poetry with zero replies

[billy]

when the site frist started seldom was a poem left behind when it came to replies.it now seems that some are. and that some point the fact out. because of that i have a rant to expel. why is it that some just put their poems out their without giving a thought to the poetry of others and leaving a reply? i really try to answer as many new poems as i can. but to be honest i'm getting sick of writing 4 replies to a newb because i want to build the site up and they either fuck off without a thank you or simply stay and keep posting without joining in, in a way the site was intended to be used. those poems that get mentioned as to not having had any replies, they're the ones that suffer. penguin's poem about the queen is the poem in question, and he is one of those who actually does take an active part in the site, one of those that deserve a reply. my problem with the request of the poster who asked, why no replies? is just that, why no replies. i'd be fine if someone who littered the site with feedback (good or bad or wrong) like i do asked the question, it begs the question, how many poems have you, has anyone not answered?
at present i'm up to my eyes answering newbs who generally don't give a fuck. i have to ask; how many days weren't you here? where have you been when all these posts were going unanswered? then we we have rosa and luna c. they join they post their poetry and they take part (thanks girls ) i love it when it happens. but most don't and the few of us who do can't answer every post. so my question is that. why don't those who post three or four poems and reply only to posts on their own poetry, get off your bottoms and give some fuckin feedback, because when someone asks "why has this poem had no replies" i'm the twat that feels guilty and i shouldn't. it should be you. those who post poetry and don't give feedback, they're the reason why poems have no replies.

to those like rose love and luna c, this poem is in no way about you. it's about the leeches who join a site simply to feed off it before leaving.
i'm sorry if i've pissed any one off..(well i'm not really, i'm lying when i say i am but i feel obliged to) what do others think? what do some of those who post 3 to 10 poems and leave no reply think?

ps, this thread can be for any site rants about poetry here and anything connected with it.

on another note i read two posts in the what has poetry done for you thread. another place most newbs never visit. and i have to say the posts in question were excellent. whoever posted them should feel well pleased with themselves. prime examples of how to take part in a site like this.

[Rose Love]

I have a thought about this.

I have been watching you diligently reply to everyone, and I have noticed at least one person in particular you keep replying to who keeps posting up new poems time and again without ever interacting with anyone else on the site in any way, as if it were some free service for this one person. I have been thinking or waiting for you to stop replying to that person's poems.

I would suggest that after a certain number of poems posted by a person, if you can see they are not interacting or participating on the site, you might consider ignoring further poetry posts by them and just respond to new ones and ones by "old" members with 0 replies on them.

Socializing may not be the main point of this particular forum, but...I think online forums are usually, if not always, created with a social aspect in mind, and if someone is just going to come here, post poems, take feedback and not talk to anyone otherwise, then there is no community, and maybe they are not interested in poetry enough, or maybe their interest is purely self-centric. Maybe they should just go away and take a creative writing class instead.

[rowens]

Now, I can't see but half the screen. I can't read anything all the way through. I tried to reply to Penguin's last poem four times before any of my replies appeared on screen at all. It still said 0 replies. Then later, my first and last replies showed up, and I wondered if the thread wasn't working. So I kept trying to "bump" it. It finally worked. I still can't read the first half of the poem because of the malfunction on my side. But all my other recent posts went through. I saw Penguin had commented on many poems, and his poem had meanwhile been buried, so I thought it needed "bumping".

[Leanne]

Please do bump any poems like that -- thanks Rowen. There are thousands of poems on the site and old ones deserve attention too. I have little to add to billy's rant because we've been over the same stuff so many times, and yet there are always people who want to take advantage of others without bothering to get involved in the site itself. We mods have a few names for those types... but the one that keeps coming up is "attention whores". Leaving a one-line generic comment on one poem just so you can post your own is NOT how it ought to work either. If you don't feel up to giving a detailed critique, at least leave some honest thoughts to show that you have read the poem and genuinely considered it. If you can write poetry, you can bloody well read it. It's not difficult, it's basic good manners.

Having said that, seeing new people who do use the site as we intend it to be used gives me many warm fuzzies. Thank you to Rose, Luna, cidermaid and anyone else I've missed who has recently joined and is playing the game as it should be played.

[Rose Love]

Having said that, seeing new people who do use the site as we intend it to be used gives me many warm fuzzies.

Warm fuzzies? Are they cute? They sound cute...

