[Mr 5 0]

MustangBelle306:

I'm sorry you feel any need to apologize for your previous comments and opinions on the forum. I can't see why. Your opinion is as important as anyone else's and any reader is quite free to ignore anything anyone else says here, on any subject.

On a personal note; I find your comments to be rather mature and well articulated for someone just out their teens and still in college.
That doesn't mean that I always agree with every point you make but - so what? That's why it's called a 'discussion forum'. The idea is to get various opinions from a wide variety of people, not simply to have a group hug and agree on everything all the time. That would be boring and rather useless.

We all understand that communicating through text only, without the benefit of voice inflection and facial and body language, is a real challenge.

I would advise every poster to read and re-read his/her post before sending it and be willing to go back and edit it if necessary.

'Attitude' is the key.

I've deleted more than one of my own posts that I realized came off rather harsh or too blunt after I finished reading it - but before sending it. I wanted to advise and possibly help, not lecture or attempt to prove that I know more than somebody else because that usually isn't the case. We're all simply offering another point of view someone asking for advice might have missed.

We can always add a few words to posts such as 'In my opinion" or "perhaps you might consider..." in place of "You're wrong" or "You need to do this right now". It can convey a more helpful attitude and since words are all we have on the forums we want to use them as best we can. The use of a few modifiers can help to cast advice or opinions in a friendlier light rather than the harsh way it might be seen by some who take offense when they feel they are being lectured to.

Bottom line is that I hope you won't allow a few negative comments stop you from stating your opinions here. Use tact - of course - but feel free to opine as you wish and if others disagree, let them show you where - or how - you're wrong, and prove it - instead of simply calling you names.

If your words make sense and are delivered in a reasonable tone and manner than I see no rationale for anyone objecting. I don't.