amberfirez - 10k, a great achievement

I hope this hasn't been posted before, if so please amalgamate it with the existing thread, but if not, I just wanted to say congratulations to amberfirez for reaching over 10K posts, that is fantastic. Along with Kate and Winnie, that is an awesome achievement in reaching 5 figures.

I am sure that every single member of this forum would agree that the time, effort, energy and advice you give to each and every one of us is simply breathtaking. Believe me, you are loved so much here, we look to you for advice, and you are there all the time, saying the right things at the right time. I don't think this forum would be the same without you. All the work you have done here, all the people you have helped feel so much better, whom have gone away and you have been the cause of them re-considering their options and made the move to change their lives, you have made a difference. Be proud of being you.

Take Care
Danny

[Diluted]

[Amber Fyre]

Hello

Thank you so much for the thread and words Deepest Blue, embarrassed now. :embarass: hehe. I'm not sure I've done any of the things you said I have, but thank you anyway!

Not sure I'm proud of having so many posts though, most of them came from me trying to avoid doing essays at university!

[Pal]

Originally Posted by amberfirez

Hello

Thank you so much for your thread and words Deepest Blue, embarrassed now. :embarass: hehe. I'm not sure I've done any of the things you said I have, but thank you anyway!

Not sure I'm proud of having so many posts though, most of them came from me trying to avoid doing essays at university!

You have to give a speech now, recorded on camcorder and posted on here.

Don't forget to thank your parents.

Originally Posted by amberfirez

I'm not sure I've done any of the things you said I have, but thank you anyway!

Any post that brings a smile or gives food for thought is valuable to not only the recipient but to those who lurk and that we don't ever hear from, consider the many non members who browse these forums. I can tell you for sure that I know at least two people who I've spoken to directly who have browsed SAUK without actually joining and that SAUK really helped them tremendously. Who knows, one of your posts may have caused a lurker to join !

[Amber Fyre]

Originally Posted by Pal

You have to give a speech now, recorded on camcorder and posted on here.

Okay, I'll get right on that now! While we're at it, I should put it on youtube too! Oh, and I'll sing and dance in it too!

[Pal]

Originally Posted by amberfirez

Okay, I'll get right on that now! While we're at it, I should put it on youtube too! Oh, and I'll sing and dance in it too!

Good, chop chop, remember we're waiting.

[LexSless]

Dont mean to rain on anyones parade here but is posting lots REALLY an achievement? Id say a real achievement is taking sufficient strides so as to not be posting here at all!!! ie the opposite!!

10000 or more post says to me either lots of spamming or just more time being spent online here than could realisticlly be considerd healthy!!

BUT if (as i said i dont know ambirefirez and havent read her stuff) a large quantity of those posts have helped other ppl with her insight then it should really be a thankyou to her for those contrabutions not congratulations for serially hitting 'submit reply'! Personally i think thats kindof an unhealthy attitude...!

[Amber Fyre]

Originally Posted by LexSless

Dont mean to rain on anyones parade here but is posting lots REALLY an achievement? Id say a real achievement is taking sufficient strides so as to not be posting here at all!!! ie the opposite!!

10000 or more post says to me either lots of spamming or just more time being spent online here than could realisticlly be considerd healthy!!

BUT if (as i said i dont know ambirefirez and havent read her stuff) a large quantity of those posts have helped other ppl with her insight then it should really be a thankyou to her for those contrabutions not congratulations for serially hitting 'submit reply'! Personally i think thats kindof an unhealthy attitude...!

haha. At one point when my anxiety was worse reading something like that would have upset me greatly. But I'm going to be above that now. Well, try to be at least!

Here's some advice. I think some really good advice: Don't be so quick to be so harsh to others on this site. It is a SOCIAL ANXIETY website. Be supportive, be kind, consider other people. Don't try to upset people, tell them what rubbish they are, or how sad they are. It's a good lesson to learn really. Posting things like you have above is not going to help anyone, and has the potential to upset people. Was it worth wasting your time posting that when the only thing you could have gained was upsetting someone? I wouldn't think so, but maybe you do.

Originally Posted by LexSless

(as i said i dont know ambirefirez and havent read her stuff)

You said it !

[Pal]

Originally Posted by LexSless

Dont mean to rain on anyones parade here but is posting lots REALLY an achievement? Id say a real achievement is taking sufficient strides so as to not be posting here at all!!! ie the opposite!!

