much more genuine and encouraging than "Thank you for your kind words on N!" Then you have people thanking people for thanking them, "Thank you for thanking me for commenting on your image!!"

Bottom Line: Don't make your gratitude an annoyance.

I tend to agree. I've been thanking everyone out of politeness, appreciation of the comments, and because I saw that was the norm on the site. However as of late, I just can't find the time to go to each person's profile and post a thank you.

I think it would be good if we get a general agreement, that we are all grateful of the comments posted on our images and leave it at that.

I have the time ,and i thank and support everyone I know a little bit on this site.When I have to say something or explain something or disagree with some rules of behaviour I say it in my own name but not anonymous. If everyone is of the same opinion about thanking than make a rule of it.

I have nothing against the "thank you's", and I certainly don't think it's an annoyance, but I really don't have the time to go around posting a thank you for every comment on every image of mine. If you have the time, you are more than welcome to still post thank you's.

I think what our "anonymous" friend is trying to say, is that it shouldn't be taken too far e.g thanking for each image on which the user commented. Rather one thank you for all the comments would suffice. If there is something exceptional about the comment the person made, that's something totally different.

Also, from my experience, it seems that if you don't thank people in their profiles, they tend to ignore your images, and don't bother to comment on them anymore. Or am I the only one noticing this?

People have to understand that we have lives and obligations outside of Caedes.net. Some of us have large galleries we have built up during our time here and that can add up to a lot of comments per day that we get. If we took the time to thank everyone for each comment on our images, we wouldn't have the time to create something new for us to share with everyone.
I only comment on images when I see the need to, but I do view & vote on every one.
When something I have wrote in a image's discussion makes a difference in the artist and their future works, I appreciate the thanks, But I don't expect a thanks for just telling the person that I like their art.

Perhapse we should instead encourage "thanks" to be given via the PM system instead of Profile page comments?

I just wanted to thank Andynonymous for bringing this up...

;-)

Seriously though, I can see your POV, but I think it depends on the person. Personally I love getting thankyous in my profile, mainly because it lets me know that the person has seen the comment. If I comment on someones works for a while and never hear anything bakc, I tend to stop, not out of spite but because I think they just aren't seeing/reading my comments so I feel there is little point in doing it. Also I am always certain to thank those members that I know well for their comments, and I feel it would be a bit rude to only repsond to those people I know and ignore everyone else... if you prefer just to get one acknowledgement from an artist, let them know; something like "You're welcome! Please don't feel obliged to thank me for my comments..." would suffice. No big deal.

Finally, someone with my POV. Thanks Samatar, you are so good at expressing my thoughts;-)

After reading the above comments, I am a bit disturbed. One of the nicest things about Caedes.net is the level of communication that Caedes himself has put into this website. It is very user friendly & people friendly. Are we so busy that we can't take time to say 'thanks'. I do not take it personal if someone does not thank me for taking the time to comment. Why do we have comment areas,if we are too busy to write a quick note of thanks? I am not here for praises, I am here to learn & in the process of "too much thanking", I have made some beautiful friends. I deeply appreciate anyone who has left a comment on any image of mine & anyone who has written in my profile.Actually, I appreciate everyone who has contributed anything to this site & helped to make it what it is today! Can we afford to not be nice? I think not! Let's be nice to each other... we are all in this together! Signed, Mimi

Agree with your very good explanation,Mimi.

Agree with Caedes.

When i have to say something ,i say it in my own name,Mr.Andynomous.

But out of prudence I thought it might perhaps be best not to say it in my own name. Since there are so many people who do the over-thanking thing I did not wish to offend anyone. I didn't wish to make the people who have thanked me to feel akward or anything and that is why I choose to do it under an anonymous name.

I would really hate to see this go to pm's. I think it is up to each individual to decide whether or not to thank people for taking the time to comment. I love getting thank you's on my profile page but I am not offended if I don't. Maybe Andynomous if this is something you don't like, let people know or LOL don't look at your profile page. Besides getting thank you's I also get answers to questions I may have asked.

