I’m not the biggest thread killer, but I am the grim reaper of threads. Once I show up, it doesn’t have long to live. Usually 1 to 3 more posts and its R.I.P. It used to worry me, but then I realized no one * really * cares who killed the thread. They just all move on to the next one. So don’t let it bother you, post away.
I’ve killed quite a few threads, but the granddaddy of embarrasment for me was when the first thread I started (“Vanity Rant”, a Pit thread ranting about my friends) turned into a vicious war in which I got called quite a few choice names. Almost deterred me from posting in the Pit again, it did…
There have been a couple of comments about Great Debates threads. It’s all true. A very intense forum. Many pit threads have been spawned from GD and many GD threads have degenerated into the pit. If you decide to venture there, be careful. Know what you are talking about and be polite.
** Zenster. ** Where is the cooking thread? I love to cook! I carry my favorite recipes in my palm pilot. OMG, I’m sucha geek!
Poolesville?
The Green Feather! You’re from Poolesville?
Are you aware we’re getting together today?
All are welcome. I think I speak for everyone when I say that.
Hello, fellow newby here - although i think i signed up about a year ago(?), i have only this week recommenced contributing to the board again. I definitely would not worry about thread killing - I have killed a couple of threads recently over in Cafe Society. I never realised that being the last in a thread carried such a stigma, :eek: 
Worse than being a thread killer, to me, is starting a thread, only to see it sink like a stone into the bowels of the forum. See my “civility costs nothing” thread in the BBQ Pit (please 
) . It don’t overly bother me, it was probably a lame \ insignificant \ overly long \ boring rant, i dunno. Or it was possibly because i waded in there without chipping in and commenting on other rants initially - but if i have committed some faux pas, i am sure someone would have politely prompted me accordingly.
As i say though, no shame in being a “thread killer”. 
As far as i can tell, the people here are cool and would never sneer at an inadvertent thread killer.
Holy cow! And Vixenation is from McLean! MADs coming out of the woodwork!
That invitation extends to you as well!
Here are the stages for a (typical?) Doper career:
Stage 1: You’re reluctant to post, not sure where you can jump in without being killed on sight. You’re also afraid you’ll post in the wrong forum.
Stage 2: You’ve figured out where to post, and when. Trouble is, no one pays much attention to your posts.
Stage 3: People are starting to recognize your name, and they respond to your posts - usually in a positive way.
Stage 4: Now, you can’t stop. You opine on everything. You’re in every forum.
Stage 5: You hit a wall. Instead of posting 10 or more times a day, you slow down, perhaps even stop for a while. “Eh,” you say. “I got nothing to add.” But you don’t post that.
Stage 6: Bored, you look more closely at the newest threads. You begin to post again.
Stage 7: See Stage 4.
Hey, I’m still waiting to be told to shut up and go away, and I’ve been here twelve days longer than you have (heh).
The only real difference between us is that, given our relative post counts, I’ve given the other folks here more opportunities to ridicule me.
You’ve got a cool username, you use proper english, and your posts are solid and on topic. Good show, overall.
Just relax and go ahead and post. You get more out of this thing if you put more in.
ARRRRGGGHHHH!!!
I’m at work! 7AM 'til 7PM. (Bangs head against keyboard (It’s not mine after all;), curses profusly, spells badly, annoys confused co-workers (explains later))
And after all that, I don’t feel one bit better.
Sorry for the hijack.
Jonathan Chance, I would love to, but the SO and I are embarking on a trip to NJ this afternoon for his family’s Memorial Day party. Next time! 
Again, thank you all for making me feel much better and for the welcomes. Except for that whole thread-killing thing, which I hadn’t gotten properly phobic about until now. I’m sure that’ll be next on my list.
I can’t get over how many people sound like I do about this. And insomnia4AM and nemesis, I certainly would have posted in your threads if I’d read them. All that underdog-sticking-together stuff, ya know? Plus, I’m sure they would have been interesting reads. Newbies unite!
Fugazi~ See, you’re just plain wrong about your thread killer potential. There are more than three replies after yours, so things must be lookin’ up. We’ll hang in there together, huh?
And Vixenation, I SO remember your pit thread. I was the one who very timidly came in and said I saw your POV by relating an embarrassing story of my own. Glad you came back by to stick up for lil’ ol’ me. Muchos gracias.
Now about this Great Debates fear… is it really as bad as all that? I mean, I’ve already even started a thread there a while back. It didn’t do too well, but I did have a couple of replies. Should I have been more trepidatious? I don’t answer much there because I don’t feel like much of an authority on things, so should I evade it all together? Oh, I’ve got to get the ettiquette of this all down. :::Paging Ms. Manners!:::
Exgineer~ Can I also add you to my list of favorites? Pretty please. We join near the same time, you like my name and give me nice compliments that I can go post in my journal. I think I’m a very happy camper that I started this thread. Thank you too. Whatta fella!!
:::wanders off going he said “Good show”!!!:::
Once more, with feeling, thank you to each and everyone who’s posted here with positive vibes. I really appreciate and hope to be a good, contributing, productive SDMB member. I feel so loved.
Now where do I pick up my toaster and apply for the clique? One can’t be too ambitious or discerning.
If you have something to contribute to a GD thread, by all means, do so. But if someone asks for a reference to your factual information, don’t do what Iyyob did in This Thread. His source material is the March 1950 issue of Reader’s Digest. He was then slammed up againt the wall of science.
Heck, I’m totally amused by someone who can site a Reader’s Digest article from 53 years ago. Dubious as it may be as reference material, I’d give great points for effort. Sort of like using a Paul Harvey commentary as a reference, or something Larry King says.
hopefool, you’ll do fine here. Just never pay any attention to those idiots who have three letter user names. Those fools can’t even do a vanity search on their names.
As for killing a thread, I just assume that I had the ultimate genius comment that no one was brave enough to follow.
Welcome aboard.
I saw that!
Hi hopefool
I too am very new at this (this is my second thread). I have to confess to adding a second (less than well thought out) post after my first one in order to bump the first thread up and see if anyone else replied to the points that I brought up. With regards to citations, when is it neccesary to provide them ?. I can rarely remember where I have read something and do a lot of my factual reading offline, is it acceptable just to indicate your lack of certainty on an issue ?.
hopefool, auntnut, and the rest: i am new too, and have less posts than you!!! i just jumped in and stuck with innocuous stuff. it fits me better than heavyweight stuff that can be articulated much better by others here. i lurk a lot, and learn a lot.
i started posting where i thought i would go unnoticed. isn’t that ironic? i wanted to express my opinion but not too loudly!
:o
so far, everyone has been very nice, but maybe a little remote. i have wondered if i have broken some type of protocal, or if there are guidelines (beyond notes from moderators and the obvious fact that you shouldn’t tell people they are stupid etc.)
anyway, thats my two cents. hoping to share and not to offend…L.A.
this is my take on things, except the spelling errors.
uh, wanted to show signature, sorry.:o :o