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Shelly, as one from the other end of the post count, I decided to try my best to contribute my view. I have been registered on this board since Jan. or Feb. of 2000. I understand that is not too long after it started. I only have around 500 posts. I came to this forum as a lot of people did--a total newbie. I had just bought my computer in October of 1999 and was desperatly trying to learn how to use it. I asked a few questions along the way, and made a few lame comments too.
As most of you older members know, I was the one who caused the rule to be made about the sigs. I have made some mistakes here and there, but have tried to apologize for them, and make up for them in any way I could. Like a lot of people on this board, I have had hurt feelings from time to time, but I didn't let it stop me from coming back. I may take a break from time to time, just to let the air settle down, but of all the forums I frequent, I always have to come back to this one. I also work out of town all week, and the weekend is the only time I have to get online.
I realize there are people here on this forum that could care less what I have to say. I have learned a lot about computers and OSes here and other places, but I still don't know anything compared to some of the folks who hang out here. That's why my post count is so low. I don't like to get bum advice, therefore, I don't want to give it. Sometimes I'll give advice when I'm not absolutely sure, but it's always a case where I've tried something myself with no adverse consequences.
I'm guilty of posting OT's too. Sometimes I see something I think is newsworthy, or funny enough to share, and I'll post it. Sometimes it's good, sometimes not. A lot of times I read the OTs, sometimes I don't. Sometimes the OTs are the only thing I respond to because I don't have a clue as to the answers to computer problems posted. I look at the OTs as a way to kill time while waiting for something I might be able to help with.
Orchid Bill is right in the respect that the forum has changed. All things must change or they will die. That's a common rule of life. Whether these changes are good or bad--nobody can say. What's good for Joe Blow may be bad for me and vice versa.
For one thing, there are so many more members now than there were then. (obviously) I can remember when the only names you saw on a regular basis was Shelly, Alex, Grogan, Scotterpops, LilJoe, Old Dude, Marti, Ga Girl, Steve Yandl, Al, Chris P, MrMan, and Dalantec. If i left anybody out, it's not a slight, these are just the names that came up often enough for me to remember all these months. About the time I started posting a little now and then, Trebuchet and SloHands started posting fairly regular too. There's some more names in there I can remember, like Ed W, Paul D, Bobguy, KJT, and others.
The whole point to this --if there is one-- is that the forum has changed in some ways drastically from what it was in the beginning. The OT posts and posting counts are a part of the forum that wasn't there in the beginning. Are they good? Are they bad? Not necessarily either. A new poster might take a larger number of postings to indicate a higher level of experience. In my opinion, a person asking advice can use this as a fairly accurate gauge to decide whether they want to follow the advice they have been given. The OT posts are often entertaining and sometimes educational. At times it seems they get out of hand, but if you notice, these are times of either great disaster(9/11/01) or of extreme boredom (nothing computer related happening). I remember making a post one time --"C'mon, somebody break something" simply because nothing was happening on the board, and it never occured to me to go somewhere else. Yeah, I got a life after that. I still like to come here, though, and unless Alex, Shelly or the other mods say different, I'll always be a part of this community.
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