10000 or more post says to me either lots of spamming or just more time being spent online here than could realisticlly be considerd healthy!!

BUT if (as i said i dont know ambirefirez and havent read her stuff) a large quantity of those posts have helped other ppl with her insight then it should really be a thankyou to her for those contrabutions not congratulations for serially hitting 'submit reply'! Personally i think thats kindof an unhealthy attitude...!

Depends on the person TBH, for some posting 10,000 posts is hardly an achievement, for others who might be anxious about voicing their opinions over the net it is.

[Mortigantoj]

Originally Posted by LexSless

Dont mean to rain on anyones parade here but is posting lots REALLY an achievement? Id say a real achievement is taking sufficient strides so as to not be posting here at all!!! ie the opposite!!

Firstly, Amberfirez hasn't been posting on here for a while, so she obviously isn't constantly sitting infront of her computer!

Originally Posted by LexSless

10000 or more post says to me either lots of spamming or just more time being spent online here than could realisticlly be considerd healthy!!

Secondly, can I point out that Amber has been posting on here since 2005, so 10,000 averages only 10 posts a day!
And, much of that has been helpful advice, planning meets (and, posting in the games room )

[Wheelie Bin Bird]

Hullo it's ME!
I have to say I just post crap so I don't deserve to be included in this thread, And I had my count reduced by 5000 last year.

Hmm yeah I'm a nice person aren't I?

Sad old bint who sits infront of a screen all day coz she can't cope with life.

What an achivement.

[Amber Fyre]

Okay, the thread has become a bit negative. I say we need more positivity around, not negativity. <-- I thought a nice, happy, rainbow smilie would help.
So only positive stuff from here on out! I'll go first!

I've been here since 2003. This place helped raise me in some ways, I was only 18 when I joined. It got me through college, through university, through finding work, helped me meet some truely wonderful people, gave me support and answers that I never would have found elsewhere. Some of the people I've spoken to and met off here are some of the best people you could ever find.
My social anxiety has improved a lot since I joined as well as my general feelings of happiness in general. I am a LOT more positive than I used to be, full of a lot more hope, and have gained some invaluable social skills through attending the meets organised here.

So really I need to thank SAUK and all the people here, not the other way around! Even if I recovered 100% from my SA, it doesn't mean I would want to leave. I'd still want to attend meets, and give back anything valuable I have learnt to others on here. SAUK is a little community that you wouldn't want to leave behind!

Amber, that's a great post and a fantastic profile you present.

Going back to a point Amber made about negativity, we have to expect that. Mental Health forums are, by nature, expected to be, people have issues, real issues, issues that have hurt them and are sill hurting, peoples circumstances, experiences all take their toll as we try and gain an understanding of why it all happens. We shouldn't lambast any individual for being this way (not that we have been anyway), instead, we should continue to embrace and support them. People who are deliberatly negative for the sake of disruption don't stay long, they just would dearly love to see the reaction we give them in the face of their ignorance, those are easier to spot against those people who are really hurting. So I think it is fair to say that we should expect people to post negative replies sometimes.

[Pal]

Originally Posted by Deepest Blue

People who are deliberatly negative for the sake of disruption don't stay long, they just would dearly love to see the reaction we give them in the face of their ignorance, those are easier to spot against those people who are really hurting.

Keyboard warriors as i like to call them!!

[LexSless]

Originally Posted by amberfirez

Here's some advice. I think some really good advice: Don't be so quick to be so harsh to others on this site. It is a SOCIAL ANXIETY website. Be supportive, be kind, consider other people. Don't try to upset people, tell them what rubbish they are, or how sad they are. It's a good lesson to learn really. Posting things like you have above is not going to help anyone, and has the potential to upset people. Was it worth wasting your time posting that when the only thing you could have gained was upsetting someone? I wouldn't think so, but maybe you do.

Im not bloody being harsh! I might have phrased it wrong thats all-- I seem to have a habit of doing that but I apologise to you amber.

Was 'upsetting someone' the only thing i could have gained? maybe you could have thought in response tht posting 10k times on a MENTAL HEALTH webstie may reflect a large problem....... not being web-addicted but rahter that you have spent a lot of time over a few years on a MENTAL HEALTH site.

thats not slagging you off for Gods sake!!! I just dont think it merits congratulations. If i took 10000 pisses in the next 2 years and someone congratulated me for it and someone else said "thats not worthy of congratulations!", i wouldnt think the latter person was slagging me off, id think "bolloks, ive got a bladder problem".

