Lost for words

We went to see Monsters vs Aliens yesterday. It was Amazing, 5/5!

Useful? No.

We went to see Monsters vs Aliens yesterday. In a first for Dreamworks, the sheer quality of the animation matched anything produced thus far by Pixar (with the possible exception of Wall E) making it worth the admission price from the off. As an added bonus, the characters were unique and funky, the voice acting exemplary and the script brilliant. One scene involving the President and his team had so many one-liners and gags that a second viewing will be required at some stage this week to fully appreciate them all. In fact, so packed was the film with adult type jokes that the kids in the audience didn't really get what was going on half the time (until a character would fall over, of course). Amazing film, and a 5/5 from me.

Useful? A bit.

I recently clicked on an entry posted in the last week or so that attracted thirty-seven comments, many of which used the following template:

Adjective + Exclamation Mark + Rating out of 5

The word 'Stunning' was used 8 times, the word 'Amazing' 6 times and the word 'Wow' (technically an interjection, but you get my point) 5 times. In each case, the rating given was 5/5.

Part of what makes blipfoto such an addictive place to be is that there is always something to learn from browsing its pages. The learning experience would be greatly improved however with an understanding of why images that attract a lot of attention are thought of so highly. Amazing! 5/5 doesn't really tell us anything. Why is it amazing? Which aspect of the imagery provided the captivation? If it was the composition, post-production, exposure, idea, contrast or any other of the countless elements to a photo, why not give it a mention?

I'm not suggesting that anyone is doing anything wrong. Rate and comment as you like. I am merely of the opinion that attracting attention to an anonymous ratings system by advertising a 5 vote with a carefully chosen adjective does little more than appear like a self-publicising act, rather than a useful piece of critique. A little extra information may require a bit more thought and time, but would give both the blipper and the viewer an excellent indication of why a particular image has struck such a powerful photographic chord.