I believe pretty strongly in the old adage, "if you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all." I don't comment on the majority of the "do I look good" posts, unless there's something truly extraordinary about the person's presentation, and I can genuinely compliment them without hesitation. And if I do feel a need to be critical, and think the poster can handle it, I will focus on one - and only one - detail to comment on. I try to be gentle even then, introducing my suggestions with "maybe you'd like to try ..." or "it's not really my style, but ..." Gentle and slow corrections over a long period of time seems to me to be a more effective and humane way to teach than blasting away with both barrels.
- Diane