Asking for photo criticism from random, anonymous people we have never met in a public forum on the Internet doesn't sound like a good idea to me. Would one ask for medical or financial planning advice this way, and take what is given very seriously?
There is some selection/filtering happening because this is a photography forum and the people who are most likely to read and respond here are more than likely to have an interest in photography, but this selection is not effective enough to qualify everyone here as being trustworthy or skilled enough to give a useful critique. Add onto this the foibles of being human, especially ego and emotional baggage, and what one gets is worth about what one has paid for, which is nothing in the case of public online forums. It could also be worth less than nothing because it could be damaging.
I agree that at a certain point in ones experience, it is no longer important what others think, and ones own assessment is more reliable than most of the opinions others give. Once technical issues are taken care of, most everything else is subjective.
I'll try to read some of this topic from that other forum, but I can easily anticipate what I'll find there, and also what would happen if we were "honest" in giving critiques here at RFF. I think the best way for those who want a critique, is for them to select a photographer whose work they like, and ask him/her directly. that would be a more effect filtering process than simply being a reader of a public photo forum, with the time and inclination to present opinions, and possibly with an axe to grind.
