Liz, thank you for the below I saw these emails coming through today and they were winding me up. I have had a day of dealing with childish staff and angry clients so I am in just the right mood for this - furious to say the least! OK. I have counted to 10 and taken some deep breaths. It hasn't helped. Some brief comments first: . If you wait for the market to tell you that there is something wrong (i.e. you lose customers and sales) then it is too late . If you can't trust your fellow soap makers to be brutally honest without malice then who can you trust? Your customers are unlikely to tell you. They will just shop elsewhere and tell 10 friends along the way. . Yes, we all have personal preferences. If you don't find out what floats people's boat you will drive customers away. Gina may or may not have learnt that lemongrass is not that popular in this small group of people and may or may not extrapolate that to her general customer base and to those she wishes to attract. . I believe in freedom of expression as long as it is not malicious and deliberately hurtful or is not unintentionally very harmful. . I dislike political correctness. In our society where we give medals just for attending, I find it harmful in the long run. . My opinion is an ....opinion. Take it or leave it. So, can I reiterate that everyone's soap looks freaking amazing. I am in awe of all of you for a) having the time, b) being so creative, c) being intelligent in thinking about the choices you have made when constructing your soap (visual appeal, wholesome ingredients, packaging, scent, etc), d)participating in this experiment and allowing us to comment. I am a very methodical person. I like to itemise, bullet point, progress through stages, pull things apart, analyse and reach a conclusion. I believe a methodical approach gives consistency. I am very particular about some things and not so much about others. I have very strong likes and dislikes, as we all do, and some things I can take or leave. I believe there is a lot of value in the feedback we will be given from our peers. I don't believe my soap is perfect and I would really love your feedback - positive, negative, crazy feedback. I might take that feedback on board or I may not. Mild mannered, polite feedback or comments will be ignored. Are we OK to continue? Finally, Gina - I loved your soap and I am not just being polite or politically correct. So there. Ross (who may have just pissed everyone off) From: soapcraft-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:soapcraft-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Liz Brook Sent: Thursday, 11 March 2010 6:11 p.m. To: Soapcraft Subject: [soapcraft] Soap Swap Comments If the comments are not taken in the vein that they were intended then that is not the problem of the person making the comment. It is not about pulling everyones soap apart - it is about what we liked and what we didn't, and being honest and constructive. There is no point making no comment on the scent - surely the maker would rather know if it was liked or not - I know I would. The purpose is to help us all, take what we want from the comments and leave the rest. For me, I'm looking forward to hearing honest feedback on what you all think. If it is bad, then I will want to see if I can do better, it it is positive then I know I am doing something right. Nothing was meant to hurt. Perhaps we are being a little precious. I'm not happy to continue to comment anymore if this is how people feel. Cheers Liz No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.733 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2733 - Release Date: 03/10/10 08:33:00