I never get comments from you anyway:-)

Everyone may have its own opinion, but you mustn't do it anonymous for you are a frequent visitor. Are you afraid to speak in public, it is only a discussion board.

Yes, I am terrified.

Yes, I think that PMing the thank yous would be better.. good idea.

My idea it is cowardly!

lol, Johanna... You were actually the main reason I posted anonymously. You seem to be the person who started the trend and I did not wish to offend you. I was just kidding when I said I was terrified. Since you really are eager to know my identity... here I am. =)

How dare you take credit for being me!? Who is this "Beowulf" guy anyways?

What are you talking about? Of course I'm you. Who else would I be?

Sheesh, people. You make it sound as if you DON'T thank someone the sword of justice will descend upon your neck.

I enjoy reading comments, getting them, and also writing them. It keeps what could be an impersonal site a bit more neighborly. I don't dislike someone for NOT thanking me, etc., and besides, you can always remain anonymous by not making any comments in the first place.

I think the PM idea is a good one. But I tend to thank people on the discussion of the image itself. It makes it a bit easier, and you can thank more than one person at once. I don't know if that thanks gets noticed though.

Ha ha, this is very funny!!

Agree!! With Crusader.

My new sig!!!

Weighing in- I tend to detail my comments on what I like about a post and why. I havn't left criticisms yet (although i swear I once saw a picture of a tennis shoe sitting on a kitchen table) I just havn't got the guts. I know that the person has seen the comment as soon as they sign in. Sometimes I check the image again after a few days to see if others saw the same way I did. Thanks are not necessary, but if something I said hits home then let me know on the profiles page. But, on the other hand we also have a lot of people for whom English is a second language here and I understand a simple thank you too. Don't like the PM idea, you're more obliged to return a "no,no thank YOU" Most of the time I know your work and you know mine. And Joost I love the new signature, well thought out!

We already have an unwritten rule about thanking. That is if it suits you to say thanks then go ahead, if it doesn’t suit you then don’t. Personally I was bought up to say thank you, I would like to reserve the right to say thanks when I want to.

Well Matt, I will continue to thank you for any comments you leave unless specifically asked not to!!! Agree with what Tracy says, the whole discussion is out of hand..we must have too much time on our hands! Who is going to get me if I do/don't,profile/PM someone...Caedes himself? Life is too short to sweat the small stuff and it is all small stuff!! trisbert, my Mom would reach up & smack me right out of her grave if I wasn't gracious & didn't thank people! We don't want that!!!...lol POI:, if a note is left on the image itself, there is a great chance (95% or higher), that I would never see it. I belive that thanks are a personal thing, nobody is obliged to do it..lot's of guests don't, so what is the big deal all about? Joost, love the new sig! Good job.

Well, here goes. I agree with all who state that Thank you's are important and like Robert, was certainly raised that they count! However, to each his own. I personally feel I WANT and not need to thank those who took time to leave comments. It is an extra courtesy and doesn't really take all that much time unless you type with one finger. Even then, most would understand any handicap there as we must the language barriers as well. The time excuse doesn't really fly with me given the amount of time one may spend on creating, posting, viewing, and voting.
I have long wondered the best place to say thank you and for me it narrowed down to the profile pages unless I've been specifically asked a question on the image page. When thanks are left on the image page, that requires a great number of subscriptions just to go back and get a thank you. So, yes, I do miss those particular thank yous and probably do not hear from folks I'd like to sometimes. Very few thank yous do not include something personal that means something to me. I appreciate them VERY much. I will continue to thank based on my belief about doing so. I will not quit nor hold grudges because I haven't had one in return. Same goes for comments. I leave far more than I ever receive. That's just the way it goes, but I feel better when I allow you to be you and me to be me. If you want me to quit, a simple PM will do it. I can keep a list, no problem.
I don't really know what Caedes had in mind for this site when it began, but I do get the feeling sometimes that he wasn't expecting it to be so personal. I find this almost impossible when dealing with Artists.

