I got a nice letter from a fellow carving enthusiast this morning. He stated that he wanted to help me by telling me what the best of everything was. He stressed that I keep an open mind that even though I was advocating the Carvewright and Compucarve systems, eventually I would come to see that there were better products out there.

I don't take issue with what he had to say, nor do I dispute his right to feel that his experiences make him an authority. I honestly believe we are all entitled to our opinions and I will go down defending someone to uphold that right.

What I wish this gentleman would have done however, is to qualify his statements. In the advertising world, this is called confusing CLAIMS with FACTS. Stating "Windows XP is the best cnc operating system" is not a fact, but a claim. This doesn't mean that he doesn't feel that this is the best operating system because obviously he does or he wouldn't have made that statement. ...But tell me why you feel this way.

I was thinking about this letter and I began to wonder if I've made the same mistake... So I went through every inch of this website and read every thing one more time (this must be as least the 600th time) to see if I've made any claims.

Yes I have!! Many times. But in every instance I've explained why I feel the way I do. You may not agree with what I have to say, but at least you know why and how I came to my decision. This is important. You come away understanding how I think and my perspective might make you see things in a different light or from a different angle.

I truly want to thank this gentleman for writing. He helped me to see things and made me realize I need to double check my work. He also made me understand just how important it is to explain things fully. A tip and help site needs to keep these ideals at the forefront.

I plan to review more of what he wrote to me about. I can only learn from his experience.