Re: [Leica] RE: Eric's site & the LUG Gestapo

["Martin V. Howard" <marho@ida.liu.se>]

Stephen wrote:
> 
> I personally find it very amusing  that so many people are upset about
> someone's  honest appraisal of Eric pics.   So what if Becker doesn't
> like the images ?   Becker is still  entitled to have that opinion and
> to be able to post that view without being lambasted for it.

I don't think people are upset about the fact that Becker has an opinion,
nor that he posted his opinion.  I think people are upset (for the want of
a better word) because they see how it could have been done with more tact.


> ANYONE has the right to an opinion on photographs, and has the right to
> express that opinion on the net, or on the LUG.

Of course.  But having that right does not mean that your are exempt from
excerting a certain amount of common courtesy.  This is a public forum,
and the messages posted here will be read by many people.  If someone
invites you to view, judge and critize their pictures, and the only thing
you can think of to say is that they are "unimpressive", you're not being
very constructive.  In particular, there was no rationale presented, only
the conclusion.  As a result, the photographer is no better off than
before, and neither is anyone else.

If Mr Becker had taken the time to write *why* he was unimpressed by Eric's
photographs and *how* Eric might, in Mr Becker's opinion, improved his
photographics skills, the message would have been much more constructive.


> Other factors like experience, awards, LUG
> contributions,  how well someone is liked, what your mother said,  or
> how it will be received by the defenders of Eric,  are all irrelevant
> when it comes down to "Do you like the picture or not?"

Actually, no.  They are exceptionally relevant, because they all play a
part in forming the opinion of whether you like it or not.  By letting
others know what these factors are, presenting the rationale, you allow
others to make up their own minds as to whether they agree or not.  The
discussion becomes more enlightened.


> What about the freedom of speech and the discussion of ideas?

This is *exactly* what is taking place.  Again, that discussion would be
more constructive if people not only stated their opinions of photographs,
but also what helped form those opinions.


> To avoid similar  problems in the future,   please post guidelines of
> what LUG members may or may not write or think.

Yeah, right... ;-)


M.

- -- 
Martin V. Howard, Application Systems Laboratory,     | Now fully
Dept. of Comp. & Info. Sci., Linkoping University,    | Y2K compliant.
SE-581 83 Linkoping, Sweden.  Tel +46 13 282 421,     +----------------+
Fax +46 13 142 231; marho@ida.liu.se; www.ida.liu.se/~marho; ICQ 354739