Fuzzy,

I think that was a good question too. Genuineness is important. Insincere compliments really don't mean much, and if someone is insincere, it does tend to come out. But that doesn't mean that it is necessary to comment if what you would say might be hurtful. Sometimes refraining from answering is the best approach.

As for the "quiet" ones and the "noisy" ones, how about "introverted" and "extraverted"? Is that better? I'm not sure, but "quiet" and "noisy" works just fine. You probably wouldn't believe it based on how much I post here, but in real life I am extremely quiet and introverted. I am on most of my e-mail lists and things too, but here I have just had a lot to say I guess. The sqeaky wheel gets the grease is unfortunately true. If you don't know what someone needs, it's hard to know to give it to them. Not that they are any less deserving or that anyone likes them any less, but that's just what happens. I can see how it is easy to feel left out when people are giving lots of hugs and support to a few members, but less vocal people are sitting there reading and not posting much and not telling us that they need some support too. Yeah, I've been there a lot in real life.

And there do get to be those people we know better because we've corresponded with them for a while and they have helped us before. I never want to leave anyone out, whether they are one I feel particularly connected to or a potential friend I don't know as well yet. Still, I tend to respond more to the people I feel like I know. Sometimes I have something to say and sometimes I can't think of anything that seems like it would help or it seems like others have already covered the issue as well or better than I could, so I don't say anything. And sometimes I just get swamped and don't even get to this site for a while or don't have enough time to reply to everything as I would like. I just hope that no one takes it personally if they don't get a reply from me. The last thing I want is to hurt anyone.

Wendy

<font color=red>"Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing." -Harriet Braiker</font color=red>