[Leanne]

Oh yes, they're very cute. They fart rainbows and everything

[Rose Love]

Oh yes, they're very cute. They fart rainbows and everything

Huh, I didn't expect that...
I'll have to get me some warm fuzzies too. After all, I can't have enough "cute" in my life.

[billy]

I have a thought about this.

I have been watching you diligently reply to everyone, and I have noticed at least one person in particular you keep replying to who keeps posting up new poems time and again without ever interacting with anyone else on the site in any way, as if it were some free service for this one person. I have been thinking or waiting for you to stop replying to that person's poems.

I would suggest that after a certain number of poems posted by a person, if you can see they are not interacting or participating on the site, you might consider ignoring further poetry posts by them and just respond to new ones and ones by "old" members with 0 replies on them.

Socializing may not be the main point of this particular forum, but...I think online forums are usually, if not always, created with a social aspect in mind, and if someone is just going to come here, post poems, take feedback and not talk to anyone otherwise, then there is no community, and maybe they are not interested in poetry enough, or maybe their interest is purely self-centric. Maybe they should just go away and take a creative writing class instead.

i find it hard to let any poem pass by without leaving feedback but now we have lots of members who do post poetry and also post replies, i find that sometimes they're the ones i don't get round to as much. i mainly respond to the newbs in the hope of engaging them. i know how hard it is when you first join a new site. i'm just getting pissed at the moment because we have a fair few newbs where it's plain to see, they aren't interested in sharing in anything but their own work.

socialising is a main part of this forum, it's about doing what you've done in the short time you've been here. whether it's socialising through feedback, poetry or just chewing the fat is fine, we just want members to interact. we want people who post poetry to leave replies. we want people who don't post poetry to take part in discussion or piss about in the pig's arse and sewer. sadly lots of people who do poetry aren't interested in anything but posting their poems.

---

Now, I can't see but half the screen. I can't read anything all the way through. I tried to reply to Penguin's last poem four times before any of my replies appeared on screen at all. It still said 0 replies. Then later, my first and last replies showed up, and I wondered if the thread wasn't working. So I kept trying to "bump" it. It finally worked. I still can't read the first half of the poem because of the malfunction on my side. But all my other recent posts went through. I saw Penguin had commented on many poems, and his poem had meanwhile been buried, so I thought it needed "bumping".

bumping is good. but if possible do it with a response to the poem. i'm presuming you're on a tablet or phone if you can't see the posts properly, we're working on putting up a mobile app that should change that. by the way, you leave responses and feedback so i'm not pissed with you about that i just took it as a personal slight (and yes, i know i shouldn't)

the thing is penguine's got a mouth or keyboard, he's fairly intelligent though it's hard to tell he and everyone else who writes a poem should bump their own poems if they get no replies. so the shout is out to them. bump your poem if you get no replies.

---

Having said that, seeing new people who do use the site as we intend it to be used gives me many warm fuzzies. Thank you to Rose, Luna, cidermaid and anyone else I've missed who has recently joined and is playing the game as it should be played.

yeah to everything that came before the warm fuzz

and i definitely agree with regards to quality members who post in other peoples threads in an attempt to join in. we're one of the few sites of this sort that doesn't have any clique's. okay, there's mark and jack but beside them there are no "special people" except sj in the sewer. don't alienate yourselves by being selfish.

[cidermaid]

Having said that, seeing new people who do use the site as we intend it to be used gives me many warm fuzzies.

Warm fuzzies? Are they cute? They sound cute...

In devonland (Hence the maid in my sign in) They are called Warm and fluffies

---

To all the thread aministrators and to all those who have given me replies...perhaps this will sound like i'm blowing smoke...but I think this is a truly fab site and you all deserve as much praise and encouragment for the work you do as any newb that ever crossed the threshhold.
I am pleased you have posted this thread...although i.m not sure the guilty puppies will ever take a second look at the steaming pile. But for those of us who were feeling a little confused by the feedback ...or lack of...it is a small comfort. Thanks Billy for posting this.
@ Leanne...Your inclusion of my name gave me a def warm and fluffy..was feeling left out ..poor shallow creature that I am! Thanks for the mention in the teachers good books.
If it is not un-pc to mention other sites. I noticed that they operated a lock out system for repeated offenders on thier serious critique thread pages which seams to control the numpties to some degree.

