Taking a support break

Being a husband and father of two, I understand the pressures you're going through, and that it's even more-so for a mom than a dad (to those who don't have children: yes, mothers have more demands on them than fathers do).

I'm sorry you've come to this crossroads, or that you've been pushed here, but I think everyone in the community is just glad for what you've given us and wish you nothing but the best.

Damien

Hi Michelle,

Take that break. You deserve it!

I've seen your name appear in the darkest rooms of the drupal fora, helping people that nobody would help, or who's only help would come in the form of 'Use the search button' or 'RTFM'.
You are not rude, not impolite and definitely not harsh.
You are being efficient. Efficient is definitely not the synonym of the above.

And yes, i'm a father of 3 kids aged 4,5 and 6. And yes family comes first. Always!
Nobody can force you to work on the drupal forums. It's not your job, it's your hobby and passion.
And BTW, you'll never be able to help everyone. You're just one person. Being highly efficient won't even help you at that large scale.

So my advice. That a break for a few weeks. Think about that your contribution to the community is high appreciated. Think about that you won't be able to help solve each single person. And maybe, you should find a soulmate that you can ping to stand up in your defense, instead of wasting your time to do that.

Good luck. And hopefully we'll see you back in a couple of weeks. Completely recharged!

Hey Michelle,

I'd like to say thank you for your excellent contributions. The appalling behaviour these people have subjected you to is sadly another example of what has been termed "poisonous people" in Open Source.

I'm not trying to say that you should just accept their behaviour and "suck it up" – my point being that there's a group of people that will never be satisfied with any amount of politeness, support and catering to their specific needs. They demand perfection from others and give nothing in return. They are leeches, vampires, a drain on the vitality of any open source or community effort.

I wish I could tell you that all those people will be gone when you return, that everyone would come to Drupal and the community with reasonable expectations and a decent manner, but I'm afraid it's going to take a complete overhaul of our cultural and societal standards to accomplish that.

In the meantime, I wish you all the best. You shall be missed, but don't hurry back for our sake. No one has the right to demand your support and contributions, so please only come back when you can do so happily.

Thanks for the support, guys. I was surprised to see replies on this already. I deliberately didn't put it on Drupal Planet because I didn't want it to come off as some attention getting stunt. The only links are from my project pages so people know why I'm neglecting the queues for a while. I guess maybe people read those after all. LOL!

I know there are a lot more people who are happy with what I do than are unhappy but having people basically say I'm mean and insensitive hurts. Pile that on top of the fact that I'm already horribly burned out on support and it's just too much.

I will be back. No doubt about that. I do believe I have a responsibility at least to support my modules and I am by no means abandoning them. But I think they will be ok without me for a while. There are a lot of people using my modules. If someone is desperate enough for help I'm sure there is someone else that can answer their questions.

Thanks again. I really do love the Drupal community. :)

Michelle

Hey, just want to say thanks for all the work on your modules, from which my site has greatly benefitted!

Nuances are inevitably lacking in IRC, email, texting, issue queues, so it seems like people do often read things into them that are not intended. Issue queues and the like are also such a purely intellectual arena, so we mostly make stripped-down functional statements, trying to describe and solve problems as efficiently as possible. There is a lack of "chat" and "social pleasantries" for a reason. So it seems best not to get to up or down emotionally about any of them. But perhaps for people new to this, it's a bit jarring. Maybe they don't even know to observe first for awhile before commenting: when in Rome...

Anyway, good luck with your family and other endeavors!

To borrow from an old dating story ... "It's not you, it's them"

One of the downsides of Drupal growing so big so fast is that along with all the good people that join DrupalLand you also get your (un)fair share of jerks. Unfortunately you have had the pleasure of meeting a few of them recently. There really is no pleasing some people, and those are the ones who have taken some of the joy out of your Drupal experience. I to have run into these self-absorbed people in my life. They feel if you don't put your entire life on hold for them and give a few thousand dollars worth of free consulting over to answering heir question you are worthless. These are the people who when found in a broken down car in te middle of the desert at high-noon and then given a ride to the auto mechanic 50 miles out of your way, will complain that your choice of music wasn't to their taste. There are just some people you can not satisfy, and you shouldn't try. Just do what feels right and comfortable (to you).

