This is my first and only posting on the subject of off-topic messages posted here.

In the past, I read most of the postings on this board. Like most, I was frustrated at the number of messages that were personal attacks and had nothing to do with the hobby. And, like most of you, I have applied my own filtering system to them.

I check my USPS snail mail box every mail day. For years, I have done a quick review of the days mail and the "junk" mail goes right into the recycling bin without being opened. I don't like getting it, but it doesn't waste my time either, so it is a low level nuisance.

I apply that same filter to the posts on the message board. And while I love the openness that the internet in general and message boards specifically provide, I don't have to read every posting. You quickly figure out which aren't worth the effort to open. Unlike "junk" mail, I can't dispose of someone else's postings on the board, but I can and do spend my time reading only the useful, informative posts. I really appreciate the information I get as a result and think it is time well spent.

And, most importantly, I don't let the rantings of a few take away my enjoyment of collecting silver strikes. If we don't pay attention to them, maybe the flood of "junk" postings will dry up. So, once and for all, lets quit complaining about them and simply ignore them instead.

Keep the positive, informative silver strike information coming!