Question for New Users

Much appreciated Colleen   It surprises me the number of people who feel they're not qualified to comment though.  I know we're often asking for more in-depth comments, but what we really mean is "I like the sound of this phrase" or "that image doesn't quite work for me" rather than "this is awesome" or "this is crap".  It is just as important to tell someone what you don't like as what you do -- perhaps even moreso, because it's often about trimming away the fat (or telling someone to stop using such silly big words). 

Emailing is really nice and I'd never suggest anyone stop doing that, because I don't think there's a writer alive who doesn't like to know if someone's liked something they've written.  The reason I would prefer to see more comments on the actual site is because it often stimulates discussion and gets other people involved.  Sometimes if you're not sure what a poem is about, another comment might give you a clue, or the author's reply might help you.  What I would desperately love to see though -- above all else -- is people replying to the comments they receive, whether it's on site or via email, because it's that interaction that keeps the site alive.  This might seem selfish, but think about it:  if you spend time commenting on people's work and you never hear a word of thanks or acknowledgement from them, why would you do it again?