[WillowTheWhisp]

I agree wholeheartedly with Wynonie. I don't see the debates as arguments when people are simply putting forward their points of view even if it does get very passionate. As long as it doesn't deteriorate into personal insults those threads can be brilliant and really attract my attention. Sometimes I may have a very strong point of view myself and nothing anyone says can persuade me otherwise. Other times somebody may say something which makes me look at tit in a different light and I may end up changing my mind.

One thing which I do find rather sad and pathetic is when someone pounces on another member who they have disagreed with in the past and drags up an old argument to illustrate why they couldn't possibly agree with them on something new. That is just plain silly. There are people I have wholeheartedly agreed with on one subject whilst fervently disagreeing with them on another topic.

I may thoroughly disapprove of something one person proposes but that doesn't mean I dislike the person, only the suggestion.

They may be nothing more than words on a computer screen but the express people's opinions and people's experiences. In some cases the internet may be the only human contact a person has if they are housebound. Perhaps it would be good to remember that there are real people behind the screen names, real people with feelings.

I know we tend to have a laugh at the antics of some who get on a high horse about something and get it all out of proportion, or someone who comes along determined to insult everybody, or the would-be webmaster who asks for help and advice in setting up their own forum and then beggars off with all the ideas claiming them as their own. (no names, no hats) but that's just an echo of real life anyway.

One thing I don't like and which I do feel spoils any forum, is when people bring their private lives and personal arguments onto the site and make it a forum issue. That has been the death knell for a couple of forums which I have previously enjoyed and which sadly no longer exist.

One thing I miss on here is those photographic quiz things Acrylic Bob used to do. I find it difficult to do a quiz here now because of the lack of the edit feature so I can't go back to the original post and insert the answers. It just confuses people when they don't know which ones have been answered. Well it confuses me anyway. So I've kept my quizzes etc to other forums.