Well, we've pretty much beaten The_OP into temporary submission, I think...I can detect a faint pulse, though, so he's not dead yet by a long shot...the OP is one tough S.O.B. though, and has endured much tougher battles than this little skirmish!!!
Just as an aside, one thing we have not brought up, at all, is the example of "lurkers". I think most of us here, as "TPF junkie", and as "I spend too much of my life on TPF!" rank members, tend to forget the concept of the so-called lurkers, or as TPF calls them, "guests". The people who are not registered members, but who nevertheless come here and read the posts.
Lurkers or guests are "using the internet", and are here in HUGE numbers, far,far outnumbering registered,logged-in TPF members. TPF threads on many topics turn up well-placed in search engine results, and as such, TPF posts and the discussions that ensue often become on-line resource materials.
Right now, there are 5 members and 7 guests reading this very thread. I think maybe we need to consider not only how we deal with "our family" members, but also how we appear to "our guests". If rude behavior and "RTFM,noob!" are the standards we should aspire to, I don't want to be a part of that kind of a forum. We need to strive to create a place where we can convert "lurkers" and "guests" into actual,registered, participating members.