Having said my piece, take the break ... Enjoy some uninterrupted time with your family and take care of yourself.

Although, I'm not that active in the Drupal community...I am active in a lot of places of the IT world. Michelle, if you haven't taken a significant break from giving user support to others in the past four years, then promise yourself this isn't the last time you'll be taking a break. Taking a yearly or seasonal break from IT helps recharge those batteries. Even when we enjoy a particular hobby or community as much we do, it is still good to reconnect ourselves with other activities to stay healthy human beings.

Enjoy your break!

Well, I did have a several month break when I got pregnant with my second son. I was horribly sick and couldn't even look at a computer from roughly November 2006 thru February 2007. Other than that, though, I really haven't. I posted on here once that I was going to take a break and it never actually happened. I'm trying to actually stick to it this time. It's killing me, though, that there are unanswered questions in my queue. Sigh. Yes, I peeked. What can I say, I'm a Drupal addict. LOL

Is there a 12 step program? :)

Michelle

@Bryan: That post is a good idea. Maybe I'll break for the summer. Or at least part of it. I don't think I can realistically let my issue queues go until September. :) But, yeah, getting outside and away from the computer more is a good plan. Thanks for the inspiration. :)

Michelle

Your quality of work.
Your dedication and passion.
Your value and contributions.
They speak volumes about your 'persona' not you as a person.
The only options of you as a person... that matter in this world.... are those of the people who love you, and those you love.
(which doesn't mean it doesn't hurt, but just a thought to share)

Do what you need to, follow your heart and be happy!

We'll leave the light on for you :)

Remember to grab some hot tea, sit in front of the fireplace, and read a nice book on PHP ;-)

...and you are not alone.

Drupal vacations? Some drinks and cocktails? Get some real work done? Oh yeah! Welcome to the club! :)

Seriously, I'm not considering you an "attention whore who gets all dramatic just to get praise". Rather, it's a matter of fact that the Drupal community grows in a very fast pace. The more people are joining the more idiots we see.

We face a mission critical issue here: I always see the very same people (Can I count them on one hand?) answering support requests and helping with bug reports.

It's time for new community members to stand up, do their homework, and help other users.

Drupal ain't a self-service shop.

Long story short: Me, too. Please add your Drupal Planet tag to this post.

We love you Michelle - take a much deserved break!

I'm sorry some people are being rude little freeloading turds hehe ;) They have no idea how much you mean to the Drupal community, and in any case it's appalling that people would be rude to anyone... no one deserves to be treated with disrespect under any circumstances. But especially you ;)

Not sure I'll know how to answer, but I'll try to keep an eye on your issue queues and answer things I understand.

@webthingee: Awww, thanks :)

@Jeff: Mmmmm... That sounds nice. I still have an unread copy of Using Drupal waiting for me. :)

@Sun: Oh, very much so. I hang out in the forums a lot and I see the same few people answering questions over and over. I worry about how close they are to burnout if they haven't gotten there already. The community keeps growing and TPTB want to make Drupal more accessible to those who aren't willing to RTFM. It's a scary thing. I've always tried to help new folks and make them see that Drupal isn't so scary when you get to know it... But I wonder how scalable that is. Of course, the goal is to make it so easy that they don't need so much help. But what if they fall short? Make Drupal less scary so our numbers keep ramping up and up without it being quite simple enough for them to handle alone. I worry that the community may simply implode as the crush of people desperately searching for help just overwhelms us all. :(

As for the Planet tag, no. My intent is not to make a scene. Frankly I'm surprised so many people have found this post since I was deliberately keeping it low key. If people want to know why I've gotten much quieter, they can find it. There's no need to push it to 13K people.

Thanks,

Michelle

@Keyz: Whoops, had this post open so missed your response. I appreciate you keeping an eye on things. My queues have actually slowed down significantly so this is a good time for a break. Obviously no module is ever 100% bug free but I think mine are pretty close at the moment considering I've been working on them for over a year before release. So now it's mostly support stuff that anyone who uses the modules can help with.