Originally Posted by deepest blue

People who are deliberatly negative for the sake of disruption don't stay long, they just would dearly love to see the reaction we give them in the face of their ignorance, those are easier to spot against those people who are really hurting.

DB im not being 'delibarately negative' im just positive about postivie things and i dont think posting 10000 times on a mental health site to be a positive thing.

But youre probably partially right in the last point---- I dont think my current circumstances ARE as bad as ambers or yours or probably most other ppl on this site right now but they used to be. That means i have an understanding of both the 'SA mindset' and that of one that allows me a decent level of social functionalitty these days......... which allows ME to be the non-ignorant one who can understand different points of view without being kneejerk defensive

Amber you say that what i said originaly would have hurt you once but not now? you could make 100000000000 posts and that fact alone is worthy of more congrats than any number of posts...... so i'll congratulate you heartaly for that..... congratulations

[Amber Fyre]

^ hehe, okay then! I'm sorry but that post says a lot more about you then it does about me. I'm not going to get into an argument because to be honest I have no interest in either negativity nor crudeness. It does nothing for me and I have no interest getting into it! Plus I believe I have NO reason to defend myself as I know who I am and know I'm not hurting anyone so nothing else really matters. If I am not hurtings others nor myself then I am happy with that.

Anyway, I thought this thread might turn into negativity which I didn't want of course. Unfortuntely it's one of the issues here. Whilst I do love all the positive sides to this site, which I mentioned beforehand, these negatives do make me wonder whether I should stay. Why go to a place that just makes you down? Sometimes it's easier to see the bad stuff over the good, to see the negativity when there's so much positivity. Maybe I should just learn how to ignore the bad stuff and focus on the good, which I am gradually learning how to do!

[mi©o]

Originally Posted by amberfirez

I believe I have NO reason to defend myself as I know who I am and know I'm not hurting anyone so nothing else really matters.

You have absolutely no reason to defend yourself at all. This is because no one gave you anything to defend against.

Everyone has jumped to the conclusion that LexSless has passed judgments on Amberfirez, when as far as I can see, he went out of his own way to make clear (and it was clear) that this wasn't the case at all.

LexSless provided a nice lighthearted balance to the topic (and a perfectly sensible one at that!) and he's been attacked.

I don't think there's any question where the negativity's coming from here, and it isn't LexSless.

[Mortigantoj]

Originally Posted by mi©o

LexSless provided a nice lighthearted balance to the topic

If people are responding to him as though he has been negative, then surely he is being perceived as negative!

Isn't the point of this site to help people? Rather than point out negative concepts! Especially in the Trophy Room!

Just because you have an opinion, I don't think you should automatically voice it on this site, as many people on here can be extremely sensitive!

I'm sure Amberfirez was already embarrased to have this thread put up (she didn't make it herself!), and saying that it is something not worthy of praise is just rude, in my opinion.

But, enough of the arguing!
Everybody DANCE

Originally Posted by Mortigantoj

I'm sure Amberfirez was already embarrased to have this thread put up (she didn't make it herself!),

There shouldn't be anything embarrasing about showing an appreciation for someone who's obviously dedicated to the forum, I was genuinely trying show an appreciation (and to try and inject a bit of positivity), I am just a little surprised that the thread wasn't taken in the spirit it was meant to be in, this wasn't a thread open for discussion, it was just a recognition towards a valued member, that's all really.

I don't regret raising this thread because I still believe it's nice to show an appreciation to members of SAUK.

Take Care
Danny.

[Amber Fyre]

Here***8217;s the thing. Someone tried to make a really nice gesture and created a positive thread about someone. I didn***8217;t create it myself so it wasn***8217;t as though I was ***8216;seeking***8217; this thread to be created. I***8217;ve been very quiet about my post count in fact. The thread was completely positive until a certain point.

I***8217;ll be the first to admit that I don***8217;t think I***8217;m worthy of a trophy for 10,000 posts. I***8217;ve been on SAUK for 5 years, so these posts are very spread out. I mean, most of them were produced whilst I was at university, trying to avoid doing essays! or during breaks at work. I***8217;ve also organised quite a few meets over the years, each of which requires you to post a lot!!! Also, in the games room you can knock out 1000 posts an hour!

