Forum Guidelines

This document serves as strong advice on taking part in discussions on this forum.

I really want to create a positive atmosphere here at Studio Legenda. If you’re a maker (of maps, worlds, or a creative in any other way) you want feedback.

But, sharing your work can feel like you’re exposing yourself. One can feel vulnerable sharing one’s work, one’s baby, to the world. Especially online.

The Studio Legenda Forums are moderated with these guidelines in the backs of our heads. So please take heed and give this a read.

Now, feedback is not always easy to receive. It’s not always easy to give, too. These guidelines aim to give you a handle on how to give and receive feedback in a constructive way.

Giving Feedback

Let’s start with how to give feedback. Because language matters. People will infer a tone-of-voice from how things are written. A simple thing would be to WRITE SOMETHING IN CAPS. We immediately assume something is loud, or yelled, or aggressive even. This even includes exclamation marks!

It’s not about the person

Good feedback doesn’t go on about the person. We do not do personal attacks (ad hominem) here, bear that in mind. Feedback on the person is especially useless when it’s not about physical actions, such as in sports or theater. And we’re critiquing images, mostly.

Even if you think you do, odds are you don’t know the person as well as they do themselves. Especially on the internet. Do not give feedback by suggesting ‘they’ are the problem in any way. Not only is it very personal, it’s also unhelpful: You have no idea of the wider context of that person, and we all contain multitudes.

Basically, this is a good rule of thumb: If you can’t say something in a positive way, don’t bother saying it. You can even write a critique in such a way that the other person can see it positively.

If you really want to mention something about the person themselves, either ask it carefully, or ask them personally and politely.

It’s about the work

Rather focus your feedback on what the person is asking feedback on. Are they asking to respond something specifically? Are they apologizing for certain unfinished details? You can skip those.

Read what the person is saying. I hated it when, back in elementary or high school, when classmates started commenting on half-finished drawings. Saying things were missing that we obviously missing. Anyway…

Write about what you think, how you perceive it. Stay questioning, polite and assume you know nothing. Really, the only thing you do know, is what your senses are telling you. Nothing more. You can make educated guesses, but wrap those up in a proper disclaimer.

It’s about you

Feedback, is about you, the feedback-giver. It’s about what you perceive and how you feel about it (the work displayed). It’s about your experience and how about the other person will perceive you. How do you want that to be? Friendly, professional, or… belligerent? We prefer you choose the first two and leave out the latter.

Let the other person decide what to do with the feedback you give – do not tell them what they must do. What they ought to do. That’s not up to you. Even if you give pushback from the person, let it go. It isn’t the end of the world.

You can only make suggestions, so use your language that way.

It’s also not about you

Nobody knows your credentials and even if you make stark claims, chances are, few people believe you. Too many fibs populate the internet, so don’t assume you get respect just by demanding it. In fact, around here, you’ll probably get scorn, first.

Respect is earned. And we (the mods) rewards good feedback and respectful behavior. And so will people benefiting from good, constructive, positive feedback. Always say something positive about the work your giving feedback on. If you can’t, don’t respond. The world will move on, eventually.

Also, remember the person asking for feedback is going out on a limb. So be thankful they are positing their work. And, if they respond, be thankful they acknowledge your efforts, too.

Receiving Feedback

So how do you get feedback? How do you take it? Do you need a thick skin? Well, you can do without a thin one. Unless you’ve lived under a rock these past decades, you’ll know there are plenty discussions on the internet that can go on forever.

We don’t do that here.

It’s not about you

As mentioned above, good feedback is not about the person making the work. So it shouldn’t be about you. It should be about your work. However, people can feel attacked without the feedback-giver actually saying something about the person.

This is common among artists. Especially if you’ve slaved over your work and are extra sensitive to feelings of inadequacy or a fear of making mistakes. However, one can learn to overcome these feelings and take things more neutrally.

Absorb, reflect…

An important method of going about receiving feedback is, first of all, assuming it’s never personal. The world won’t stop turning. Your family won’t turn their backs on you. Whatever negative feedback you receive is ultimately pointless, unless you decide to do something with it.

That’s really what all comments on the internet are.

Feedback on your work is something you should absorb, take apart, deconstruct for its parts. Reflect on what the person is saying without malice, without malcontent. Assume the person means well, even if the writing comes across somewhat harsh.

(If that writing is harsh – or even against the Forum’s rules – feel free to flag it for moderation.)

See what the person is writing and detach any personal feelings about yourself. Thoughts like “I’m stupid” or “I’ve made something ugly” should be banned. Ignore those voices and compare what that person is saying to your own (non-derogatory) opinion about your work.

…decide

At the end of the day, any received feedback is what you make of it. You can ignore it. You can build upon it. See it as a gift, sadly, some people are just really bad at giving it. But we hope to improve their skills with these guidelines.

There’s a nuance to all of these things. It’s never black and white. Yes, you can ignore feedback. But be polite in your response – and one should respond. It’s the courteous thing to do. Someone has taken time to give you a piece of their mind, and – as per these guidelines – has done so properly, hopefully. Acknowledge that.

Finally

To sum up, here’s a TL;DR list. You’ve scrolled down here, so let me reward you.

• Good feedback given isn’t personal (ad hominem).
• Good feedback given is demure and polite.
• Good feedback given is thankful.
• Good feedback reception is friendly.
• Good feedback reception absorbs, reflects and decides.
• Good feedback reception is thankful.

These guidelines may be updated at a later date. Thank you.

– Sebas