[nradov]

I've found that the "like" feature on Facebook has trained me to be a better photographer. After you post enough pictures you start to get a feel for which pictures people actually appreciate. So I'm now much more careful about composition and lighting, I've learned to do basic editing, and I'm more ruthless about deleting imperfect shots. These skills are transferrable to any other site or app.

[bigbugbag]

This is totally unrelated to facebook, this is a beaten path that many photographers have walked. Get better through practice and experienced. And you could have done the same by reading a book or two and practicing a lot. I have a friend that got a better photographer by spending time alone in the mountains, another by putting up her pictures for sale on dedicated website.

Had you been part of reddit, flickr, imgur or any other community medium you could have done the same.

[nradov]

Sure but I was making a general point to defend the "like" system on modern social networks which was criticized as addictive. There's nothing special about Facebook in that regard.

Photography books are great, I've read a few, but they don't give you feedback. Spending time alone in the mountains isn't a practical option for most of us.

[sharun]

My comment is not about eliminating the feedback loop. It's about delaying gratification.

This is a core feature of any educational system that has arisen across any culture anywhere in the world. Instant gratification does the opposite. This link might help in understanding the point I am trying to make - https://www.khanacademy.org/talks-and-interviews/conversatio...

[rickdg]

Between reddit and deviantart, facebook is probably the worse place to get likes for a photograph.