Going off topic happens a lot depending on what the original intent was. You'd never butt into a 911 and say that your cats looked alike. We're allowed to talk like this in this forum but it's probably better if we were in Off Topic but then you'd have to start a new thread and that can be annoying. I do it way too much, "Hey everyone, look at me!" But that's where you can bare your soul, share pictures and stories and cry on the keyboard. On the social side some people join up and then disappear into a specific forum because they're already up to their necks in their own life, they're not snobs.
Then there's the PM/private message. You might make a new friend or it might be like a casual nod that becomes annoying. I personally think the best advice is not to expect an obligatory response and not to be surprised if the conversation dwindles into nothing. Scroll back to the top in this thread and see "Unwatch thread"? If I click that I won't get an alert that you or Sharon or anyone has replied here. If I told someone a month ago what meter I use and we didn't make any other personal connection then there's nothing it for me anymore and I un-watch, it's not being mean or stuck up. If Sharon goes away maybe she's buying food but she's always somewhere. That's where the snooping around secret button comes in. You can click my avatar and see what I'm viewing right now, my previous posts and usually when was the last time I was last time here. It can get a lot more personal, if you click on someone's location Google Maps opens up and that can go into creepy-land. If you have an unusual name, a unique occupation and I know what city you live in it really goes south because any idiot can Google that and add up 2+2. You can put a stop to all that right now by checking your settings and even choose not to show if you're here. Some people have their profiles completely blocked for a good reason. Part of the reason we all get along is because we rarely talk about politics, seldom talk about religion except for the concept of having faith and you'll never find someone stabbing you in the back on another forum. You've already figured this out whether you realize it or not (I know I sound like someone's dad right now). I'd rather think of you and Sharon as buddies, real friends help you move and you'd have to know my address for that. It's personal enough for me to see Sharon's chickens and you don't need to see my awful basement of filth.
On a much more positive note! Noah is the diabetic cat we have right now. Nigel, Andrew and Simon were his brothers. Zoe and Jacob were the mom and dad. Marco is another one of the six cats we have right now (looks like Baby) and Hannah is the dog. Dickson is my real first name (some Dutch thing) and if you look at my profile/information you might make some sense of what makes me this way.
The admin are a bunch of really mean people, right
@Jill & Alex (GA) ? Actually it's all volunteer and they trust us not to ruin the house while they're away. I've said too much already (what a shock) and have a bunch of other stuff to do. I'll be back later.