[JT Jacobs]

Excellent analysis, RePinion, and elegantly expressed, too.

One addition to the general problem with Internet forums is that they are inevitably occupied by a small group of insiders who tend to dominate discussions overtly or, more rarely, with subtlety, and who, generally speaking, espouse a conventional wisdom that tends to become unconsidered, codified law after a time. Those who offer a differing--even dissenting view--are typically ostracized.

The ultimate result? New contributors become discouraged by the insiderism, and usually don't last long, which, for such a forum as this, means that the new and fresh ideas tend to be recycled stale ones.

Perhaps a general respect should be offered to all contributions regardless how much we may disagree with them.