Can't decide if this is a good idea or a bad idea...

As someone else pointed out, even when you know otherwise sometimes you just can't ignore checking the number of replies your post has received and comparing it to others. And our depressed minds translate that into "people here don't like me here..." even though that has nothing to do with it. I thought maybe a reminder of reasons that people don't always post replies might help us remember that it doesn't mean we are not loved...

<ul>[*]Sometimes people feel very deeply about a post, and it literally leaves them speechless. That happens to me sometimes. Some people feel comfortable just leaving behind a hug but others don't.[*]Sometimes people have periods where they can't concentrate or can't sit at the computer long enough to go through everything. I'm doing that now. They may hit a few posts at random or look for a subject line they can relate to.[*]People may feel fragile at some point and be afraid to open up a new post. There is comfort in contributing to a thread you are already involved in rather than looking at one unknown.[*]Long threads, if you look at them, are often long because they have turned into topics of conversation, sometimes completely off subject. Often the ongoing conversation is between people that have nothing to do with the person who started that thread. They may even be responses to something that you wrote in someone else's thread![*]People find different things triggering... something that seems easy to respond to may trigger something in other people, they may not want to read the message... it doesn't mean they don't love you...[*]On a busy day, topics may scroll so fast that not as many people get to see it. That's one of the reasons that DocJohn set up the "Kudos" forum, so that people needing advice or support would be less likely to have their messages "lost" in a sea of other.[*]Sometimes it is quality, not quantity, that counts. A particular comment that really hits home and makes you feel not so alone can have equal value to a post that has a ton of replies from people who are trying, but can't really understand.[*]Sometimes the first few replies can be so deep that others don't want to repeat it or have anything to add. Again, some people feel comfortable just leaving behind a hug but not everyone feels that way all the time. (It varies for me... sometime I am ok leaving just a hug, sometimes I feel weird about it)[*]Time of day... someone may have posted in the morning or evening when lots of people are on, and get a lot of responses... you're post may just not have had as many eyes on it yet because people are at work. We sometimes tend to keep checking though even if not enough time has passed. "Its been 10 minutes! How come no responses yet!" A post that gets 10 responses in 10 minutes in the prime evening hours may only get one response during the day.[*]Sometimes the first few responses are obviously from people who know you so well that you feel like "outside the clique" and are shy to post. I think we all work hard here to encourage people to feel comfortable but it often does take time for people to "feel the warmth". [*]Again in the case of newer people... they may want to post, but feel more comfortable (for the above reason) to start posting in a thread that is more "analytical"... asking a question or describing a situation that is easy for everyone to relate to... and that could start a string of further replies. The posts that may need acknowledgement the most... the ones that are most emotional... are the ones that people might feel that they are "intruding" if they post and so may be reluctant.[/list]
Other ideas?

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