A word of thanks

[Mike Gibson]

I have been on on several forums about alternative energy and i can say that this is the frienliest I have come across. As you can tell i am not the most educated one in the bunch. I am a truck driver living in Mississippi. I try to talk to people around here and they look ay me like i am crazy. I'm not a ME EE i don't have a degree of any sort but some time i a am called a dumass (figure that out) Since katrina came through here i have been on this alterntive energy kick that i try to keep expanding on. I have tought my self every thing i know so far with help like this fourm. I haven't blown or burned anything down(so far) I put up my first wind ginny this week as an experiment but living in a National Forest is not the idea place for a wind ginny, there are some rather tall pines. So far it turns in the wind but the blades don't turn. I used a 12v fan motor out of a mack truck that was being trown away one of the magnets is broke in half so i wasn't expecting much. I know that the motor is not right i just wanted to see if i could get something so far i have got 0 invested (you get what you pay for) I sent off for a 24V motor today. My solar panels are not that big but they keep me buisy in the shop. I just wanted to say thanks for the info that i have recieved and expect to recieve in the future. You know Mother Earth has been good to us it is time to pay her back as much as we can, It is not all about saving money (That helps) but if we want our granchildren to as comfortable as we are we have got to get our ducks in a row and keep educating the public and elected officals. Sorry about the long post just had a few thing to say. My wife say's i am like a dog after a rag when i get a hold of something i don't let go.

[Mark Parsons]

Hi Mike,

I must say that I echo your statements about the kindness of all the folks on this forum. Some of the other forums certainly have a rude responder or two. However, there are also many very nice folks responding kindly on those same forums. It only takes one rude response that can turn a person off and shy away from asking questions and learning more about something.

The day I stop learning is the day they plant me in the ground.

I think Rob has done a wonderful job in designing this forum. Especially in the requirement of making people use their real names and using only their image for an avatar. This is still not face to face communications, but at least takes much of the anonymity away. I hope this requirement catches on for all blog forums. I'd like to see the same requirement exercised at E-Bay. I bet it would reduce some of the fraud.

Regards,
Mark

[Ralph Day]

I'm with Mark. I've seen a variety of other forums and some of them rely on responses from just a few, albeit knowledgable individuals. This forum has a very broad spectrum of people involved. Engineers, builders, experimenters, and those of us who like to see what the former are doing...Mark, Stew, Dan, are your ears burning?

THe format here is so Canadian, polite, reserved and so on. Maybe that's what attracts the offshore element, truly worldwide membership. Kudos Rob, and thanks.

Ralph

[Rob Beckers]

Well, thank y'all for the kind words! You have me blushing... :D
Honestly though, I'm glad to see the forum is working out as intended. It is meant to be a friendly place where those new to RE as well as old pros can feel at home, and discuss things at any level. Hopefully the forum will continue to be a friendly place when it grows.

I can't take credit for the idea of using one's real name and picture. It's something I saw at a woodworking forum I frequent. I do believe it greatly helps in keeping the interactions at a higher plane. When people can hide behind an anonymous handle they somehow feel a much lower threshold to say things they would never use to someone's face.

We're still a bit low on membership. I would really like to see the forum grow with at least a few hundred more, so please keep spreading the word. That should also help to bring more content to areas that are a bit quiet right now (sustainable building and such). I'm sure it's just a matter of time...

Last but not least: A big thanks to everyone of you for stopping by here!

-Rob-

[Stellar Gellar]

i agree. the site is very helpful and very informative.:bigsmile:

[Stellar Gellar]

This site is very helpful! Thank you so much!:nuts:

[Tim McMurran]

Out of all the alternative energy fourms I also visit, this is hands down the best! What I find great about reading and posting here is that people do not tend to judge as I have seen on other fourms. Everyone needs to start at somepoint, and not all of us can know everything. Those that think they know everything must have been doing something wrong other wise they would have been millionaires by now :) so really a little knowledge shared between a number of people goes along way.

What you or I do not know or understand might come as second nature to someone else. Then again we may have an idea or information that others could learn from as well. No question is right or wrong, and each answer and comment helps others along the way.

Great site, and better then average people all around here. :)