[TwistedAngel]

the sentiment of this is cool an posting is scary enough but critiquing is even scarier an is a skill in its own right
most of us newbies come along an think yeah i'll post wot i got....but then you see this place for wot it is..O M G !!!!
you right it aint a pat on the back site, it is a place to actually improve you writing skills...even the 'poetry exercises' have words that i have never heard in me life before 'meter' 'refraints' etc etc

so we soon find out very quickly we know NOTHING about poetry...ok so we post an we quite rightly need/want to comment on others, but you already say you dont want this to be another 'pat on the back' site..fine..but we dont have the tools or skill set to actually critique proper, so all we can do is say wot we feel..yeah it is in 1 line comments..but now we getting slayed for that !!!!

take a poet here like anyone say cidermaid's poem 'Not Out' posted in the 'Mild Critique' board...how can a newbie possibly give a decent critique of it ? she maybe new to the site but already a very competent writer...unlike most of us. I have read some of Heslopian's poems thats only got 1 comment from billy..an yeah is a shame but how can a newbie follow that critique ? we is like the little bro hiding behind the big bro in a argument about to turn violent shouting from behind our own little digs

learning poetry is a marathon not a sprint somone told me..he's been writing nearly 20 years..for meself just over a year..an i soon realised everythin i wrote is rubbish..cliche an poorly written..wont even go into the appauling grammar an spelling 95% of all members will come a go in under 12 months...just you average forum site life span, of that 5% that stay an try 4% will give up an leave in exasperation 1% will be here for a very long time...rantings ok but maybe look at how to nuture that 4% an be patient with em

[cidermaid]

@ Twisted angel. I hope you can please take some encouragment from this reply. I do not think of myself as an acomplished writer ( I'm flattered ...and a bit stunned that you would think this). Yes I have been writting for some yrs now, but i've lacked the confidence to show anyone. Posting on a forum was the scariest thing i've done in a long time (sad I know!)...But it is also the best thing I have done in terms of moving my writing forward. I wished i'd done it years ago. Like you, I am also extreamly nervous about giving any form of critique...most of the time I'm clueless what to write and then when I go back and look at the other comments I feel so inadequate and incompetant....especially when i seam to get the wrong end of the stick so often.
But...I'm finding that by having the opportunity to read and join in with so many other writers, has restored my passion for writing. Most notably the insight and the inspiration from reading the other comments and comparing them to my own thoughts. Many of the other sites only allow for shallow platitudes and whilst this allows for plenty of the aforementioned warm & fluffy moments in life, it doesn't really move anything forward in terms of developing your craft. I totaly get the point of Billy's original rant, I don't think he was having a go at anyone for thier lack of critique skill or knowledge...I read it as more to do with people valuing the (mostly) unique aspect of this site and being prepared to have a go.
I totaly agree that we are not in a sprint in this enterprise, and you might well be right in your evaluation of the demographics of how a forum operates.... however, i would encourage anyone reading this to give the critique a go. I am finding that the challenge of writing a critique is changing how I approach my own writing and feel that I'm actually improving the quality of my own efforts though reading and critiquing others. Sorry for the verbose reply here...was stuggling to get the right words out! I hope you can see some encouragment in this.

[penguin]

Reciprocation is the rule on many sites - you post a poem and are required to comment on 1,2, 3 others. It seems to me to be a necessary rule, some people being what they are.
Also, reading and thinking about other people's stuff enough to be able to make some kind of intelligent comment can bring some insight to your own.
I would never bump a poem of mine. If people aren't responding then either the poem is no good or too obscure or doesn't appeal to this particular audience or else Prince Phil has put the word out again.

[Leanne]

Blame Phil the Greek, everyone else does :p. I wouldn't bump my own either, for exactly the same reason as you. I just write it off as unappealing and move on.

Twisted Angel, it's not the length of the critique that's irritating, it's the content. We've all been around long enough to recognise the bullshit words that tell us someone's posting a comment just for the sake of looking like they've read the poem, when in fact they couldn't be arsed, they just want to get reciprocal comments on their own. Comments like "great flow" or "I like the message here" on their own are non-specific and non-helpful, because it's obvious they're just stock replies.

I've written one-line critiques myself, and so has everyone else here. If all you can say is "this is great because...", then that's fine -- we just want that specific "because".

If there are things you don't understand, there's no need to try to puzzle them out on your own. We're here to help. We use correct terminology whenever we can because that's how people learn it, but if it needs to be put into simpler terms, we don't always realise until someone asks.

