Canoerebel
Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002 From: Northwestern Georgia, USA Status: offline
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Earlier today (I'm not making this up), I was contemplating a post about this forum. I wish I had now. I have been part of many forums over the years; forums that you would think would be made up of the nicest people in the world: hikers, canoers, kayakers, botanists, bird watchers, historians, etc. In nearly every instance, I have been surprised by how snarky the people can be - argumentative, mean spirited, cranky, opinionated, etc. Contrast that to this forum, which I've been a part of since 2002 (counting UV days). The forum is overwhelmingly gracious, friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. And friendly. I am frequently amazed at how the forum self-regulates, avoiding politics or other controversial topics; bending over backwards to avoid giving offense; being gracious in victory or humble in defeat; teaching and re-teaching even when topics have been handled a zillion times. On very rare occasions, somebody gets ill about something, but usually those people self-report and apologize. This is the best game I've ever played; it's the best forum I've ever been associated with. If I have a question about anything historical, political, travel-related, economics, educational, etc. etc. etc., I could post a question here (or via PM) and get the most interesting and informative information from people I've known and trusted for years. I know they are credible. I know I can trust them. And if I took a trip to nearly any point on the globe and encountered a problem, I could probably find a thread-friend that would do anything to help. To see a snarky opinion from a newbie that just walks into a room firing a shotgun is pretty surprising. I suspect that he looked into a mirror, saw a reflection, and thought it was somebody else staring back at him.
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