Nestly Rant #1 -
Constructive Comments

Just because I can. D: And I feel better after I've ranted. So I've compiled a bunch of various pet peeves I have on DA that most of us usually have to deal with at some point and can relate to.
Now.. I am not complaining about the DeviantArt site at ALL. I love DA, it's my love. But with every lovable and somewhat popular website, we will always have the crappy people coming along to screw things up. Yep. It happens everywhere and we can't really do anything about it, so we deal with it.
Luckily, this isn't Myspace or some site overrun by n00bs and illiterates. DA is pretty good for finding the witty, creative, expressional people who are fun and nice to talk to. Buuuut, as fortunate I've been to avoid the morons of this site, they still pop up, and here's a few things that just tick me off.

Short Comments

This one doesn't annoy as much as some things, but it's still kinda buggy. I understand when there are people that can't really type well or fast or whatever. But doesn't it kind of annoy you when you submit something your really proud of, made really interesting and worked real hard on, and you get a crapload of comments that only say:
"cute!"
"cool"
"I like it"
OR... dare I say it? '"lol"?!

Sometimes I don't really even care. Because for one, hey, I can just delete it. I don't really need to answer those, obviously. But come on, if you just finished a 5 day painting at school, asked someone what they thought, and all they said was, "cute." Wouldn't you feel discouraged? Artists love interesting comments on their deviations. Something that will make them think, something that will make them smile, or even laugh! And they love (most of them) getting critiques. If you can be helpful to an artist, your helping them improve and grow to be better. You don't have to just be creative with what you submit, be creative with each one of your comments!
Next time you're about to post a short comment like this, think if there's anything interesting you can say about it that would amuse or interest the artist. After all, what's the point of commenting if the artist barely even reads what you've posted?

Faving

I really don't see the point in faving sometimes. It's mostly a popularity thing really. All it takes is a click of a button, so hundreds of people could fav something that's not even that great. It is fun though, and I like the aspect, even though it often gets out of hand.
I've gotten a little over aggravated by some situations with faving, so I can't really talk. XD But it's really not that big of deal. So here's some things I can't stand about faving.

Fav, no comment? - When you see a somewhat popular submission, there will most likely ALWAYS be more favs then comments. That's because people are lazy-asses. Yup. Sorry people, but your lazy!
Have you ever seen a deviation where the artist will post how comments are more appreciated then favs? That's because we like them better. (Most of us, I'd think) Favs are favs. They're just statues marks really. And they take almost zero effort to make. Even the short comments with the occasional 'lol' and 'cool' take more effort then a simple click. That's why I can't stress this enough; Don't fav a picture without commenting! Even if it's a short comment, tell them why you liked it enough to fav it, and then do so. I can get 100 favs but it won't really mean anything to me if I don't hear what people think.
And I don't want to hear the excuse, "Ohhhh, well I fav something so I won't forget where it was! I didn't have time to comment!" Hello! Have you heard of bookmarks/favorites before? I'm pretty sure every internet browser has them, and they only take a couple clicks as well. This is what I do if I don't have time. Just sharing the knowledge. Or how 'bout copying the URL into a word pad or document? Not that difficult or time consuming. I know you've probably faved a picture and then forgotten to ever go back and comment on it. Hmmm? Tell the truth. ;3

Old favs - Kay, this one isn't a big deal. XD But it personally bugs me, so I post it. People who fav really random, old deviations way back in your gallery. This varies on different artists, but for me, okay, I have some really crappy pictures way back 2 or 3 years ago, and when someone favs it, it's almost sort of embarrassing. It's like.. wow, they think my old crap is better then my recent stuff? Have I gotten worse? Fav something I'm proud of! Heh, like I said, not a huge deal, but definitely a good tip. Don't wander waaaay back into someone's gallery and fav something a lot less quality. Usually they'd prefer you fav something more up to date. And if you just so happen to, for some reason, really want to fav it, then comment and explain why at least!

Animations - Flashes have taken over the world I tell you! The WORLD! Well... the internet world at least, and DA is no exception, that's for sure.
People LOVE moving pictures. Yes indeed. Let's say you have a pretty big gallery huh? Like 500 quality pictures, and you have ONE decent flash in there. I guarantee you, that that flash has twice as many favs as any other deviation at LEAST. Heck, it doesn't even have to be DECENT. People will fav any flash if it's at all amusing. Even if it took two seconds to make rather then your best deviation that took over two weeks to finish.
It's sort of sad how out of hand this has gotten, but this just proves more on the laziness thing. It's kind of like, watching TV instead of reading, isn't it? Flashes are more popular then comics and other forms of storytelling pictures because you don't have to do as much. More lazy!
Now now.. I'm not saying don't watch flashes anymore. BAD BAD. No.. then I would have to hit myself with a newspaper. I'm just saying, don't give a flash more favs then it deserves. A lot of people get annoyed with this. It's almost insulting in some cases. I had a friend who submitted a crappy little test button (A clickable flash) that took less then ten minutes to make, (Not kidding, I actually was there helping her with it) and it was her most faved deviation instantly until she scrapped it 'cause it was just so annoying.
Of course, ya look at my most faved deviations and you'll see they're all flashes, even the ones that really suck. So all I'm saying is, before you fav a flash, decide if it really deserves it and you can't go and fav something that's less noticed and higher quality.