Michelle

Hi Michelle,
I didn't read the posts criticizing you, but I think you may have been the victim of troll behavior. Whenever I encounter troll behavior, I visualize the troll who resides under the Aurora bridge in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood. (bridge troll picture). Then, I have a good chuckle at the troll's expense.

Is that troll still there? I feel like I read somewhere that it was demolished... but seeing as it's a Seattle landmark, that's hard to believe.

Oh, and Michelle I second everyone's comments here. You don't owe anybody anything... take that break.

Hi Michelle

you give a little and people want the world, you do not owe anything to anyone but as i am sure you are aware that for every ten nice people in the world there is one not so nice

i can only speak for me but you work has helped me and for that i am greatful

enjoy your break and do not listen to the jerks in the world. I have a little boy 18 mths and that and a full time job leaves little time for other stuff so this time is precious and giving it away is very generous

warm regards

Hi Michelle,

Since the time that I have known you in the Drupal community, I would say that you are a very loving and compassionate person... not only with your family & kids but also to those who seek your help. Please don't allow those bunch of crazy people squeeze the juice away from you.

I am one of those who are excited to learn from your progress (yes, sincerely). Whether it's that new book you're writing, or a new community site that you have been buzzing to fix while contributing to the Drupal community... please know that there are lots of people along the way who are wanting to help you achieve your goals.

I know I've been missing in action for a while since I decided to help improve Drupal awareness here in the Philippines (which is a very tough job if I may add) but know that I'm here to help. If you need a hand with Coulee Region just let me know (coding or art stuff). I'll jot down a schedule to do just that (helping of course).

With all said, keep up the good work!

Truly,

Marc

Hey Michelle -
I know we've never met in person (though I may fix that, I'll drop you an email soon) I just wanted to say that I'm always amazed by the quantity of quality and well-thought-out work you turn out, both on your own and in support of the Drupal community. I know how it is, even though our kids are grown up and out of the house - it's always something. Cat wants to be fed. Dog wants a walk. People calling wanting weird support on stuff in the middle of the night.

So - I just wanted to say that a lot of us really do appreciate your work. And as always, when it feels like you need to take a break from something, it probably means that it really is time to take a break.

Go take care of yourself for a while and be Mom to your kids rather than to all us whiny Drupalistas.

Just remember that even 5 negative comments is so insignificant to all these amazing people that think you are fantastic. But, that doesn't mean you shouldn't take a break. Thank you for your work; take a break, but don't forget to come back (Drupal needs you)!

Michelle,

I've always found you to be one of the most friendly and helpful people in the Drupal community. Your service to the community is impressive to say the least, and I know from experience how difficult it is to be so persistently helpful in as many ways as possible. I sympathize with that desire to answer everyone's questions, and I know how frustrating it can get to do so and get a negative response. And I've always been impressed with the consistently upbeat and accurate assistance you've offered the community in so many ways.

That said, there will always be trolls on the internet. Heck, there will always be trolls in Real Life. The Drupal community is usually remarkably accepting and helpful, but there will always be exceptions. The most anyone can do about it is ignore them and move on. The chances are good that those people are simply frustrated from spending the last 22 hours at their desk unable to accomplish anything. God knows, I've been there.

So I hope that the comments in this thread demonstrate to you how much so many Drupalites appreciate your contributions over the years. I hope that the occasional troll won't deter you from continuing such laudable efforts. And I hope that you enjoy your break, that it teaches you not to take the internet too seriously, and that you return rejuvenated.

Cheers,
Ice

Wow, more replies. LOL! The Drupal grapevine must be at work. I can't imagine you all followed the links on my project pages.

Thanks for all the well wishes folks. :)

Just to be clear, I'm not leaving Drupal, even for a short while. I still need to finish APK for D6 and am actively working on my own sites. If I get actual bug reports on my modules that are not just support requests in disguise, I'll address those as well. All I'm doing is taking a break from actual support. I'm not going to be chasing down other peoples' problems for a while and people will need to read the docs themselves. ;) So I'll still be around, just quieter as so much of what I have done in the past is support. Cutting that out will mean cutting out a lot of posting. But I'm not totally disappearing.

