Virtual Dr. seems more than a little sick: "Member Participation Issues"

I'd like to reinforce that last sentiment. We need to hear from the members, the good, the bad and the ugly.

I would particularly like some comments about the AUP, and how it is enforced. I think there may be some justifiable criticism of both, and that is something that I really don't think would be too hard to fix if things are unclear or we are getting things wrong.

SS,
I'm not sure what you are aiming at regarding the AUP.
IMHO it couldn't be clearer......it's written in plain english and in a way that anyone who can read the language should understand. ....and covers JM from a legal standpoint.
....as to it's enforcement....it seems to be evenhanded....altho the 'Lounge' forum is given some slack at times, it seems......and as how to get folks to participate in this, or any other thread, is really a 'poser'...

poppy

Go round to their house and beat them with a stick Poppy :D :D

Don't get me started on The Lounge, whatever we do in there upsets somebody. Either it's "censorship" or we have allowed an offensive post :rolleyes: That is something we could usefully discuss as well - what members want from the Lounge, but perhaps it would be better handled in a separate thread, it would be a shame for this very important subject to get sidetracked.

I would like to go on record here as being totally against the lounge....then and now.....I think off topic leads to bad things on tech sites.....I rarely post in there....

From someone who hasn't posted before: I found this thread interesting. I bought my first computer in 1998 at the age of 40. I knew absolutely nothing about them, but somehow felt the need to buy one. I now run 5 desktops and a laptop on a network at home. 2 of the desktops I built myself, and two were salvaged from the scrap heap. I have no formal computer training. Most of what I know comes from "bathroom reading" and searching the net. When I first had a computer problem (soon after I bought the first machine), I found this site purely by accident. I found the solution to my problem by browsing the posts, without the need to post a question. The site has been bookmarked ever since, and I check it every time I come across a problem I need help to solve. I also check it to see if any interesting topics are being discussed. I find I am not the first with a particular problem. I will find the solution within one of the threads, or at least enough information to point me in the right direction. While my friends and coworkers consider me somewhat of a guru, this is because I know where to look for the answers, and not necessarily because I'm an expert. This site has been a valuable source of information for me. The members on here are knowlegeable and willing to help. Change what you want about the site, just keep the information flowing and the good attitudes on board.

Was, is and always will be the best forum around. Not sure why people are not coming here, if that is indeed what is happening. In my opinion, it may be to the fact that most people are now using Windows XP, which is a much more stable environment and usually can fix itself when using a restore point.

I credit my push into technology to this forum. Everyone gave me the help I needed and the push to continue to learn. I feel bad that I don't have the time I use to have to help people, who knows, seems like the days and nights are just shorter. :-) Or else, moving to a city, time goes faster.....


I will continue to love and respect this forum. The people here are great..I don't think I can remember an incident where I was treated poorly, and if I ever was, it was probably just a misunderstanding....on my part.

Please keep this forum alive.....

I've been sitting here trying to figure out what to contribute here. I've erased this opening paragraph 15 times, but this 16th doesn't seem like it's coming out any better.

There's a lot of issues being covered at the same time, and not all of the constituencies share the same concerns. Some of us still don't even realize what those concerns are. Some of us never knew there were concerns. Some of us don't care anyway. That's going to make it difficult to figure out what, if anything, is going on, and it'll certainly skew any poll, which would be as unscientific as one could get. Then, to top it off, is that much of the concerns are cryptically voiced. There's talk of "atmosphere" and "tension in the air" and 'perceptions' of this and that and this almost secretive 'there was some stuff going on, we know, but it's handled'. But nobody's really saying anything.

