How about the good that it tells a new person? If they see many ppl who have been here a certain (long) length of time, won't they feel more comfortable to see that ppl stay and so it may be a good site, and also see members that they might ask questions about PC? Maybe they might consider something they say with more weight than another new member, IDK, don't know that that matters.

Why wouldn't a person's time here, level of membership, whether they've added to the site or not, why isn't that considered part of a person's "own merits?" Surely we have had members who seemed to post just to get their numbers up, but ppl still felt support from it. It isn't easy to sit and read and then think and reply, as everyone who does it knows. It can be tough to scrape up a few bucks to toss into the community fund because someone else right then might need it more than you. It takes effort and time to write an article that would appeal to such a varied readership, as many of you know. It takes dedication to come here each day or so (I know, many of you think you are just doing it for yourself) and thereby giving support to the site (you show up on the who's online list, the overall active membership count stays good, advertisers are more likely to work with the webmaster and thus make it easier for DocJohn to continue to provide this site free to all of us!

While I have no problem with those members who come and read -or maybe those ppl who don't even join but just read - no problem with those who can't or haven't written, haven't been able to give to the community fund or maybe not posted much even if here a long time, I think it might be important to realize that without members doing all those things (posting, supporting, giving,) PC wouldn't function!

Members make PC run! If you don't need the badges, that's fine, but there are those, the majority of ppl who do need some recognition in some form. It's another way that DocJohn is supporting the members here, at PC, who help the site be not only successful, but a really good support site.

Furthermore, we need to give DocJohn support too, and I know how I would feel if I did something for the good of the membership, and then not be supported for doing it. Of course, DocJohn understands how and why we respond like we do, but still... He's human too (though I bet we don't like to think so, more like to think that he can walk on water if he wanted to) and it's our job - the membership's job - imo to give support back to him. I don't mind appreciating every thing he does to improve the site!

I may not have said everything just "so" but I trust you understand the spirit of what I'm trying to say. TC!