[rowens]

Sometimes we get accustomed to looking at the activity bullentin on the left, and if someone posts a poem and then comments on several threads in the same section, within a day or two their poem might simply be out of sight on the activity bullentin, and to the point where even somebody that checks the site everyday might not see it, unless they check page 2 of a section. Yet they're already seeing all the new stuff. And I doubt most people would bump their own poems if no one comments on them, because it seem pushy. I don't mind seeming pushy, but then again, I'm a jerk.-- I can see things on this phone as it is, but it gets locked on a certain bit of whatever I'm trying to read. It's an old phone.

[Leanne]

Sometimes we get accustomed to looking at the activity bullentin on the left, and if someone posts a poem and then comments on several threads in the same section, within a day or two their poem might simply be out of sight on the activity bullentin, and to the point where even somebody that checks the site everyday might not see it, unless they check page 2 of a section.

I always use the "View New Threads" button at the top of the page, or just look to see which forums have new activity in them. I rarely use the sidebar unless I'm just checking a little while after my last check -- if it's been a day or more, things do tend to disappear off the sidebar so I like to make sure I'm not missing anything interesting.

[Keith]

[quote='TwistedAngel' pid='106376' dateline='1353235969']
the sentiment of this is cool an posting is scary enough but critiquing is even scarier an is a skill in its own right
most of us newbies come along an think yeah i'll post wot i got....but then you see this place for wot it is..O M G !!!!
you right it aint a pat on the back site, it is a place to actually improve you writing skills...even the 'poetry exercises' have words that i have never heard in me life before 'meter' 'refraints' etc etc

This for me sums up why some poeple (myself included) dont comment on some great pieces, but a simple, I like this.....because, is easy and required if you want to engage with the pigs. From what I see the powers that be, do an excellent job of keeping abreast of all comers, new and old, making sure we are involved and supported I started writing poetry 6 Months ago and have recently joined PPP and for me my contract was very clear, in that I am expected to read and reply to other posts and post my own, I see this as a privelage and even though my feedback is mostly shite with limited crits, I am learning. I totally get someone who just wants to join and read poems without posting, when they dont post themselves. But if you do post and only comment on your own posts, then stop it and fullfill your contract we all deserve it.

You can only get so far up your own arse before all you see is your own shit. TOMH

[Leanne]

You can only get so far up your own arse before all you see is your own shit. TOMH

I want this on a bumper sticker

[billy]

Having said that, seeing new people who do use the site as we intend it to be used gives me many warm fuzzies.

Warm fuzzies? Are they cute? They sound cute...

In devonland (Hence the maid in my sign in) They are called Warm and fluffies

---

To all the thread aministrators and to all those who have given me replies...perhaps this will sound like i'm blowing smoke...but I think this is a truly fab site and you all deserve as much praise and encouragment for the work you do as any newb that ever crossed the threshhold.
I am pleased you have posted this thread...although i.m not sure the guilty puppies will ever take a second look at the steaming pile. But for those of us who were feeling a little confused by the feedback ...or lack of...it is a small comfort. Thanks Billy for posting this.
@ Leanne...Your inclusion of my name gave me a def warm and fluffy..was feeling left out ..poor shallow creature that I am! Thanks for the mention in the teachers good books.
If it is not un-pc to mention other sites. I noticed that they operated a lock out system for repeated offenders on thier serious critique thread pages which seams to control the numpties to some degree.

lock outs are okay i suppose but having them creates an us and them atmosphere, and can imply that just because someone can't give really good critique are somehow unworthy. here we encourage newbs to try their hand at such critiques. how else do we learn. it's also why we have the novice and mild forums, they're sort of proving grounds so that people can find their feet. leanne sort's out those who post nothing but sugar kisses.

---

so we soon find out very quickly we know NOTHING about poetry...ok so we post an we quite rightly need/want to comment on others, but you already say you dont want this to be another 'pat on the back' site..fine..but we dont have the tools or skill set to actually critique proper, so all we can do is say wot we feel..yeah it is in 1 line comments..but now we getting slayed for that !!!!

no you're not, not if you give a reason why you feel as you do. "I love how you depict the passion of the man." or "i love it because you make think of my own mother in a fresh light" what we or i don't like is "wow, it's fantastic" or "omg fluff fluff fluff." of course an odd remark like that is fine form someone who usually gives half decent feedback, simply because we can assume when they say it's not just a back slap.

