Not an attempt to gloss over other issues raised in this thread, but they're already being handled by others and I'd like to come back to the point raised earlier about being "qualified" to give crit.
I've spent a lot of time telling new members that everyone has an opinion and everyone is equally capable of turning that opinion into thoughtful critique on a photo in a constructive way.
I think it would be a huge shame if anyone took away from this thread the idea that they can't give crit if they don't have a certain level of experience.
(BTW I don't think that's what anyone is actually saying, and I do agree on the points made about technical advice but that distinction may not be completely clear in all the posts)
To use the restaurant analogy again :
> Everyone can go to a restaurant and have an opinion on whether they like the food or not.
> With a little thought everyone can explain what they like or don't like about the food.
There was a nice balance of textures / It was too spicy or too bland / It tasted nice but the presentation on the plate was sloppy / I would have preferred the veg to be cooked a little more or little less etc etc etc.
Anyone with tastebuds can do this and anyone with a pair of eyes can give this sort of feedback / critique on a photo.
> What we can't all do is advise that the meal would be greatly improved if the chef had added an extra qtr tsp of cinnamon at this point in the recipe, increased the temperature by 20 degrees and reduced the cooking time by 10 minutes
And that is the sort of response that is clearly going to have more credibility from someone who has cooked that dish a hundred times than somebody who has never cooked . . . or indeed somebody who cuts and pastes that advice straight out of a cookery book.