If it's just a participation thing, how much of that is a result of the improvements in the general "State Of The Computer"? Current machines are barely strained by the average user. Operating systems are much more mature and, well, robust, and much easier to install than ever. Anybody on XP want to go back to 98? I didn't think so. Much of the software for common tasks has been around for a while now and is well past the stage where basic operations can be an adventure. Hardware installation isn't the ordeal it used to be, and no longer does a power user need a bunch of exotic cards with their associated install/config/conflict headaches if he wants top-drawer performance. I could go on, but I think the point's made. Computers aren't the mythical beast needing the consultation of the Wizard to make them work anymore, or at least, that beast is more tame now than ever. Some things that used to require the in-depth explanations -- and often had more than one method -- are done automatically now by a program's wizard, sometimes by Windows itself. Manufacturers are better at the included help; at their support website some even have user forums or communities.

How much of it is burnout? I know that after nearly 5 years, I'm not always as enthusiastic as I once might have been. Maybe it's my own post-chemotherapy reprioritization of just about everything; I don't know. Even so, there's so much more to do in the world now. Let's see, do I watch the hotties on 'Desperate Housewives' in High Definition, or do I see what predicament the latest unfortunate newbie or clueless AOL'er has managed to get himself into. Hmmm. Tough choice. Maybe me and a handful of people I've never met will spend some time running through the virtual streets of a bombed out WW2 city, shooting at a another handful of people we've never met. That might be fun.

I have to say, though, that I haven't noticed this supposed lack of posts. My bookmark is set to go directly to the 'getnew' Search page. I usually see over 100 new or added-to threads if I come by once a day, a number that seems somewhat steady to me, and since they're listed 25 to a page, there's usually 4 or more pages. I can't really speak to the quality of those posts, I guess, especially now that hell has frozen over and we have an OffTopic/Lounge/Whatever forum, but they seem to be there nonetheless. They probably are repetitive. Perhaps that's because of the aforementioned State Of The Computer. Maybe it's inducing the burnout. I don't know.

I don't know how one measures -- or even detects -- 'tension in the air' in a virtual place like this. Maybe you have to "hang out" to notice it? I will admit, I don't hang out here -- I never did, I just check the new stuff, see if there's something I can participate in without looking like too much of a moron, and move on. Maybe that insulates me from the tension (and maybe the comraderie too).

Well, I've babbled incoherently for quite a while now. I'm afraid I still don't get it though. There's some who believe there's a problem, including some who believe the problem (or problems) will actually threaten the existance of the forum. Others see a problem that's not so grave. The administration sees a problem that can somehow be fixed by Google. I'm not convinced the ones know what the others are talking about and vice versa. It'll be awful hard to do anything about anything until someone figures out what "it" is.

Well, whatever happens, I suspect the world will continue rotating. I watched NoWonder disintegrate into nothing in a matter of days and somehow the sun came up the next day.

It'll come up tomorrow too.


[Wow, that has to be the longest, least useful thing I've ever written]