take a poet here like anyone say cidermaid's poem 'Not Out' posted in the 'Mild Critique' board...how can a newbie possibly give a decent critique of it ? she maybe new to the site but already a very competent writer...unlike most of us. I have read some of Heslopian's poems thats only got 1 comment from billy..an yeah is a shame but how can a newbie follow that critique ? we is like the little bro hiding behind the big bro in a argument about to turn violent shouting from behind our own little digs

and what abouit when i get it completely arse over tit? it isn't about following and no one will think bad thoughts, ..i take that back, some will think bad thoughts, usually the ones who post their work and don't give feedback anywhere else. giving feedback isn't a test, it's a courtesy. it's a good deed, it say look, i'm not a leeching bastard with a super ego.

[/quote]learning poetry is a marathon not a sprint somone told me..he's been writing nearly 20 years..for meself just over a year..an i soon realised everythin i wrote is rubbish..cliche an poorly written..wont even go into the appauling grammar an spelling 95% of all members will come a go in under 12 months...just you average forum site life span, of that 5% that stay an try 4% will give up an leave in exasperation 1% will be here for a very long time...rantings ok but maybe look at how to nuture that 4% an be patient with em
[/quote] join the club cos i and many here feel the same way. remember when you took all your poems down, did you think about the time and effort people had put in trying to help, through giving feedback? did you ever think about how reading those replies could help someone else. did you contemplate the fact you also deleted all their poets? and i'm not being nasty, just pointing out that often those who say think about what or how you do things, seldom do so themselves for those who want nurturing, my bosom is always waiting when i say that, i'm being serious. many of the mods when we here are the same. i remember a discussion we had in pm. all people have to do is ask. we also have this forum, the poetry discussion forum, just look at what my rant brought out, look at who posts in it. where are all the newbs. you, cidermaid and rose love. oh and tomh....noty one of those poets who has given no feedback has posted here. and in truth if they fuck off from the site i won't spill tears. if the likes of cider or rose piss off though, because many don't give feedback; then i'll not only shed a tear but i'll be devastated and angry.

---

Reciprocation is the rule on many sites - you post a poem and are required to comment on 1,2, 3 others. It seems to me to be a necessary rule, some people being what they are.
Also, reading and thinking about other people's stuff enough to be able to make some kind of intelligent comment can bring some insight to your own.
I would never bump a poem of mine. If people aren't responding then either the poem is no good or too obscure or doesn't appeal to this particular audience or else Prince Phil has put the word out again.

bump , sometimes it's needed, not because people haven't left a reply but maybe they were away for a day and a half and it goes off the page. leanne is doing school work and isn't here all the time, todd works though he said it wasn't his cup of tea which is fair comment. many aren't here for days at a time. bump it. in fact i'll see about getting a mod specially for the bump. though those who don't leave feedback won't feel a ticklish ginger near their bottoms and that's a facty

---

This for me sums up why some poeple (myself included) dont comment on some great pieces, but a simple, I like this.....because, is easy and required if you want to engage with the pigs. From what I see the powers that be, do an excellent job of keeping abreast of all comers, new and old, making sure we are involved and supported I started writing poetry 6 Months ago and have recently joined PPP and for me my contract was very clear, in that I am expected to read and reply to other posts and post my own, I see this as a privelage and even though my feedback is mostly shite with limited crits, I am learning. I totally get someone who just wants to join and read poems without posting, when they dont post themselves. But if you do post and only comment on your own posts, then stop it and fullfill your contract we all deserve it.

here's the way i look at it. if you do 1 poem and 1 piece of feedback and your poem gets just 2 replies, you're winning. i've had poems get zero feedback and yes i cried, but so what, i'm a little girl . seriously it happens. your attitude is what we like. give and take.

You can only get so far up your own arse before all you see is your own shit. TOMH

and god help you if you're wearing ear rings

[Rose Love]

the sentiment of this is cool an posting is scary enough but critiquing is even scarier an is a skill in its own right
most of us newbies come along an think yeah i'll post wot i got....but then you see this place for wot it is..O M G !!!!
you right it aint a pat on the back site, it is a place to actually improve you writing skills...even the 'poetry exercises' have words that i have never heard in me life before 'meter' 'refraints' etc etc

so we soon find out very quickly we know NOTHING about poetry...ok so we post an we quite rightly need/want to comment on others, but you already say you dont want this to be another 'pat on the back' site..fine..but we dont have the tools or skill set to actually critique proper, so all we can do is say wot we feel..yeah it is in 1 line comments..but now we getting slayed for that !!!!