Michelle

Michelle you've done an incredible job, you go and take your well deserved break. What you've accomplished is making Drupal Forums "usable". Their stock forums are severally lacking not to mention "ugly". What you have done is create a module that rocks and has pulled me away from using VBulliten, IP Board along with the phpBB3, SMF and others. I couldn't even consider using Drupal's forums before you came up with this wonderful module.

As for those who criticise you, bleh ..... I could say a few words about them but I'll bite my tongue. I've been in IT for many a year and yes at times you may think it's a thankless job. But trust me girl, there are many, many of us out there that may not say it enough that we very much appreciate the wonderful job you've done. Yes, you are a Goddess, don't you even think you're not!!!!!

Take a break, you deserve it!

Motion To Grant Michelle A Break With Honor -- From the Community!!!

Michelle,

I have personally benefited from the work you have performed. And like so many others here, I say TAKE THE BREAK..

We will be fine.. If this TROLL is the reason that you've granted yourself time off, then THANK YOU TROLL...

We need you here, but we need you to take a break and be happy too!

All in favor of granting Michelle a break with distinction and honor.. SECOND THE MOTION!!

Scott Baetz

You should never apologize for putting your family, your livelihood and your sanity above your contributions to the community. And you're not being a drama queen to point out your situation; in fact, it shows how much you do care. Most people would just disappear for a while without explanation.

Unfortunately, the low barrier to entry for open source projects attracts a great number of people with insufficient skills who think they are entitled to whatever support they require to get up to speed.

But try to remember that the system does work most of the time. I don't know how many times I've found the exact answer to a dilemma on the drupal site (or as a timely appearance in planet drupal) and been thrilled at my luck, but didn't share that with the person or people that provided the info. It's not just that we don't often thank everyone as much as we should, but that too much of that in forum or doc posts would dilute the ability to read through comments.

Maybe we should create a "thanks for this post" widget that could track that sentiment? But not you - you take the break you deserve.

Michelle, you have been an inspiration to many, a big help to more, and to quite a few, you have been an unqualified godsend. You and people like you are what drew me into the Drupal community, and that in turn has quite literally changed my life.

Take a break. Do whatever you need. And please, please, ask for our help because there are many of us in Drupal-land who would love to have an opportunity to repay you in any way we can.

LOL! Thanks everyone!

As far as helping me, just going out and helping others would help. Mostly what I did was hunt through the Drupal forums & IRC for people having trouble with forums and profiles and try to help if I could. Plus there's my issue queues though they're fairly quiet right now.

Michelle

you are the only person in all of open source i have ever donated to. (thats perhaps not a good reflection on me, i know, but, not the point). i gave because i thought you were very helpful, and your work was great. hope you'll be back
thanks

Take a break, it is well deserved. Michelle in all the time that I have known you I have known that you are always around. I was always amazed at your ability to manage your family, module development, support and I'm sure a plethora of other side projects. You are making a good decision by stepping away from support for a while to focus on other things. The community that has been created around your modules and your work will still be there and they can help themselves.

The heart of open source is people like yourself that act as catalysts by sharing their code and your time but you should never be expected to a life-time maintainer and support. Unfortunately there is confusion in the OSS world about this last point.

Take the time off and thank you for all of your hard work. It may not have been said all that often but it didn't go unnoticed.

I think you care too much. It is your time to give. If you can and want to, give it. If you are not getting paid for what you do, then nobody can make any claims on your time. As simple as that. You do what you want to. If people do not respect and appreciate that then move on. Stop worrying what other people think. It will make you depressed.

Hi Michele,

No matter what you decide I just wanted to say thank you for your work. It has not gone unnoticed. You've made great contributions which are extremely useful. You should be proud.

Phil

I was wondering from the beginning who you fit all your efforts into your life.

Therefore it is totally understandable tha you need some time to reevaluate your priorities. I had to do the same thing after my kids entered my life.

Jan

I am a huge fan of your work, your modules are the main reason I continue to use Drupal. Yet another example of how the minority wreck it for the majority.

I can't even imagine where they are coming from.

Hey there,
Another appreciative user, and I definitely found out through the project pages. Enjoy the break!

