Where have our members gone? (or, the self-absorption of Evan)

[Tommy]

I come here regularly and read the threads whose titles interest me. I'm looking for information that may come in handy some day, and for people I can help. But most of the time, I either don't have the expertise people need or someone else has already dispensed what little knowledge and wisdom I hold. So my posts tend to be few and far between.

I will add this observation about Internet forums in general. There are people who seem to need to talk down to others whenever they have the chance. Perhaps their egos are so huge that they need to feed them regularly at the expense of others. This is particularly obnoxious when the person is a moderator. The problem with these people is that sooner or later they will talk down to some of the good guys whose opinions most of us have learned to value. When the good guys begin to feel their contributions are not appreciated, many of them leave and that is bad for all of us.

I suspect the mix of people posting here has changed for a variety of reasons, many of which are beyond our control. But I believe we can each contribute to making the forum better in two ways. First, disagree without being disagreeable. Second, thank those people who go out of their way to provide meaningful answers to your questions. A little appreciation will go a long way toward keeping the good guys coming back.