Is this really a tattoo forum?

[slicksteel]

on that note I hate plastic based ink!superiors realy sucks! but hey I am sure it works for some people thoe just not for me!

[fkirons]

And if you are hurt then you just heard the truth

[gangstajay]

alie hit the nail on the head.. but it is one thing to give an honest critique, it is another to just rip someone like telling them they suck ass, they should cut there hands off...etc. if they are working in a shop and trying to progress just my 2 cent

[gangstajay]

that is fucking funny as hell

[hendricksonart.com]

hey thanks for the compliments, critiques are a strange breed I am on websites that are suppose to have them and people still don't do them. I have had art teachers that would just let me have it, as well as mentored by some great tattoo artist that were more then honest with my work. I definitely think a second set of eyes helps in every way regardless of there skill level and yours. I see things in tattoos that I would possibly change that my self couldn't touch as a whole piece. I came on here to learn about rotarys but quickly noticed a few things about this site that seemed different.

[Inkslinger]

THAT is why I joined this forum, the people are great. I've been on other forums where it seemed like people and "artists" just sat there waiting to POUNCE on someone and/or their work.
It's a llllll good here. LOVE this site and the people.
Russ

[Mr.Taboo]

The section to post if you're lookin' for critiques is : C'mon! Tear Me a New One! -Tattoo-Gallery-Critique
It's members only so you don't have to worry about a customer wandering in seeing the critiques and goin' " OMG these guys think my tattoo is less than 110% perfect what'll I do ".

One of the reasons I stayed after my first few visits here is the lack of egos/rockstars just people with a common interest and a desire to make themselves better.
The critiques I've seen have been legit and not the "you suck" , "stop tattooing" crap but genuinely helpful things regarding application and techniques.

[Administrator]

There has been talk of locking down even more of the site down the road. for now only about 30% of it is visible to the public but mostly to help people find the site.

[Cyberitual]

Is it possible to have a referral system for current members? Where a current member can make accounts for there referrals with no admin approval. Then for non referrals have one open thread to the public to introduce themselves with a link to there personal promotions or there work, and have a member voting system to vote in those prospective members? 5 votes total? Could make for a more interactive introduction for current members with the new prospects and generate a warm welcome or possibly a definate cold shoulder. Would that be more work for you or help you out in the long run if all that were possible? That way you can lock her down.

[Alie K]

I'd much rather not do any of that. I personally like that I have control over my forum, and for the most part, who is on here. I have some help from people I trust to weed out spammers and non-professionals from causing the rest of the members (and myself) headaches. To be honest, and no offense to anyone, but the last thing I'd want is for members to refer their buddy, who refers their buddy, who refers their cousin who knows a guy who just made a machine out of a hairdryer motor and wants to find out a little info here and there on how to use it.

It's way easier for me to deny a potential member from the start, rather than having to weed through posts that people are alerting me about and deleting problems which potentially can 'break' the forum, meaning I have to contact my hoster, and hope he's not trying to have a nice quiet weekend so that he can fix my broken mess of a website.

Also, locking down too much of the website is totally going to screw with the SEO that I'm trying to maintain, which attracts new members who use google to find answers to rotary machine questions. There's not a lot of info available to the general public on here. If you are unsure of where to post that is not visible to the public, check out this thread.

Thanks for your ideas on trying to improve the forum experience, but unless it's a VB app (that is preferably free as this software and licensing cost me enough money already) I don't think I'll be changing anything anytime too soon. I have had members make some very interesting suggestions, some I've taken to heart, some are just not practical.

Thanks again,
-Alie