Seriously thoughtful Thank you

[Logseman]

I've been here for a while, lurking around some of the forums in this site, and I think it's time to be thankful for the good people who inhabit MobileRead (thankful to $DEITY or simply to them).

I don't pretend to say I know all people in all subforums, but in the ones I've been around for a while I find it incredible, how many people are here, giving their time and helping each other.

I know there are hundreds of examples I leave unmentioned, located in the subforums I haven't seen so frequently, but I'll speak only from my experiences: simply to begin with, when you go and Introduce Yourself there is a committee of Knights Who Say Hi, always including people like Lady Blue whose picture archive seems never-ending, cassidym, ImogenRose or neilmarr. These Knights make you feel welcome and at home already, almost hugged, and one of them will point you to the right place.

Then you come to the Lounge and you see the plushy feeling gets bigger, since you come to a place where people from every corner of the world can debate about the most outrageous of topics with a sense of humor and (usually ) do so nicely. You understand in that moment that there is really a heart beneath Mobileread, a heart pulsing beneath the whole web structure, a kind heart composed of the goodwill of the people here.

Even in the sensitive topic of money, in the Flea Market, you see people really compromised (starting with the Admins and Mods) with a good functioning of the whole thing, a good will which implies making efforts to weed out the few scammers and cheaters, and giving kind advise to buyers and sellers.

Eventually, a look to the Open Source programs' forums around here lets you see more goodwill: tech-savvy people like kovidgoyal or Valloric striving to make reading easier for us who are not. The rich MobileRead Library, with the efforts of people like Patricia and mtravellerh, is another example of people using their skills for others' enjoyment, and another example of selfless love. Just like mgmueller's huge "big devices" thread, and so many others', who show more examples of people who lovingly invest their time and money in helping us with the exercise of our passion.

And, even though this is a more personal experience, this forum has allowed me to receive an eBook reader I really like, and not only that. Its customer service and other related staff, people like Forkosigan, mtravellerh (again ), kacir, GrayNM are more than customer support: they're a fandom composed of agreable fans who irredeemably have made me like my reader even more. That's a hard stunt to pull on someone who doesn't really feel good about companies in general.

To make this long story short, I'll just state a fact: if Mobileread was a person, I'd give it a hug and say a big "Thank you".

[GeoffC]

.... and so say all of us .....

[poohbear_nc]

Agreed.

[lila55]

:di tto:

[dreams]

Very well said, Logseman. You've posted what some of us (me) are not always able to say. MR members have taught me so much.

I was a just a newbie to text messaging, then I was given a Sony 505 (the only thing I knew about Readers was the word *gasp* Kindle ), and had never been on a forum, ever.

In the last almost year and a half, MR members made me feel very welcome as a newbie, and even taught me how to post along with how to use my Sony 505.

So, I agree...

[jinlo]

Before you get too warm and fuzzy, you might want to remember that Zombies pretty much run amok here as well. Sure, they mostly stay in the basement, but I’ve seen them in the Deals and the Recommendation sections. Actually, they can pop up just about anywhere. I just wanted to make sure the Zombies (and Dr. Drib) got a fair shake.

I’m delighted you want to give MR a hug, but just don’t hug a Zombie. When they hug back, well, they don’t like to let go.

[neilmarr]

A nice touch, Logseman.

I'd like to add my thanks to yours. I came here a year or more ago with a simple question about a Sony-505 I'd bought. The response was not only generous and expert, but so welcoming that I had to make a call or two back to see if I could offer anything in return.

I soon found myself swept up into a global community of pals that seems to grow with every visit to the site. For the past year, I've made it a point to stop by at least twice daily and to read everything -- responding if there's anything I can contribute, standing back in awe of the experts when a discussion is technical and over my head.

There's so much to learn here, not just about technology and literature, but about people ... often anonymous and known only by an avatar, a web handle and their words of welcome, encouragement and advice, freely given.

From time to time, I've been able to return a favour; but not often enough to properly express my appreciation for the company I'm fortunate to keep here.

In my experience, MobileRead is pretty well unique with its velvet-gloved mods and admin and its happy ability to attract and hold together a huge membership which -- on the surface -- seems to share nothing in common but a little piece of 21st Century gadgetry.

Best wishes. Neil

[zelda_pinwheel]

Logseman, what a lovely post, and thank YOU for taking the time and effort to show your sincere appreciation ! i feel just the same and the friendliness and warmth here are precisely what i love so much about this community as well. it's really wonderful to see how many people care about that ; it's because it's valued by so many that it's so strong.