Point well taken Jane
However, I didn't really mean 'too serious' in general; I meant too serious in that one response to a statement. I made a slanted remark towards researching QS - 9000, which we all know is obsolete - right? But Paul came back with a very serious "yes - you can go to this specific thread and do just that." My comment was certainly in jest but Paul's didn't seems to carry any levity at all. That's why I referenced the "too serious" thing. I have read quite a few of Paul's lighter posts and in general, yes he is a light hearted lexicon. Seriously, I was only referring to that one response about researching QS - 9000. Don't mis-understand me Paul - I really don't think you are serious at all, most of the time.
Also, I typically read every post, from beginning to end, in any thread I care to comment on, before I decide to post. Many times I don't even post because things seem to have been covered very well but then there are those times where a thread seems to have left something dangling. Then I just have to throw my own two cents in. My comment may be to drag something up from the past, or to introduce something that does not appear to have been discussed before or maybe even to challenge a controversial post that has so far went totally un-challenged.
What I usually don't do is reference across thread to thread before I make my own comments. I read them, individually, but I don't quite have the where-with-all to adequately organize and cross-reference them yet. I'm working on it. I also try to stay in the immediate last two years. I will sometimes read something older than two years old but my findings will generally not restrict my comments. I figure in two years the membership of Elsmar has changed so dramatically that anyone could benefit from new discussion on old topics.
The stats are amazing. Why this month alone there have been almost 4000 posts already and over 380 new threads started. I will be the first to admit that NO, I certainly do not have the time to read every one of them. In addition to that there are almost 200,000 posts stored in ELSMAR. Please don't ask a curious new visitor to first go read those 200,000 posts then come talk to us.
Visitors appear to be a strong part of Elsmar. there are 37,000+ visitors registered with over 6500 of them active in the Cove. I really don't know who Mr ELSMAR is or who is responsible for the initiation of this Kewl site but I am certain, by looking at the sides of the pages, that some revenue comes from advertising. I know from experience that the larger your distribution is the more the potential for lucrative advertising dollars. That's why I think Mr Elsmar would prefer us not to chase off the inquisitive new visitor with the ominous task of having to read almost 200,000 posts before you have the right to post anything.
I will probably continue to read, digest, comment and rebut in the same manner I have been doing. I feel with my two year window I am getting anything of any value anyway. If not then the roughly 24,000 new visitors that have discovered the Cove in those two years will be starting almst where I am starting and they will surely have something to say where they have not had the opportunity to say it before.
Thank you for your pointed remarks and very helpful suggestions - I look forward to an exciting future at Elsmar.