I don***8217;t really see how posting on here can be seen as an automatic ***8216;waste of time***8217;. If I enjoy it, so what? I see it as a waste of time spending hours watching football, but I don***8217;t call the people who do sad or think they should change what they are doing just because I personally don***8217;t see the point. If I***8217;m not on here attacking other people, or ruining my own life doing so (I spend a very small amount of time on this site as a matter of fact, I***8217;m just a fast typer!!!) then who cares what I spend my time doing? I***8217;m not going to be embarrassed about posting on here, I don***8217;t care if I had 1 post count or 1 million. I don***8217;t see it as a reflection of me as a person, of my SA, or of anything else.
But I am grateful to the thread starter for making a nice gesture ***8211; for putting some thought and positivity into the forum.

I do understand the point of posting a lot on here, and how it can be seen as a negative thing. But thinking is one thing, and actually saying it is another. People have many negative thoughts about other people, but saying them is only going to hurt people. I don***8217;t care about the negativity (as I see it!) in this thread, but it could affect other people who have high post counts. Apparently it was ***8216;to teach a lesson***8217; to us, to make us realise we***8217;re, what? Wasting our lives? That we***8217;re sad for posting on a mental health discussion board?
Well, I enjoy talking to people. Talking and discussing things online is enjoyable to me. It gives you a route to other people when you are at home, at work, or bored. This is the discussion board where I know people, it***8217;s familiar to me. Should I jump to another discussion board unrelated to mental health just so I don***8217;t ***8216;have a problem***8217;?

The social anxiety room and trophy room I see as a place for support, not judgement. Now I really don***8217;t want to be connected to all these negativity as I hate being in the centre of all that rubbish, so maybe we should just leave this thread at that. There***8217;s obviously some disagreement in this thread, and I***8217;m fine with that. Let***8217;s all just try to get along.

P.S. Deepest Blue: You made a nice gesture and nothing else. Unfortunetly threads like these can turn backwards on themselves. I don't think Mortigantoj was saying that you should be embarrassed about creating the thread - he was just pointing out that I didn't create the thread myself (as if I had I would have understood more easily where the negativity came from).

[mi©o]

But amber, you're not being attacked and no one passed judgment on you as you're claiming here. No one said you were wasting your time and no one denied that it was a nice gesture.

My issue here is that everyone jumped to all of these conclusions and attacked LexSless (who I think should post more, cos he/she provides a nice contrast from what I've seen) without any real justification.

It's a shame the thread took a U turn but you only have yourselves to blame for taking a few comments way too seriously. And I know it's an SA thing and we all have sensitivity issues, but I'd rather not see people casting the blame on others when really it's their own inability to see things from a balanced perspective. Just because you've got SA, it doesn't mean you have a license to go round attacking people.

[Pal]

That's the problem with internet chat, peoples intentions can be misinterpreted.

[LexSless]

Originally Posted by Deepest Blue

There shouldn't be anything embarrasing about showing an appreciation for someone who's obviously dedicated to the forum, I was genuinely trying show an appreciation (and to try and inject a bit of positivity), I am just a little surprised that the thread wasn't taken in the spirit it was meant to be in, this wasn't a thread open for discussion, it was just a recognition towards a valued member, that's all really.

I don't regret raising this thread because I still believe it's nice to show an appreciation to members of SAUK.

Take Care
Danny.

if amberfirez has contirbuted alot to SAUK and her contributions have been of great value to you then thats great---- of course you should show appreciation for that!!! I dont think thats a bad thing at all. But the title of the thread is 'amberfirez - 10k, a great achievement' not.... i dunno.... 'amberfirez - 10k posts, thankyou for all the support youve given us all' or something.

As i suggested earlier - the apparrently reduced affect of my 'negativity' on her is worthy of more congratulations because it represents PROGRESS on her part.... theres no way to construe 10000 posts as making progress

[LexSless]

amberfirez im going to put in bold the stuff you said in your last post that i feel misrepresents me or misinterprets what ive said..... unfortunately it might take me quite a while!!!:

Originally Posted by amberfirez

Here’s the thing. Someone tried to make a really nice gesture and created a positive thread about someone. I didn’t create it myself so it wasn’t as though I was ‘seeking’ this thread to be created. I’ve been very quiet about my post count in fact. The thread was completely positive until a certain point.

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t think I’m worthy of a trophy for 10,000 posts. I’ve been on SAUK for 5 years, so these posts are very spread out. I mean, most of them were produced whilst I was at university, trying to avoid doing essays! or during breaks at work. I’ve also organised quite a few meets over the years, each of which requires you to post a lot!!! Also, in the games room you can knock out 1000 posts an hour!