Stupid people

Oh my gosh. This list could just go on and on and on for as long as time permits. XD
So to spare you, I will simply break these up into small parts.

OMG first comment! - These people... I am not kidding, annoy.. the crap out of me. o_e So sometimes, with the more popular artists on DA, well, obviously they get a lot of comments and favs. We even have some fans just waiting for the moment they can see a deviation pop up from said artist, so they can jump onto the deviation, take a small peek at it, and chuck their fingers at the keyboard spamming a short, stupid post, simply to gain, 'the first comment'. Dun. Dun. Duuuun.
Now, this happens a ridiculously lot, considering how selfish and utterly annoying it is and people should know this. (Keyword: should)
Basically, when people comment on a new deviation that a popular artist has drawn, they want to do it FAST, so their comment can be on the top; one of the firsts, OR the first. The reason for this is because most people have it so they see the oldest comments first. In a popular deviation, most people see the first comment, therefore, noticing the user. This is bragging, selfish, and annoying as HELL. I often snap at people who do this on my deviations, and so do many other artists. It's just insulting. I have my comments on 'recent viewed first' just because of this.
So before you even think to do this, DON'T! View the artwork a little longer and decide a better way to comment, with something more constructive to say.

Non-Constructive Criticism - These are people who strait out tell the artist, "This is off, this looks bad, and you suck." Take hint buddy, this isn't helpful! It's discouraging, insulting, and annoying!
This can come in all different forms, really. Someone could say something negative about a picture in a friendly manner, but still not be helpful. To avoid having an artist snap at you or get all defensive when you were trying to help, try following these three basic guidelines.

#1-For every negative comment, give two positive comments.

#2-Go into detail with your criticism! I know this may not seem like a good idea, but the more an artist knows how they could fix or make better they're art, the less they can get on your back about it, and understand where your coming from.

#3-Make sure you give helpful hints, if you have any. Before you say, "The hand looks bad." Try, "The hand looks a little off, maybe try pointing the fingers more and making it a little bigger?"
Remember, this is the best way to help an artist and for them to notice you helping.

Annoying Roleplayers - I usually scare these people off or tell them right away because this one gets on my nerves. People who roleplay their characters/themselves out of no where on a deviation or whatever. Usually, I don't know the person, or any of their characters, so I'm confused. And also, they do it in the most annoying way ever. They usually spaz all over the place and try to roleplay themselves with whatever character(s) in the deviation. Most of the time I ignore this, so try to stay away from unnecessary roleplaying.
Also, comments that sound like this: "OMG I WANT THAT (insert accessory here)!!!1! *steals*" And that's IT. It's like, wtf? Okay yeah, good for you pal, I don't really care, give me a comment that's actually worth my time.

Comments Nobody Cares About - I honestly don't get these very often, but I tend to see them a lot. These are comments that just really don't have to do with the deviation, and just want attention/sympathy/praise from the artist.
Let's say the deviation is a picture of a cat, and the artist gets a comment like this:
"I have a cat! His name is Blacky and he likes to climb on counters!" This has nothing to do with the deviation and it just makes you look stupid and A.D.D. (xD Sorry, I couldn't help it.)
This is like, if your flying a kite, and some random person comes up to you and says, "I used to fly kites all the time but it got boring, and then I started playing video games in my basement and eating Pringles-" You get my point? XD
My point is, stay on track when commenting. It's fine to throw in a bit about yourself, as long as your still on the same subject and they show an interest to know more. But make sure you try to keep most of the comments about the deviation and overall subject.

And that is the end of my rant! Hopefully this can give people a better understanding of DA, and the way things really should be; a helpful, motivating, and friendly environment for artists of all kinds. If you do some of the things I have ranted about, no need to get discouraged! Learn from it! Keep trying to put effort into comments and show that DeviantArt can be more then just a popularity contest and an overdramatic show. This is my hope and dream come true, so show some effort and make this site a better place to be!

^_^ Thanks for reading~

<sub>PS- Feel free to spread this journal around and get other people to read it. I just want this site to be more helpful and fun. I appreciate it!

ALSO! A very simalar, well pointed rant about the 'Fav, no comment?' people, in deviation from! [link] Check it out. :3</sub>