take a poet here like anyone say cidermaid's poem 'Not Out' posted in the 'Mild Critique' board...how can a newbie possibly give a decent critique of it ? she maybe new to the site but already a very competent writer...unlike most of us. I have read some of Heslopian's poems thats only got 1 comment from billy..an yeah is a shame but how can a newbie follow that critique ? we is like the little bro hiding behind the big bro in a argument about to turn violent shouting from behind our own little digs

learning poetry is a marathon not a sprint somone told me..he's been writing nearly 20 years..for meself just over a year..an i soon realised everythin i wrote is rubbish..cliche an poorly written..wont even go into the appauling grammar an spelling 95% of all members will come a go in under 12 months...just you average forum site life span, of that 5% that stay an try 4% will give up an leave in exasperation 1% will be here for a very long time...rantings ok but maybe look at how to nuture that 4% an be patient with em

I agree about the critique part. I may or may not have something to say that's not positive about someone's poem, but I am easily influenced by others comments too and I think "Hmmm...so-and-so didn't mention this thing, so I guess it's not worth me mentioning it either." Or "So-and-so didn't find any issues with this poem, so this thing bothering me must be my imagination." Usually I start out reading a poem and by the time I get to the end, I can't think even where to begin or how, or if I even should, especially if things I saw nobody else even cared about.

In language (particularly spelling and grammar), I'm a perfectionist, but through my work I learned that everyone else hates a perfectionist, so I leave people alone and let them write how they will (unless I'm doing my job). If I have something positive to say, or something, anything that is not trying to correct someone else's writing/English, then I will.

Concerning "meter" and "refrains"--I don't know about them either. For me there is rhythm and there is rhyme. I guess I learned about meter a million years ago in school, but I haven't a clue... You can either write poetry "by-the-book" or you can write it by your own heart. It's probably best to learn to do both. I find writing "by-the-book" doesn't really serve the main purpose I write poetry for (therapy and processing of emotions), but writing it "by-the-book" can be fun and challenging, if I get the extra time to do that.

Maybe it's better not to start out thinking about meter? But you do need to get a feeling for rhythm and the rhythm of the words as you put them together in the lines and stanzas. That's reflected mostly by deliberately choosing words with the right amount of syllables so the lines and stanza flows smoothly with cadence when you read it.

[Leanne]

Maybe it's better not to start out thinking about meter? But you do need to get a feeling for rhythm and the rhythm of the words as you put them together in the lines and stanzas. That's reflected mostly by deliberately choosing words with the right amount of syllables so the lines and stanza flows smoothly with cadence when you read it.

... which is meter . That instinctive feel for the cadence of a poem is something not everyone has -- you do, I can tell from your writing, but knowing the mechanics of it smooths it out perfectly so that words never jar and detract from the beauty of the poem. Meter means that all your rhymes fall where they should and don't seem artificial or forced, or that your reader can hear the same poem you do. It's useful for any kind of poetry, form or free verse, and it's not just da dum da dum da dum. Meter is present in every sentence spoken aloud -- and poetry at its best should be heard as well as seen on a page.

I make a point of never reading other comments before I critique a poem. I write the critique first, then sometimes I'll go back and check what others have written just to make sure I'm not repeating anything bleedingly obvious. As a moderator, I do need to read comments on as many poems as I can to make sure there are no breaches or issues that need addressing, but so far (for a good few years now) I've managed to keep the two roles separate. I don't care if what I get from a poem isn't the same as the last person and I'm not afraid of looking silly if I get it wrong -- just as I don't really mind if someone reads one of my poems and gets something entirely different from what I intended. Meaning belongs to the reader just as much (if not more) as to the writer. And I definitely don't care if I do or don't like the poem I'm commenting on -- there's almost always something positive to say, and the negatives should be framed as constructively as possible, with suggestions whenever you can think of them (that's not always possible though).

Some people seem to think that reading critically means you have to pick a poem apart and find as many faults as you can. It doesn't. It just means being aware of more than the obvious, looking beyond the literal, being a discerning reader instead of just glossing over and not really taking it in. What is the writer really trying to say? What does it make me think of? Why has that specific word been chosen? How does this affect me as a reader? And so on. It's no different to being discerning about the newspaper really. Critical literacy seems to be something that's on the decline, but The Pig Pen is bringing it back