Name: Ian
Sex: M
Age: 17
Birth date: May 10, 1990
I am a man of few words, but I will say the following:
When I write a fanfic, I am taking a shot in the dark. I don't know if I will hit my target or if I will hit the neighbor's dog or an angry bear which will rush out of the darkness and maul me to death.
That little metaphor stands for the danger that every author faces when they post a fic. They could miss their goal entirely and they could hit the target in the dead center. This is because, unless a piece is blatantly bad or good, an author often is unaware of their own talent. Especially when people go OMG GOOD FIC when the fic is more like, pretty good but needs some improvement. I say this now, when you lie and tell someone their fic is better or worse than it is, you can have long lasting effects on the author.
Think for a moment about your words, because they may change the future. This applies both to reviews and to real life.