I have a few things to say about the way people are using this website. I shall be as brief as I can for these are just some observations, not much else. To begin with I want to say something about the point marking system which allows readers to mark up or down a person’s answer to a given question. Secondly I would like to bring attention to the way arguments/discussions take place and at last I want to say something about “research” and/or looking at issues from different perspectives.

      I suppose I have nothing against marking people answers with an up or down vote. It is a vague way of knowing how people view that answer although not very accurate because you are basically given the choice of saying “yes’ or ‘no” in the way you “vote”. Life is not always ‘black”” and “white’. What I really wanted to talk about though regarding this “voting” system, are the people who vote someone’s answer down without posting their own idea. This has happened several times to me now: I post the only answer to a question and I get votes down yet, nobody else posts an answer. Thus, in a logical deduction people read my answer, they disagree voting me down and then cowardly run off. If this is a place of posting questions, answers, debating issues … what is the bloody point in voting someone’s opinion down and not putting up your own view point? Either you cannot write and/or you just voted someone down for no reason. Otherwise it is the common understanding that if one disagrees with someone else, he/she has a reason for that disagreement and hence this is a site where beside other things people debate issues, one would tell his/her reasons for disagreeing.

      On a good note I must say I have had many fruitful discussions/arguments with many people on this site. I have laughed many times and can truly say that for the most part I enjoy the interaction. I think reasonable and logical arguments are encouraging and usefull. I am saddened though when I see people losing their reason and calm when sensitive issues are brought up such as abortion or socialism, Israel’s bullying of the Palestinians and so on. There is no point in flaming-up with anger.

      This is where I come to my last point about doing your “research”. Especially when dealing with complex issues be they global warming, health care or gun control: know your facts. Have information to support your arguments. There is no point debating an argument from hear-say, it will not be much of an argument. Research also does not mean listening to CNN or NBC; research is not what politicians think or the pastor said at the last sermon. Research means you look at scholarly work. Literature or research done by professionals regarding the subject you are researching (people who have studied that specific subject their entire life more or less). Keeping in mind that 'every page has two sides' the best way of doing research is in looking at several resources debating your topic at hand, perhaps contradictory opinions can be found to gain a better understanding of the whole issue.

      I have not been much on here lately manly due to those concerns I have stated above. These are just some observations after the three months I have been on. Perhaps they are premature but since I am not the “keep quiet” kind, I had to “say’ something. I appreciate any comments.