Hi Michelle,
Misinterpretations over electronic communication happen daily in the workplace, and we shouldn't expect anything different from online posts. I think the lack of face-to-face communication is the main culprit of this.

Another reason, I think, is that many people get online eager to find out answers for their puzzles with which they have struggled for hours (or days), and their temper gets short very quickly. I have seen many of your posts, they are concise and to the point.

Do not worry about what a few people say about you, you are of tremendous value to the Drupal community. Take a break, but we need you back!

Michelle,

It's my guess you won't be reading all of these but I hope you read some. Not because you need a little boost from people or something mostly empty. But because you are important, NOT because of what you give or what you've done for Drupal; only because you are who you are. You have the right to do whatever you need or want to do. And you are awesome (I've posted that in a couple forums since I started working with Drupal a little while back).

There's a lot more to say but I won't because, obviously you have enough to read and because I want you to understand the truth without being overloaded. You have some rough stuff to go through with family, life, and anything (even if other people go through it too, it's no less rough at all) and you have the right to be stressed or hurt or upset or however you feel about it. Don't rush your life for anyone else! Really. And make sure you enjoy it.

I wish I could give you a hug (in a completely not creepy way).

oh, one more thing (Just finished reading your whole post). Don't suck it up and don't stop complaining or saying how you feel. That won't do anyone any good, honestly. You have that right too. Not saying this cuz I feel bad or because it's the nice thing to do; I'm saying so because I mean it and I believe it. K. Sorry for the second post.

Michelle,

Lance Armstrong said that when he raced up the mountains of France, 10s of 1,000s cheered him on along the road. Though that was the case, he can only vividly remember those that cursed him and spat at him.

Why?

Because it's human nature I suppose.

It's understandably that you remember a few people that gave you a hard time.

But also remember that you've helped a lot of people along the way. Draw satisfaction from your accomplishments with them.

You can't help everyone. Only those that want to be helped.

Regards,

Enrique Garibay
www.deskping.com

Hello Michelle,

I've seen this post too late and I hope you must already be enjoying your well deserved vacation.
The only thing I can say is that I'm a huge fan of your work : it helped me build strong drupal community sites (like http://www.seronet.info) and without your documentation work on these modules, I would have taken me many more months to master the user+ part of D5.

Family first, we all tend to forget it, but this is why you get up : your beloved one and kids. So do I !!

Finally, instead of killing kittens, we should kill a rude newbie each time we hack core !

Best regards and take care

Speaking as someone who continues to delay releasing due to 'real life getting in the way', I have huge respect for those who can find the time to do so, and if you need a break, take it without guilt. Thanks for all you've done, and the code will be there when you are ready.

Thanks again everyone. I am still reading. :) And I haven't disappeared. I'm just taking a break from support, not Drupal totally. :)

Though I caved in and just answered a bunch of issues. All those unanswered questions were making me twitchy. LOL! I just answered the ones I didn't have to do too much digging on, though, so it's only a little "unbreak" ;)

Michelle

Now I'll be honest, you've been short with me in the past, but that's always because my questions turned out to be quite stupid. But I'm never ungrateful for the support. As a matter of fact Advanced Forum is one of the most necessary drupal modules around, and the crux of my site. Without it we'd never have used drupal and stuck with vBulletin. Which makes you a rockstar in drupal terms.

So don't get put down by a few idiots; they'll always be out there. Your modules are amongst the best on d.org so keep up the good work!

You rock!

I am using your Advanced Forum in three sites. It is wonderful Drupal software. Everything runs smoothly. You did a high quality work.

Your story sounds so much like mine. I had a daughter seven months old. But I am 50 years old… !!!!

Have courage with life… and patience.

Thank you for you work.

Rafael Cansinos
Madrid (Spain)

i think you did some very good contributions to drupal.
especially your download of the socnet database and the infos on how to build a social network in drupal is great.

just try to take the best out of it and just relax for some time.

good luck and all the best.

andi

Hi Michelle!
You deserve the break :)

You're an amazing person and thanks to you our site looks like it looks now.
I have already told you this many times, but I can't express my gratitude to you.

Back on the first months of Drupal development we made our decisions by analyzing all the info possible, and the last call was always "If Michelle uses that module... then we should use that module". You really were our guide even if you didn't know it. We trusted every step you made.

