I love the discussion, shambly. That's my reason for being here. Nice resource for learning and outlet for sharing.

I find that I can interact with people via their comments. I've seen a couple different people mentioning a chat option in the works. I don't know if it true or not. If it is, then you should see more socializing. It does seem like a challenge to be able to socialize when all you can do is post comments or respond to other people's comments. Hang in there. I don't think most people joined just so they can get points to raise their star level.

The point system is rather genius in that it encourages people to contribute ideas and opinions. The odds that I will "click" with a lurker are pretty much nil. Although I am not very critical about looks, the fact that someone bothers to add their picture, a bio, and participate in discussions tells me they have the courage and level of interest to give this a chance.

Does it matter why people have joined? I joined for a plethora of reasons and I find this site to be more interesting than I initially assumed it would be. The socializing is refreshing, it's fun to "level up," and if I end up finding a compatible companion: bonus!

What have you joined the site for, Shambly? I joined because I am lonely and isolated, and don't have enough people to talk to. I agree with some of the other comments that there isn't enough 'conversation', but maybe that comes with time as people get to know you and want to respond to your contributions. If some people see it as a competitive challenge, does it matter? You can do your own thing!

You get out of it what you put into it. A little effort can go a long way.

The internet isn't really for socializing. It's for porn and marketing, so I guess just marketing.

Wait till you start getting private messages. It happens.

YYou noticed that too huh? There are a lot of repeat topics, repeat polls, and devicive questions that just pop up again and again.

Hi Shambly, I agree with you to an extent. I would like to see fewer original posts and more people interacting and conversing in the thousands upon thousands of original posts.

Every one has their own opinion, but I find it pretty interesting. Why don't you do posts that interest you and start discussions about what you want to discuss instead of relying on others?