First off,this is not easy for me to say because I'm a pretty private person. But,if it may help preserve this great site in some small way,then I feel it will be worth it.
I am not,and never have been,what is usually described as a computer geek. My work history began immediately out of high school as an employee in a plywood plant in my small home town that was a 'mill town'. In those days,very few kids went straight to college from school. It was considered 'normal' to become a 'sliver picker' as we called ourselves. After several years and much boredom, I left this town. I tried a university life and didn't care for it. I 'did' however,get associate degree's in drafting and water quality control. But these were to satisfy requirements for a couple of jobs I enjoyed. One,as Park Ranger/Manager for the state park system in my home state. After ten years of that(and the factor of gross nepotism in the field),I went to interstate trucking as a leased operator. After 10 or so years of this,I went into the health care field as maintenance supervisor for small hospitals.
I've said all this,to make it plain that I've been kind of a 'good-ol'-boy' most of my adult life.
I was disabled in 1997 from an old injury I received in the late fifties in a very nasty place in southeast Asia(nuff said).
Having a history of a very active life before this,I was goin' bonkers with too much time on my hands.
Then it happened. My Daughter(bless her heart)began nagging me to get a computer. She would say,"c'mon Dad,join the 'now' generation! Get off yer butt and try something 'new'!
So,,I began to listen and started to do some research. I looked at off-the-shelf PC's and asked a lot of questions trying to decide what to buy for my first one. I decided against getting a Packard Bell or any similar offerings and went with a 'shop' built machine.
That's when the 'fun' began(heh-heh). Little did I know(but soon found out) that the hardware components in this machine were questionable and borderline out of date. First thing that went was the modem. Not knowing any better,I took it to a local shop(not where I bought it),to get it 'fixed'. When I picked it up,the bill was just over $100.00!! That was when my Irish stubborness kicked in. I was mechanically inclined and had worked on auto electrical systems and had a low energy license from my hospital days. I decided from that point on,I would do my 'own' repairs on this funky lil' box!
A friend pointed me to online help sites he knew of. One was the 'nowonder' forum and another was 'Hardware Central'. I began to learn from these and several others I found along the way. There were those that were way over my head with techyness and geek speak and I didn't hang around long on those sites <g>. Then nowonder died away. While at Hardware Central sniffin' around,I saw a reference to VDR. It didn't take long for me to realize 'this' was what I was looking for all along. Yes,,I lurked here for quite sometime before I finally registered and learned a great deal! Then it happened. I read a post that I suddenly realized that "I" had the answer to the problem. Thus my first time as a helper here. It was a great feeling when the poster came back telling me my suggestion worked and thanking me for it.
Do I feel this forum has lost something along the way? Yes,I've been seeing it for quite some time now. Do I have the answer as to why? Well,I believe there may be several reasons,but I don't have the answers for many of them. I do feel as others have said,that the operating systems 'are' getting more reliable and there are easier ways around problems such as XP's system restore. Also,search engines such as Google have come a long way in the last few years and it's getting to be a no-brainer to find many answers with these tools. And,let's face it. There are 'many' more places to look for help than there were a short time ago. The 'net' has a growth spurt that would put a virile rabbit to shame <g>.
Imho,it would be a great help if this board was upgraded. Not only for the new 'look',but so it would be found/recognized more easily on the search engines. I believe we have a good bunch here,but the way things are evolving,if you don't 'put it out there',chances are you will fade into obscurity. I realize this is not a 'pay for' sort of thing. But I firmly believe Jupitor Media would have more folks connecting to them if they put more effort into this site...

Maybe it's me, but I have found Virtual Dr more and more helpful as the years have passed. I have gotten so much valuable advice and guidance that, well, I couldn't run three computers the way I do, upgrade, troubleshoot, install devices, etc. etc., and have all the fun the three of us do without Virtual Dr! Every time I have had a problem, some of them serious, I have always gotten the help I needed here. I depend on all of you!!

The first couple of years I didn't post much. I had stumbled across Virtual Dr via Hardware Central (I think I was looking for a driver at the time), and took a couple of looks. It was more basic in 1998 than now, so probably that's why I didn't post. But now . . . I'm up to 500 posts. Whew. I've even learned enough to help a couple of people (and I am no A+-certified type; just a humble journalist/social worker with a lot of curiosity about how things run (my dad, 91, has always said he remembers my taking apart a clock at the age of 2 or 3 and just being fascinated for long periods of time) and the state of the world.) So just like RidgeRunr, I took up computers (or their actual operation) late (compared to other things such as, say, music or editing or therapy).

Welshjim, I'm sorry, I have the greatest respect for everyone's opinions here, including yours, but I do not feel the camaraderie here has gone down. I feel that very much so. Maybe it's as a longtime user. I have received many kindnesses here on the board for which I am very grateful, and conversed virtually with many really helpful, interesting people. It's really cool to talk to people all over the world and to find out something about how they live. I got my gmail invite from a member of Virtual Dr; thank you, usil!! It's a gift that has kept on giving. He sent me that a day before my birthday, as it happened, and I guess I really am a geek now, but that thrilled me more than any other birthday gift I got!

Some have said the Lounge was a bad idea. Well :rolleyes: some people have submitted weird posts, but it seems like a very small number. Ya gotta let off steam somehow and a lot of it is really fun. I was very surprised when they agreed to host an OT area permanently after all the disavowals that that would ever be set up, so I must admit I am a tad mystified by that. It just sort of came out of the blue.