Clarification:

By no means am I against thanking. I am getting the impression that because I point out that it is unnecessary and possibly over doing it to individualy post a thanks for each and every comment some one gives you that I am anti-gratefulness.

I for one am guilty of the thanking issue. I think you have to take in consideration
the individual.I thank people for kind words to my art becouse that is the way I was
raised.For me it is an issue of politness.I was always taught to reward a kindness
with a kindness.My words are ALWAYS genuine.

Yes, that is exactly what I am criticising here. I hate politeness. ;-)

I think you guys are missing my point. Gratitude is essential for good upstanding men and women. When I say "too much thanking" I don't mean too much gratitude. An example of what I am talking about would be if two people are talking and everytime the one person opens his mouth and says something the other person says "thank-you for saying that". I think that is over doing it. You are still genuinely grateful, but just are not thanking them for every sound that comes out of their mouth. Perhaps my point is invalid and doesn't apply to the situation, but I thought I would mention it.

My other main point is (and this is the part that I think is the most irksome) is that people shouldn't use the profile page to do the thanking. When I go to a profile page I want to see, for the most part, input on what people think about the artist. I think that is why there is the comment box on the profile page. The problem is that with all the thank you notes left on the profile page they all get drowned out in the sea of thank you notes. I think Caedes' suggestion that we use the PM system to thank people is a much better idea.

Peace.

I don't agree at all Mr. Andynomous!!!

What don't you agree with? I made two points. I'm not sure I agree with the first one myself. As for the second one... what do you disagree with?

If this is the case then the links would definately have to be changed. When you click the name beside the comment that should link to the PM not the persons profile page. Or, provide a PM link straight from the comment itself. This would save jumping around and going straight to the place you want. The link name is for PM and the icon could be the profile page?

I say at all.

And now for me the discussion is closed Mr.Andynomous!! Or change the rules.

No need to get worked up about it. This is on the discussion board so we can have fruitful discussions. I am not condemning anybody, just making a comment and suggestion. I think you are taking this a little too personally. Sorry if I've offended anybody.

I'm sorry. This all seems so rediculous to me. If you don't want to thank someone, don't. It's as simple as that. A person's profile is just that. If one happens to receive many thanks, it's because that person justly deserves them (if not many more) and has given usually far more than ever received. I think that's quite a compliment to one's profile and quite a credit to what is uniquely artistic about someone. In my book, there's no such thing as too much goodness in someone. I'd rather have them on my profile page than to subscribe to every image I comment on and go back to check for thank yous though I give KUDOS to anyone who thanks ANYWHERE! There are many times I don't know I've been thanked because of this personal choice and that's my problem if I choose to make it one, but that certainly is not going to determine whether I ever thank someone I've never heard back from unless I've been specifically told not to in a polite PM. The image page to me seems a better place to discuss someone's talent and the profile to exemplify someone's character. If anything is ever decided here, I'll certainly go with the flow as long as it includes the thank yous. No matter where they end up.

lol, I'm beginning to agree bjb. This is ridiculous. =)

I agee BJ .

I thought the whole point of the comments section was for other users to offer advice on the pics that you post not to get Thank you's posted on their profile page.

Are you speaking of the comments section on the image page itself? That, I agree with, but then what is the profile page for?

I have to agree with mimi's first comment about the communication that this site has. and my personal view is that if your one that likes and has time to thank everyone that complents you then you just go ahead. Now that tends to fall into my cadigory since i dont get too many comments since i dont have that many images. But I dont usually thank EVERY SINGLE person that leaves a comment on a message board of mine unless ya know I really appreciate the comment and if i have something to say, add, dis/agree, or answer.

hmm, i agree/ disagree with everyone lol. I know I dont say thank you alot, and I do feel guilty for it, but I would if I had the time. I enjoy the thank yous that I get for comments I make. This site is an online community. Saying thank you makes it as much of an online community as refering to people by their real names rather than their screen names. I dont think people are thanking for "commenting" but rather in a way, thanking for noticing and appreciating their work enough to stop and take the time to write something on it.

