Just Sayin...

[ezdays]

I agree that discussion is an integral and important part of the forum.
That's why I say that the "Reply" option should be kept.

Yup, I think we all agree on that. I would also thing that adding a like/dislike button would take away the incentive for a constructive discussion for some people though.

Just some background, I originally started off on some of the other more popular forums and was lambasted there from the get-go. Then I was told that The-Gauge was the place to go if you wanted to learn about the craft without all the harassing and degrading replies. That was some 12 years ago, and things haven't changed here except that Mikey and myself took the reigns when things started to go downhill and move in the wrong direction. I've always said that someone could post a photo of a pile of dirt and rocks and the responses would be, "nice start, now if you would......" I know, there are times that we all find that we could bite our tongue rather than post a "nice" reply, but we go ahead and do it anyway. Sometimes the answer to a question is obvious or can be easily found, but we answer it anyway. Everyone that puts an honest effort into what they do deserves recognition regardless of how short their efforts fall compared to others. It's easy to forget that it's a hobby, but the folks on Big Blue usually keep things on track.

If people here didn't answer my "dumb" questions and offer constructive help, I might have walked away from the hobby entirely since there were other options, I almost did thanks to the reception I got on these other forums. If there was a "like/dislike" button, I might have gotten so many "dislikes' that I might have gotten discouraged. Would Big Blue exist today had I not hung around the old Gauge? That's hard to say, but both Mikey, myself and all our mods stuck it out and so here we are and that's what counts.

Both Mikey and I are delighted and very proud that Big Blue can operate as loosely as it does. We attribute that to the dedicated moderators that have been with us all this time from as far back as Dec. 2000, and for sure, all our classy members. We thank you all.....