Originally Posted By: tomtuttle
The way I figure it, everybody else is somewhere between Ken and Jack on the post signal-to-noise ratio anyway.

\:\)

OUCH!

Mary, whether it should or shouldn't be, this place (and many other forums as well) is as much a social gathering as it is a knowledge base. It's just human nature. Even JohnK, IMHO our most illustrious and dedicated "stay on topic" poster, cracks a joke or gets in a good "zinger" now and then.

So, at least to me, it doesn't matter whether your posts are pithy or not. What matters is your presence here. Heaven knows a little estrogen goes a long way toward offsetting the sometimes excessive testosterone around here ;\) .

When I first joined the forum, I was eager to learn. And, when I finally did gain some knowledge, I was delighted when I could share that knowledge with others who came here seeking help. But as time went by, that same pattern was repeated by many newer members, finally reaching the point (and it didn't take all that long to reach that point) where they were doing as well as, often better than, I at sharing their knowledge (realizing one is superfluous is a drag \:\( ).

But, by that time, I had come to really enjoy this place, and had established a bond of friendship with, and admiration for, a number of forum members. It is very strange to have a familial feeling about a bunch of people you've never even met (the power of the internet?) So, here I stay, and you're stuck with me.


Jack

"People generally quarrel because they cannot argue." - G. K. Chesterton