Well said noobguy haha im just kidding, Anthony.

Oh and btw, I do appreciate the time Joost takes to try his best and make everyone feel important. Even though it highly resembles spam :-p

50 posts in 2 days... Now that's a hot topic.

I just read found this post and read all these comments and I definitely see a lot of valid points. I can certainly understand the notion that a profile page should be a good place to see what people think of an author and that the large number of thankyou's many of us receive there make it difficult to spot the posts that may be more of a review of the artist, etc. It's a difficult problem but I thought I'd make the one suggestion I can think of for dealing with it, since I think many of us will always enjoy the giving and receiving of comments and thankyou's.

Would it be possible to create a thankyou page for each user in addition to the profile page in a future Caedes update? This page could be available to public viewing and accessible from the profile page. The link that appears next to comments made by a user could lead to the thankyou page instead of to the profile (and the thankyou page could contain a link back to the user's profile page). The thankyou page could contain user information at the top just like the profile page (since some people may click on the username next to a comment just to find out a little about the person who made the comment). Perhaps if that were implemented all the comments currently in user profiles could be placed in the new thankyou page, and users could make future comments about the artist on the profile page and make any thankyou's on the thankyou page. I'm not sure if that is a tall order from a programming or server standpoint but it seems that it would allow those who want to thank a perfect place to do it, while still leaving each user's profile page navigable with only artist reviews, etc.

In the meantime, I will continue to thank users on their profile page (since doing it on the image page seems less likely for them to receive the thanks and PM's seem a bit excessive for simple common courtesy). When I answer a question about an image I tend to do it on the image page for the benefit of everyone, and include in my thanks to the user who asked the question the fact that the answer is available on the image page.

Does anyone else think that a separate thank you page would be a good idea?

Also, I don't mean to put any pressure on you with the idea Caedes, just thought it might present a happy medium if it was possible someday down the road~

Josh

Very good idea Josh!! Man you're a smart guy with this and your pictures.

I see it takes a Southern boy to speak some sense, I think Josh's idea has some merit.

-Piner-

Hey Josh, I agree with you, this could help both sides.

To those who have not thanked me....
who are you?!?!?
I have never really stopped to notice - I just enjoy reading anything anyone wants to type to me, feel good, and go off and make more art.
At different stages of "membership" of this site I think people go through stages.
I'm in the "hey, someone wrote me! yay!" stage.
IMHO, this good feeling precludes the "hmmm, "x" never did reply to my explicit critique and insightful deconstructions!" response....
LOL
Let the site evolve. If Josh's suggestion is workable it might prevent mega-profiles. As would "pages" for profiles (archiving the oldest comments).
But as some others have said, the thankyous are a nice part of caedes, I like reading them and I want to still have somewhere to post them.

.... thankyou!

LOL

Just helping you make your case Mum.....

I like Josh's idea. It will solve most of the problems, and the people that don't want to wade through "thank you's" in someones profile wouldn't have to.

JOSH IS AN AMAZING GENIEUS (i think thats how u spell it) HE SHOULD BE PRAISED AND I THANK HIM FOR MAKING ME A BIT SMARTER TODAY...Okay, all praising aside, I think this is a great idea, I really think that it would be impossible to unify every single person and make them not send thank you's, people would still send thanks, out of human nature.

For instance, If someone joins the day after we make an "agreement" how are they gonna know that they can not send thank you's, and even if someone does inform the person that joins,that would be weird............Pretend you are a new user, someone sends you a personal message saying, "Welcome to caedes.net, I would like to inform you of a rule we have here, You can not say thank you" Don't you think that that is odd?