Originally Posted by Maia B

Well, in person, things can be said gently, gauging the reaction of the quilt maker, to encourage and guide; or one may be able to see that even honest, gentle, constructive criticism will squash the budding artist, and thus only offer honest praise for what IS right. But online, even totally correct and kindly-phrased criticism can hurt and discourage. Tone, circumstances, so much cannot be conveyed online, so unless someone is asking for an opinion or frank assessment, I either praise what I honestly like, or move on without comment. I LOVE that this board is warm, kind, friendly, and non-judgmental 99.9% of the time. Other boards are not always so, and it's a shame. Let's protect what we are so fortunate to have here.