AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” - Rob Siltanen

Since I've gotten active on UHH, I've noticed a particular thing. There are a lot of ill-informed, poorly written, or borderline offensive posts asking questions that might be trolling, might be naïve, or might just be offensive by their apparent greed and unconcern for others.

As in any public forum, these attract their share of unsupported opinion, of irrelevant and sometimes silly responses (see any Nickanon or PP thread), and sometimes outright derision for the opening thesis.

But one thing I've noticed is that there are a number of people on UHH who respond sincerely, who offer opinionated but not dismissive advice, and who give their legitimate thoughts on the most outrageous of questions and theses. You can ask, "Is the Nikon Dxxx or Canon Dsxx really a piece of overpriced crap compared to the "Nonamekon?" and you'll get some sincere and honest responses, from people who are knowledgeable, and offer fifty percent "what" and fifty percent "why" when they post.

So here's to you folks - the ones who treat everyone assuming their sincerity, offer well-informed advice, and recognize that the "right answer" for one person is not necessarily the right one for another. It isn't easy - at times, there seem to be more stupid or deliberately provocative questions than there are sincere but ill-informed ones.

You folks are the gold in the ore of UHH posts, the polished gemstones among the druse, the reason I keep coming back here for both information and for the occasional tidbit of information or experience I can contribute. I'm trying every day to be more like you, and less cynical, snarky, or confrontational.

So here's to you. I'm not going to call out names, but I hope you know who you are, and know that so many people who populate this place appreciate your contributions. I have at least a half dozen regulars with high post counts in my mind, but no doubt, there are many others I haven't yet noticed. I wish I had your patience, knowledge, and ability to articulate them.

Here's to you!

Andy

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

Amen!

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

For those who don't know, Rob was the chief creative officer at TBWA/Chiat/Day, the ad agency behind Steve Jobs's iconic ad campaign for Apple, the commercial with this narrative famously narrated by Richard Dreyfuss.

In my mind, it's always been a shout out to those who defy conventional expectations of normal behavior. Normal behavior on message boards is all too often snarky, reactive, and based on expectations of the motives and intentions of others.

The relatively few who defy this, who take things sincerely, and offer their best advice, without being either overly prescriptive or proscriptive, are outside the norm, at least in my opinion. Surf a few threads that begin with seemingly trollish or silly questions and you'll see exactly what I mean. There are a few of my fellow netizens who defy expectations and invariably offer good, balanced advice. That's not easy, and those are the people I'm referring to here.

You guys and gals make UHH the valuable resource that it is. You don't seem to expect special reward or acknowledgement, but just keep on doing what you do, regardless of positive or negative feedback. That's rare on Internet forums of any kind (trust me - I participate in many in my particular hobby or political interest groups...), and you deserve a very special shout out. I do hope that you're among the sixty something people that have read this thread so far. You make UHH the valuable resource that it is...

Andy

JD750 Loc: SoCal

It has been said before and I repeat it. On UHH you get:
(1) Expert Opinions
(2) Strong conflicting opinions
(3) Completely wrong answers

They are not in equal proportions and, unfortunately, it's up to the reader to sort the wheat from the chaff.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Yup. And you're one of those who provides 1), half of 2), and never 3).

Thanks!
Andy

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Nicely stated, Andy. I'm sure some will appreciate your taking time to post this.
--Bob

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

You are on the list, Bob. That's for sure, whether I agree with your advice or not. Thank you for your always sincere, always well-informed contributions.

Andy

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

You're welcome, Andy.
--Bob

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Is this the point to post the meme -

"This is Bob, Bob knows what he's talking about and has opinions that are based on facts.

You may disagree or agree, but you can't doubt that he's always polite, sincere, and reasonable.

Be like Bob."

?

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

And in that order.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

You're on the list, too.... despite your occasional disavowals of it.

Andy

apolloshep

Ditto could not agree more!

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Andy

JD750 Loc: SoCal

Thank you for the compliment and the feedback!