I for one have received far more from the VFP community than I could every pay back. However, I will keep trying... As for my viewpoints, yes, they can get radical... I do need to know when to tone it down... So, your points, while a bit judgemental at times....are well taken nonetheless.

You took the time to share your feelings....and ultimately, that is what counts. That is what freedom is all about...not having to feel like you are gagged all the time...

Like your calc scenario, I get a good deal of satisfaction from helping others. A great guy, Tom Rettig, helped my out quite a bit on CIS when I first started with the product. Lisa Slater was another great person. Pat Adams, Jim Booth, Doug Dodge too, were all there.... CIS was a great place...

CIS was a business, a big business at that.. CIS along with MS recognized the value of the MVP's. When MS left, I by that time, was not an MVP, but I was recognized as a TRS (Technical Resource Specialist) on Compuserve, so my online time was free. I think the company was named Stream that took things over. I don't know who it is now...

With CIS however, there was no facade.. You paid your bucks, and you could go to all kinds of places. It was a big place, and you knew the rules of engagement.

Here, there is facade of sorts... The real value here is the people. Michel has such a strangle hold on things. I remember the days of when they used to censor messages here and freeze threads. Now there was an abuse of power. You can thank yours truly for helping to bring about the end of that policy.

My only beef is this... If Michel is not going to welcome the MVP's here and make our job easier, dont' use the MVP program as part of your propoganda machine. Ultimately, can I make him stop? Probably not. However, I will make folks aware of what is going on. At some point, he will either reconsider his move, which almost everybody is encourging him to do, or he will not.

As for me, I will be a thorn in the side of Michel until some amicable agreement can be reached. It's cyber-activism baby!!

I hope this clarifies things a bit with regard to my perspective on things...





>Hello Christof,
>
>Time is a very valuable thing. I am always impressed by you, by Mr. Petersen, by Mr. Booth and all the folks that contribute here. All of you have my gratitude and my heartfelt thanks. Teaching someone something like you do here has it's own set of rewards that have nothing to do with money. I've taught for years. I tutored some some fellows through their first semester of college calculus last fall. I didn't make anything, timewise it was a bit of a bother but I enjoyed doing it. I would think that would be a consideration for the gurus who contribute to these kinds of forums, besides the fact that your participation along with your writing does create a demand for your services. I was a translator and interpreter for many years in Texas. I was very good at it. The best jobs I've ever had came about because of the exposure given me by the pro bono work I did. I contributed, I had fun contributing (even though I paid my own expenses) and without really expecting it, I was
>rewarded for what I had done. Isn't it the same for the MVP's?
>
>Gregg
>
>>Hi Gregg,
>>
>>>Could you tell me this, did the MVP's have to pay to use the FoxPro forum on Compuserve when it was "the" place to be to learn about FoxPro?
>>
>>AFAIK, no. After being nominated as an MVP, you got a free account. When Microsoft left CompuServe, you could have been nominated as a CSP, which was something similar iniitated form CompuServe to keep MVPs on CompuServe. Currently, MVPs have to pay on CompuServe for forum access. But valuable contributors are nominated as a Technical Assistant and get a free flag for the FoxPro forum.
>>
>>Christof