User blog comment:Princess Callie/Why you shouldn't feel bad about criticism/@comment-25052433-20140726180927

I also love constructive advice, or, as I like to think of it, useful feedback. However, this is where I can see the problem, and yes, since this obviously comes up enough to justify a blog, it is a problem. People, especially of the internet generation, have forgotten what tact is.

Yes, tact, that age old ability to conduct yourself with dignity and candor, without coming across as a rude and apathetic.

Constructive criticism is easily defined as rendering feedback about the given subject, pointing out flaws and making suggestions that when applied, would improve the situation.

Now, we of course live in a digital world, where no one really has to be accountable for what they say and do. What that has bred, is an entire group of individuals who can speak without concern about repercussions for their words. That has led to a generation of people that feel that insults and constructive criticism are the same thing, which they are clearly not. However, this doesn't stop them from slamming someone's efforts, and then becoming defensive when the slammed individual reacts in a negative way. The insulter tends to respond by demanding that the insulted individual should simply "suck it up" instead of actually making an attempt to communicate with the person. They more or less make themselves into martyrs by being totally rude and tactless, then demanding that they "are just trying to help."

Pointing out flaws is easy to do with tact. Grammar errors are black and white, and need no real dialogue besides suggesting a couple of ways to improve upon said grammar.

Where I have an issue is when people attack content. Now, obviously there is content that is simply bad from the get go. Some people just simply cannot write well. That is fine...I can't work on car engines or play water polo, it's simply not a skill I have.

However, there are times that stories that were worked hard upon and followed through the site rules, that still get slammed, simply because some MOD on this site doesn't personally like the content.

Words like cliché are thrown around, but cliché is a catch all term for the most part. After all, just about anything can be labeled as cliché if you go by the Webster definition.

Cliché is defined as: a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought.

So, by that logic, Jeff the Killer is cliché. Deformed man killing people...hmmm, Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Leatherface....need I go on. So, let's be glad that when JtK was originally posted, some MOD with a god-complex didn't come around and delete it because it was deemed to be cliché, or otherwise, we wouldn't have one of the most influential and respected stories on this site.

So, since this is starting to turn into a blog rather than a response to a blog, I will wrap it up here with a few points of advice for all of us.

1. Constructive criticism and insults are not the same thing. Don't confuse the two.

2. Cliché is a blanket term and needs to be viewed with caution. What's cliché to you may not be to me.

3. To some of the MODs: Please try and remember, we do not write these stories for you. We write them for everyone.

4. If anyone found this offensive, please believe that isn't my intention. I don't write posts simply to inflame people's temper. However, this blog was posted to the public for the public's review, and this is my review.

5. Finally, whether you are a MOD or a first day user, remember, this site is a community and only functions when everyone words together. This site wasn't built by 12 Moderators, it was built by a community of writers who love this genre.