I don’t really see how posting on here can be seen as an automatic ‘waste of time’. If I enjoy it, so what? I see it as a waste of time spending hours watching football, but I don’t call the people who do sad or think they should change what they are doing just because I personally don’t see the point. If I’m not on here attacking other people, or ruining my own life doing so (I spend a very small amount of time on this site as a matter of fact, I’m just a fast typer!!!) then who cares what I spend my time doing? I’m not going to be embarrassed about posting on here, I don’t care if I had 1 post count or 1 million. I don’t see it as a reflection of me as a person, of my SA, or of anything else.
But I am grateful to the thread starter for making a nice gesture – for putting some thought and positivity into the forum.

I do understand the point of posting a lot on here, and how it can be seen as a negative thing. But thinking is one thing, and actually saying it is another. People have many negative thoughts about other people, but saying them is only going to hurt people. I don’t care about the negativity (as I see it!) in this thread, but it could affect other people who have high post counts. Apparently it was ‘to teach a lesson’ to us, to make us realise we’re, what? Wasting our lives? That we’re sad for posting on a mental health discussion board?
Well, I enjoy talking to people. Talking and discussing things online is enjoyable to me. It gives you a route to other people when you are at home, at work, or bored. This is the discussion board where I know people, it’s familiar to me. Should I jump to another discussion board unrelated to mental health just so I don’t ‘have a problem’?

The social anxiety room and trophy room I see as a place for support, not judgement. Now I really don’t want to be connected to all these negativity as I hate being in the centre of all that rubbish, so maybe we should just leave this thread at that. There’s obviously some disagreement in this thread, and I’m fine with that. Let’s all just try to get along.

P.S. Deepest Blue: You made a nice gesture and nothing else. Unfortunetly threads like these can turn backwards on themselves. I don't think Mortigantoj was saying that you should be embarrassed about creating the thread - he was just pointing out that I didn't create the thread myself (as if I had I would have understood more easily where the negativity came from).

OK it didnt actually take that long....... one full paragraph helped there!!

Look as mico has suggested you really have misunderstood me here. most of the post i quoted above is a 'straw man argument'...... you never quoted the arguements you were defending yourself against bcos they dont exist to be quoted. More than once you asked a question of my opinion.... answered it ('yes') YOURSELF and argued against your OWN question and your OWN answer... lol... whats that about?!!?!

See... i NEVER ONCE ATTACKED YOU!!! this is sauk a social anxiety site, and yes ppl are very very sensitive..... i think thats the only explanation for you and others taking my posts the way you have--- i dont think they would have been taken this ultra defensive way anywhere else except mayb on simalarly minded mental health sites. The sensitivity thing....... totally understand.

Ive been there myself and sometimes still find myself there. a few weeks ago i was having a discussion at work with some1 about patriotism and i heard someone who sits next to him laughing which nearly stopped me completly in my tracks..... it totally pissed me off.

the guy whos my best mate in the office sits opposite her and i asked him later if she was slagging me off (???) and she was in the middle of a totally different conversation with some1 else. I thought she was a total bitch at the time..... and i was still kinda frosty about her EVEN AFTER MY MATE HAD EXPLAINED WHY SHE LAUGHED!!! in other words i had gotten myself into a VERY defensive frame of mind about someone trying to make a mug out of me........ when she hadnt been doing any such thing. sensitivity does that to you.

You misquote/misparaphrase me saying that your posting over your time on sauk has been a 'waste of time'. Never said that....

To help with your football analogy though....... would you CONGRATULATE someone for watching lots of football matches on TV?

Youve organised lots of meets? Thats great, that shows a lot of courage...... THATS an achievement. Congratulations!!

Im HAPPY to acknnowledge feats of courage and progress bcos they reprasent things that not everyone here can do. probably 1% of ppl here have the guts to organise a meet.... for you to be in that 1% is brilliant on your part. For some1 to make a phone call - even if it goes badly - when they havent for a year bcos theyve been terrified to do so is progress, and thats brilliant too.

For all the defending off this thread's INTENT ive not seen one explanation for how posting 10000 times is an achievement. but i havent slagged you off in the slightest for that.... please post the quotes in which you think i have and i'll be happy to TRY to put you straight.