It's true that I have not spent a lot of time on the Virus/Spyware/Security areas. I attribute that to not having had many problems with it because of the constant good advice of posters on the subject!! I run AdAware, PestPatrol, Spybot, Trojan Hunter, Hijack This, Zone Alarm, and even sprung for the paid AVG because of advice I saw here (gave up on NAV because of the way it hooks itself into Windows XP and won't let go -- and wouldn't update!!). I had a couple of instances of bad infestations, but managed to fix them!! Thanks to you guys. So I don't spend a lot of time there because I feel as though Virtual Dr has helped me practice safe surfing!!!

I couldn't say why the Doc seems to some people as if it's changed. I do think computers and OSes have gotten more reliable and people more knowledgeable, and that's maybe one reason why there's been a flux of people. And with Google sometimes, if you just enter your problem you can find several sites, maybe not necessarily Virtual Dr, where your problem is addressed. Hence if the Doc is not coming up its fair share on Google, well, certainly a software upgrade might go a long way to fixing this.

Whew! Didn't mean to write so much. But this thread seems to call for it.

Cheers
Wendy
:D ;) :cool:

I noticed a lot of people saying that a possible reason for the decline in numbers could be that todays operating system is much more stable than yesterdays, and it brings a lot less problems. Well, if you put it into perspective with what Sparks said, than VDr is getting 8.5 new users a day and some other sites 200 a day. So I think that that argument is meaningless. There are and always will be computer problems/questions, and people will always come to tech forums to find the answers.
I see the problem coming from two places.
One, is the vbulletin, that has been mentioned several times. No doubt about it. JM has to update in order to get more new users. I see the vbulletin as the first problem, ie new users.
The second problem is keeping the long term users. Where new users will come and go, its the long term users that will answer questions and give the forum a more community like feel. Friendship. Its very important for us to give that kind of feeling. I think this is the only (or at least, one of few) that greets new members with "welcome to vdr" on their first post. Thats important, because new users with panicky questions are also looking for a friendly approach from the senior users. That may help in bringing them back here. Don't forget, new users may not think about bookmarking the site after one use or question. So next time they need to ask a question, they will use google to look for a tech forum, not remembering what this one was called. But if they had a pleasant experience here and got the answers they needed, there are better chances that they will return here.
Now let me get to my point. Many have mentioned the "atmosphere" or "tension" around here lately. While we have heard mods mention that the problems have been "solved", I do not believe so. Problems do not go away with a ban. They are much deeper than that. I may have more insight than others as to the latest "tensions", so I will not go into detail. But I think some of the latest moves by the mods have actually hurt the forum. Yes, I know its not popular to speak out against the mods, and I dread to think about what might be said about me in the mods forums. But I think that speaking the truth is the best policy. The reason why I think so is because VDr has given me so much. It has literally brought me into my current career as a PC technician. Without VDr, I would not be fixing computers full time and making a nice living out of it. So I feel like I need to give back to the VDr community, and so I am voicing my concerns. There has to be a lot less stringency towards senior members. I am not talking about letting them get away with breaking the AUP on a regular basis, but the attitude of teacher/student is a hurtful one. If a senior member breaks a rule, knowingly or unknowingly, the attitude of the mods has to be that of a friend, NOT a parent or teacher. I think that a - "hey buddy, you know that post you made? well, it wasn't appropriate and we got some complaints. I know you didn't mean to break any rules. In any case, we erased the post" - will go a lot further than saying something like "that post you made was out of line, and I never want to see you doing that again. Consider this a warning".
In short, a general attitude change of the mods towards the senior members will go a long way in keeping the senior members here.

My 2 Cents.

FYI mods, I had nothing to do with the last post that was erased.

I have been a regular visitor to VDR for over 3 years. In fact, I check it every day. The page that I am checking is the opening page, which contains "The Most Recent Threads" and "The Most Active Threads". This has allowed me to peruse threads that I might not have seen otherwise. What I have noticed over the past year or so is that the topics are not being updated as frequently and frequently it is the same thing over and over.

