I've been to other forums where the participants are a lot less respectful than they are at TE. That is, in part, caused by the opposite of the introverted poster/introvert in life - some people are much more brave and will say anything online because they don't have to show their face or reveal their true identity. I like TE because discussion is usually very civilized but I, too, am a little gun-shy with forums in general. I'm turned off by those "brave" folk.
I agree with Mr. Silver that probably 80% of the posts come from 20% of the participants. There are definitely some "regulars" here who do a lot of posting. That's not a bad thing - this is a good, active forum. But it can be overwhelming to newbies and less frequent posters whose questions or comments are quickly buried and overlooked. Can be hard to jump in.
Deb