Unfortunately though it LOOKS like you have trapped yourself behind your defensive wall, put up the shutters, built the moat and contacted the aliens from Independence Day to see about putting up a nuclear bomb-proof force field and wont have any of it, and i dont think i can do much about convincing you that theres no threat (negative perceptino of you) to face.

I'll requote you here....

Originally Posted by amberfirez

Apparently it was ‘to teach a lesson’ to us, to make us realise we’re, what? Wasting our lives? That we’re sad for posting on a mental health discussion board?
Well, I enjoy talking to people. Talking and discussing things online is enjoyable to me. It gives you a route to other people when you are at home, at work, or bored. This is the discussion board where I know people, it’s familiar to me. Should I jump to another discussion board unrelated to mental health just so I don’t ‘have a problem’?

Nothing illustrates by how far youve missed the point than this. What...... we've got here is........ failure to communicate. Some (wo)men you just cant reach....

I dont think enjoying posting on this website lots is lame, wasting your life or sad. Gonna be hard for me to convince you that what youve conjured up and ascribed as beliefs to ME were YOUR fabrications but gosh darn it i'ma gonna try.

ppl move and progress at a different pace. there are members of sauk who will never ever read this post bcos theyve found a level of functionality which means they can leave sauk behind. Thats fabulous. I actually think its DAMAGING FOR YOU to think that posting here 10000 is an achievement. ITS NOT THE POSTING 10K TIMES THAT I THINK IS A BAD THING, ITS YOUR PERCEPTION OF IT AS AN ACHIEVEMENT.

If youre of the mindset to celebrate posting lots within a specific mental health community, when are you ever going to have the motavation to leave the specific problem behind??

.......I actually think im being pretty supportive, albeit in an SA mindset-CHALLENGING way, not the SA mindset/comfort zone-EMBRACING way that you want.

Mico thankyou for taking the time to help put what ive been trying to say in a clearer light, its reassuring to know that no matter how badly you may have put yourself across, youve been understood by at least one person!

[Deepguy]

Hi guys, putting this back, with just a reminder that the Trophy Room is about being positive and celebrating people's accomplishments. There are debates to be had and of course negativity is inevitable on an SA forum, but maybe those are best kept for another place and time. Let's keep it light.

[Pal]

Originally Posted by LexSless

ITS NOT THE POSTING 10K TIMES THAT I THINK IS A BAD THING, ITS YOUR PERCEPTION OF IT AS AN ACHIEVEMENT.

As i said earlier Lex, it depends on the person posting. For someone like me who's addicted to this place and has no anxiety about posting it's not an achievement. For someone who is anxious and frequently has difficulties, as Amber has, it is!!

I should also note that people are frequently congratulated on other forums for their post counts, i see no reason why it should be different here!!

[Grah08]

So much ado about nothing because its horribly easy to choose the wrong choice of words or to be misintepreted with text. With regards to whats being said I think maybe people see threads in this forum as more sa achievements focused- and postcount isn't that. I mean postcounts really mean nothing at all(whether postive or negative) - which we all know, just its a friendly kind of gesture to point out when someone has hit x or y postcounts- just in this case maybe its the wrong forum to do it in.

[Amber Fyre]

To be honest this is a big deal about nothing. I didn't actually get over-sensitive for myself, which I was quite proud of actually. It didn't really bother me. One of the reasons I felt I needed to reply was because there are a lot of other people on this site who are sensitive about their post counts or for having been on this website for a long time, so I felt I needed to give an altering view for their sake. Many people would have viewed some of the statements as negative, which seemed especially clear to me after Kate posted (can't remember her new username!). So I felt I should say something.

As I have said before in my last post - I completely agree that I don't deserve a trophy just for the simple fact of making X amount of posts. I never had a problem with that, just the way it was said and the thread it was said in. People interpret things in different ways, of course they do. It's more difficult to tell online the way in which someone is saying something, and the posts in this thread clearly show that things were interpreted differently by different people.

Can we please close this matter? I have NO interest at all in getting into an argument. I don't like arguing, and I don't think this topic really warrents it anyway. So let's just be friends?

P.S. Congratulating a post count is just a friendly little thing people do. It's like when you congratulate someone on reaching 50 years of age - it's not necessarily about them having 'achieved' some great thing like saving the world from poverty, it's more just a nice recognition, a nice gesture. It's just a thoughtful little thing really. As Grah08 said above, maybe it just should have been in a different section that's all.