A certain amount of redundancy is to be expected but the diversity is dwindling.

I think that there are great parallels between user groups and VDR. Before assuming a leadership role in my user group, the common mantra that I heard was you can't get vendors to come and make presentations, no body wants to work and as a result, my user group was continuing to lose membership.

After reviewing everything, I decided updating everything about the user group was essential. That the perception of us had to be leading edge. This has been done and as a result, our membership has started to grow month by month since June 2004. We updated our servers to Windows Server 2003 and we are deploying Windows SharePoint Services. It is planned that we will deploy SharePoint Portal Server as well. We have an 18 member Sharepoint development team.

Initially, I was told that our membership was end-users or hobbyists or developers. I surveyed our membership database and discovered that over 75% of our members were either developers, IT Professionals or Small Business Owners. Membership is up over 300% and 90% of the members are developers, IT professionals and Small Business Owners. In the last couple of months, we have gotten 3 new members from Chicago, one from Kentucky and one from PA. I attribute all to making our user group leading edge. We have presentations on Active Directory, Virtual PC, Virtual Server 2005, MOM 2005, ISA 2004. Many of our members said that at the most only a couple of people might be interested. Month after month, attendance is in excess of 30.

Although my user group has an internet forum, it is currently using out of date technology (WebBoard), so only about .5% actually post.

Whether it is a user group or VDR, it is absolutely critical that all of the leading edge topics be included. I think that VDR needs to focus on having conferences that appeal to developers and other backend positions. There are a lot of people, who are working on upgrading their skill sets in order to get their next gig.

Specifically, I think that you need to add a conference for WinSer 2003, another for SharePoint Services and SPS. VDR needs to be the focal point for all types of questions. Over a year ago, I went to the sister site and there was no activity there, so I quit visiting that site and started looking for answers elsewhere.

BTW, I recommend VDR to all of the members of my user group. The user group community is a huge community and JP might consider becomng a sponsor of APCUG or getting involved with them in some way.

Since most vendors are no longer providing viable or responsive technical support, people are looking to user groups and websites such as VDR to fill that gap, if they rise to the challenge.

Cheers,

Linda

Well, after spending 25 mins reading this far, I finally get to post :D

Please take consideration that these are my personal opinions, nothing more nothing less. I have a feeling I may touch on some 'unfriendly subjects'.

To start with: the AUP. I think what most people refer the problem to here is that of a) P2P and b) Potential Cracking/copyright stuff. It seems the sensible way to approach this is that if a question asked has the potential to call for an answer that could be misused, then it is 'rejected' as a valid question. Even if we all know the user themselves are in a genuine situation, others could misuse the information given, right? Its common sense. It is the inconsistency that most people get upset about.

Member Numbers Down: I agree in what I have noticed that the number of posts have been down. I cannot comment on the amount of new members, i dont look into that. I dont know if it is the technology getting better, or if its Google, no doubt they have a small impact to which leads to a greater problem(s).

I myself have not been so active recently, nor have I been lurking as much. Maybe its me, but the threads seem duller. Like I said, maybe that is JUST me but I think the amount of new members definatly contributes to a busier, more active forum which then creates this 'atmosphere' we all enjoy. But that;s not the reason I personally dont visit more often, its becuase I have migrated to Linux and the Linux forum here isnt the best place to ask questions: there are dedicated linux forums I use. Same as vice versa, I wouldnt ask a Windows question on Linux forums.

I miss the old real in depth threads, where I could really come away feeling like I achieved something. The few I posted when i was doing my A+ Hardware for instance... I loved them!! But now I have finished the HW part...

Personally, i dont like the 'oh yes we have had problem members but its all hush hush.' I feel that this is a public forum, and matters should be publically addressed, just like this. I understand that there may be a need for a certain confidentiality though so I suppose this point may not be so clever :p

One thing I have noticed come to think of it, is that (as someone mentioned earlier) people are just not providing that little bit extra they used to. I mean, yeah not everyone's gonna be able to or even want to, but come on. Thats how these threads grow and become more interesting, so more than one person benefits from them.

