Let's be positive here folks, this is the best guitarists forum on the internet and I should know, I've been banned from a few. There's no egos flying round, no one bangs on about how they're better than everyone else, there's a lot of people offering very good advice and a continual undercurrent of humour and good-natured p1ss-taking.
And there's pretty pictures of Stratocasters.
And Telecasters.
And other guitars. But I don't look at those.
I'm with Frank on this one.
This forum changes with the seasons, who's online, what's happening in the outside world (music related or not). But basically it's the same place...
I'm not as active as I was a while back - I've got less I want to say and, perhaps more relevant, less I feel that I need to know or find out about now. I suspect many feel much the same as me. It's no problem, though, I post when I feel moved to do so or have something useful to pass on.
On here, I get music stuff and I get drivel (both serious and amusing) from folks who I know are into the same thing as me - music and guitars. That's good in my book. I also get to watch the odd argument and people getting worked up because they're misunderstanding each other - that's quite entertaining too (once I'd learnt that it's unlikely they'll listen to each other just because of anything I can type)...
Some people move on, and some of them want to slam the door when they do. So what? The rest of us are still here, we might miss them, but it's up to them. By the way, has anyone else noticed that, in general, the folk who go loudly have often been quite crochety (and therefore slightly less pleasant to be around) leading up to their departure? Someone said earlier (DMoney, I think) that this is the internet, not the real world. We're not seeing the real people here - we've all got big stuff happening to us in the real world, and we all bring that in here to a greater or lesser extent. It has a different effect on different people, depending on what they think they're getting out of this place. If someone p1sses me off (either directly, or through how they're talking to someone else), I try to take into account that there's a real human-being there somewhere, just like me, with a bunch of pressures they don't want and no f@cker listening to them in the real world...
But basically, (leaving aside the help and advice side of things for a moment) this place is an escape from our other sh1t. When your chosen escape ends up being part of your "other sh1t", that's when you have to move on. It happens to us all sooner or later.
It's a cool place, it's friendly, it works. For me, it ain't broke. :D
