Thanks everyone, I value all your replies, and I think you've all made interesting points. mj, I do agree with what you wrote about "too much praise and attention to those who speak a lot will only drive these quiet ones away, to hide in corners" ... because they feel that their posts can't possibly "compete" with all the posts and replies from the more vocal members. In some cases, they could feel invisible and uncared for. Also, people with social phobia sometimes have trouble with compliments, perhaps questioning whether they are always sincere. So my answer is that kindness is very important, but being impeccable with ones word is more valuable than too many compliments. Maybe the compliments are sometimes better saved for pm's. Just my take ... sorry if this is unpopular

Hugs,
Fuzzy