It just occured to me what i think a major problem is. I dont see this forum as a PRIMARY place to learn, as I once used to. I think of it more as a 'question and answer' and thats it. I'm not slagging the forum off, I still visit each and every day. Its just when I browse to learn, Vdr is not the first place in my head... I hope that makes sense and doesnt sound too offensive.


Anyways, feels like I've pretty much babbled my way thru this so I'll stop. I'll be watching...

Hong

I just thought of a good thing. At least when Windows XP 64bit Edition is released in early April (if u trust M$'s dates...) we can expect an influx of members/questions, esp if vdr does gets new serach engine friendly software in place.

Hi everyone. I'm kind of glad this topic came up. I tried to keep it short, but after two hours of typing/editing, it didn't work out that way.

I've been a member here for almost 4 1/2 years. Haven't participated much in 9 months. So I guess I'm one of those 'old members' who hasn't been around lately. The other day I started pondering a bit about VDr., why I hadn't been here. So I dropped in, and by sheer coincidence I see Doc's post. I've given this some thought, it's been requested we offer insight, good, bad and ugly. So I'm just going to dive in and hope no offense is taken by anyone ;)

Bear with me a minute. This is my history here. It reflects the goodness this board is capable of. When I first joined here I was so green and clueless. Running a machine I fondly dubbed "The Beast", a custom build from a friend. Back then I was convinced it had a brain and will of it's own. Battling The Beast became an occupation in itself and I became so sick of imposing on my friend for help. Then I stumbled onto VDr and was hooked. I was welcomed with warm greetings and smilies. Never, ever was I looked down upon for my ignorance. I've relied heavily on the good people here at this board to get me beyond hurdles. And no one ever let me down. The education has been priceless. A year ago I sat here staring at The Beast. It needed upgrades, and Dell or Sony was looking pretty appealing. But some members here convinced me to stay with a custom build. So I bought new components, ripped my machine apart and rebuilt it around my existing mobo instead. It's been the most successful and problem-free overhaul to date, and I literally could not have done it without the help of this board. (There's a 5 pager floating around in Hardware to prove it ;) And Doc, you will always be my hardware 'knight in shining armor'.) There are many members here that I feel a special fondness, respect and gratitude toward. Sadly, they probably don't know what they mean to me. These are people who's voice I've never heard, whose faces I've never seen, whom I wouldn't know if I passed on the street, yet they've given me a 'gift', if you will. Because through their kindness, guidance, wisdom and infinite patience, a whole new dimension has been added to my life. Like Ridge, I've never been what one would consider the average computer geek. Quite the contrary, I am the outdoorsy girl with a strong artistic side and a bit of latent hippy thrown in. And I can rebuild my own PC! Some days I feel like a walking contradiction in terms. Five years ago who would have thought it?! Not me! And I couldn't have done it without VDr.

So with all that said, I wonder. If I came to this board as a newbie today, would I be hooked and stay, as I did years ago? I have doubts. Something's missing. What is it? The vibrancy, the energy, the "pure" nature of the board seems to have become watered down. Members wanted and got more freedom as far as OT, but along with that came more and more bickering. I wonder how many people drift in today, wanting to learn, but then drift on out again. This board has the proven ability to be King of the Hill, but as Doc says, it does seem more than a little sick.

So what's going on? I can only offer views from my own observations:

