The one thing I try to take into account is that everyone is different- there is no way everything will always be smooth sailing. And I agree that many people who might not like a person because of what they write on the internet might have a totally different opinion of that same person if they were to meet at a show or wherever.
And with that being said, I think that's where there's sort of a "good ol' boys" group on Net54 who have a hard time adapting to people they haven't had the pleasure of meeting in person. I have made quite a few friends on the board, but have not met anyone in person. I hope I can make it to the California show and put some faces to some names and create some more friendships. If not, all is well.
There also seems to be a problem with some older collectors accepting new information that differs with information that they have been presenting as fact; the old "it's my way or the highway" type of attitude. They refuse to accept information no matter how sensible and well researched it is, because it's different than what they have believed or posted for so long. Sometimes this creates an air of hostility, in my opinion, and naturally creates some type of divide. If there was a chance at being open minded to collective research, an old dog may actually be able to learn new tricks
Matt- the Ice Cube post had me rolling
Sincerely, Clayton