Oh snap...I certainly feel called out.

No one said anything about "hugs." Or, rather, I didn't. And I don't think I saw anyone talk about how they felt about each other.

When I mentioned validation I meant that, when you post a thread saying, "Hey, I'm really struggling because of a, b, & c..." especially when you say "I'm having a hard time because I feel, in my offline life, that people are ignoring me (regardless of how rational that feeling is)" someone acknowledges you. What is the point of coming online to a support network when there isn't support? When I mentioned dancinglady, it was in reference to her recent post, which I'm sure the majority of the forum members read, since it correlated to that I had to say, and I also commented on it.

Maybe you're right about a general thread. Pretty sure the issue I've brought up would still occur there, however.