And I really want to thank you for all your work and I hope that after your much deserved break you keep bringing in so much joy into the community. Don't be fooled by a few you're an excellent person, and you have done great things for the people. I can't be thankful enough myself.

Keep up your book, don't give it up -shorten it if you may, and then expand it so you have a finished version soon- and start selling it! :)

I'd happy to help you in any way I can with anything you need. Feel free to contact me by email.

Best,
Rod

Let me add something more to be CLEAR enough to you... so you can understand how IMPORTANT YOU ARE to the Drupal Community, and how happy you should be :).

Advanced Profile Kit and Advanced Forum were the main reason why we choose Drupal instead of any other CMS.

:) :) :)

THANK YOU.
Take care :)

Wishing you nothing but the best !
and
Remember ... Take care of the rocks first !

( I forgot the name of the author)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A professor stood before his class with some items on the table in front of him.

When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and began to fill it with rocks, about 2" in diameter.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.

The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.

Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "Yes."

The professor then produced two cans of beer ( or was it wine ?)from under the table and proceeded to pour their entire contents into the jar - effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things - your family, your partner, your health, your children .things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter - like your job, your home, your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued "there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the plug. Take care of the rocks first - the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer/wine represented.

The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers or a glass of wine with a friend.

@Chris: Oh, I'm sure I've been short with lots of people. I'm human, I get cranky. What really started this off was having several people suggest that I'm never nice and all of my posts are nasty. That's what really got to me.

@Kit: I'd heard that story before but without the beer part.

@Everyone: Thanks very much for your support!

Michelle

Hi Michelle,

I'm a newbie in drupalcommunity, but I've been visiting your site since ever. I am thankful for you great effort for modules development and tutorials. I understande your pressure and as you can see we all on your side. I feel sad, that the situation came so far. But image you are sad and stop hunderds of people out there will stay helpless und cry. So don't let some jerks affend you. Keep the head up! Enjoy your break and come back soon...

Warm regards from Germany
Michael

@Michael: I'm still working on the modules (though I'm taking a short break from AF to focus on APK) and still writing articles/tutorials. Really the only thing that's changed is that I'm only answering support requests that I can pick off in < 5 minutes. I'm not getting on peoples' sites and solving their issues for them or spending endless time going back and forth just to find out it was user error from the start. That's what I need a break from. I enjoy coding too much to give that up. :)

Michelle

Hi Michelle,

Thanks for your fantastic modules.

I believe you have done way more than anyone criticising you has, and as a user of your modules all I can say is that I am amazed at such dedication.

Personally, having a capitalist mindset, I would never ever considered providing free support.

Hey Michelle;

As someone who has received help both directly from you as well as from your responses to other people's questions, I can certainly say that I have never once witnessed you be rude. As other posters here have mentioned it often amazes me the deep dark corners of DrupalLand I see you in, helping folks out.

I think the rest of us can lend a hand and keep an eye on the APK and AF modules and steer new folks in the right directions.

I honestly think that APK and AF are easily as important to Drupal as CCK or Views.

If you were the kind of person who constantly reacted to questions with criticism, annoyance and brushed people off, then you wouldn't care what other people thought.

By definition, if the idea of you coming off as nasty upsets you, then you must be a good person. You care about others enough to not want to upset them. This will be naturally reflected in how you behave every day.

Sure, there'll be slipups. You'll not be in a good mood at that particular moment. But you simply won't have it in you to be short all the time and you'll always end up reverting back to your positive attitude.

It is part of human nature to expect good service as the norm, and it is therefore never commented on. Only bad service ever gets people talking. I was sent to customer service training a good many years ago, and we had this fact beaten into us - enough to the point where if I get good customer service as part of someone's normal routine, I'll make a point of mentioning it to them or their supervisor. Too many people take it for granted, and never appreciate that the person in question is actually making an effort here.

In your ability as a coder, in your dedication to the community, and from reading your writings here, you rock. Never forget that.

It's also said, in this Web 2.0 world, that only 1% of an online community will actually participate. So if you have this many comments, just think how many people silently love you too :)