• The search engine issue. Yes, that needs addressed. VDr. is the internet's best kept secret, it seems.
• Tension? Yes, I've sensed it too. I suspect one of the causes, indirectly, has to do with straying away from the true course of the board. Some members seen to want more and more room to stray from the very theme this board was founded on. There's been a tug of war for a couple years now between some members and mods over this issue. The ground rules were much clearer years ago when no OT was allowed, period. We went from no OT to a weekly OT to a dedicated OT Forum. And all the while these developments were taking place, there were unhappy campers who wanted to 'push the envelope' to get more. I'm all for light-hearted banter within a thread, because PC troubles can drive a person nuts. But as all this has evolved, one can observe that the more VDr ventures into the realms of non-related topics and strays from the true, pure course, the tension level rose with it. Members wanting looser rules, mods wanting to give that, keep members happy but still maintain control. Such a fine and difficult line to walk. But if not kept in check, pretty soon fluff takes over and leads to...
• Expansion into 'non-technical' areas. I never much cared for a dedicated OT forum. IMHO, they detract from the board. The one thing VDr always had going for it was "purity". You wanted PC help, this was where you got it. There was a true sense of definition and purpose, no distractions. We've all seen the tech boards with up to a half dozen OT forums, ranging from "After Hours" to "Jokes" to "What My Dog Did Today". It subtly presents an image of a mish mash of topics and no clear sense of direction. So boards with a supposed "core" theme but a wide variety of forums lose the very "core" oriented people they are trying to attract and keep as members. Clarity, a well defined purpose and strong sense of direction is, IMHO, a critical first impression to give a newbie, especially when it comes to computers. If a newbie came to the 'old' VDr. for help, it was quite obvious that this was a dedicated PC support board that tooks its mission seriously. (Yet we didn't take ourselves too seriously.) You could go anywhere on the web to chat about non-related issues, but when you needed PC help, this was the place to come. In times of crisis (such as 9/11), when people forget their PCs and focus on the human side of life, the mods recognized and gave us our space. They realized when we needed to bond as humans, and gave us room to do so. But through it all, the true purity of the board remained intact.
• "Congrats on number of posts." Sorry, this one's bound to tick somebody off. But it's become a pet peeve of mine. If memory serves, that wasn't even a topic that was broached until recent years. I fail to see the relevance of post count warranting a thread. A newbie sees that and it appears as if there is a competition going on. It can be so intimidating to a newbie posting here anyway, why give them the illusion that number of posts counts somehow elevates members to a higher level? Don't get me wrong, I realize calling attention to post count is a type of recognition for a member's efforts. However, IMHO it's not about quantity, it's about quality. Yes, we all give our time freely. And there are members who have thousands of quality posts. And there are others who have thousands of posts with many of them lacking substance - some posts look like the bantering text of an IM conversation. I personally have received invaluable help not only from the member with thousands of posts, but also from the member with 30 posts.
• We need tech savvy people. And extremely die-hard, tech savvy people need a draw. Thank goodness for the extreme techs who've stayed on for so long. They are invaluable. But we've witnessed many leave. Why? There were rumors of behind the scenes bickering. Bound to happen. But I'm going to go back to perhaps straying from our true course? These are just my observations, but those are the people at the core of a tech board, who will ultimatley be the glue that bonds it to its true course. They are the ones who will challenge, break barriers, experiment, be creative. We've watched some of our best and brightest registry and software and Windows wizards leave. But during their time here, they experimented and pushed limits with their machines and it was amazing to watch and learn from their boldness. This was a place where people like that could get their creative juices flowing, share with like minds, and we all benefited. When I think about some of the strong members from years ago that we've lost, they don't seem the types that would be into a lot of the 'fluff' that's occuring here in recent times. They wanted to be here for computers. They had a deep hunger for and strong knowledge of all things technical. That's probably what drew them to the board, and it was probably the common denominator that kept them here. The fluff is in abundance on the web. We should keep it there. The more VDr has strayed from the technical, the more we lost the interest of the purists. And the purists are this board's lifeline.
• Lastly, PCs are in abundance everywhere. They've evolved into a common household commodity it seems. So perhaps we've edged out of the "newness" phaze as so many become more familiar with their machines. Windows has evolved and become less problematic. So perhaps there is less of a need for troubleshooting in general. Still, as long as their are computers, there will be problems and a need for a quality, dedicated tech support board.

And a P.S. We should always, without fail, make every effort to greet a newbie with a "Welcome to Virtual Dr." and a :). A warm greeting and a friendly, helping hand reaching out goes such a long way!