>Ah, if I'm an MVP, I have no life experience - I probably have no life....
>
>Eric the 'schools' you speak of generally will sell a diploma, too.
>
>I didn't get college credit for being a finalist in the Westinghouse science competition at the national level 25 years ago, either. I did get college credit for some of the AP exams I took. The Westinghouse award had a whole lot more significance when I was being evaluated for college admissions. And I probably worked harder to get that recognition, too.
>
>IOW, get a clue about what the recognition means. If it doesn't indicate that the recipients know anything, don't listen to them. You're encouraged to ignore anything and everything I might have to say. I got an MVP award, therefore my ideas are invalid and worthless, correct?
>
>< You may kiss my ring, or any body part that might be appropriate >

Your missing my point entirely.

I never said MVPs don't have a life, or, that they don't know anything valuable. All I said was it doesn't really mean anything. Like a university degree for example. My degree in Music History and the articles I had published in the New England Journal of Musicology don't entitle me to a free subscription even though it is well known it only publishes articles by musicologists. I considered it a privilege just to be able to contribute something to something important.

>
>>>>I would add one more thing, the same people who have been complaining about paying (using the excuse that it's not the paying that REALLY bothers them) were in fact blasting non-payers with character assasination, snide remarks, and all around name calling not long ago. Oh, well, can I get back to work now?
>>>
>>>Like I said earlier I really don't care about those that are not paying. Maybe you need to do a little introspection. They say that we judge others as we see ourselves. If the hat fits wear it.
>>
>>I wear alot of hats. Mostly baseball, of a losing team. My commentary was not directed at you, as it were.
>
>I criticized, and continue to criticize, people who want all the benefits of PUTM membership but don't feel that they should pay for them, if the benefits of PUTM membership make sense to them as a business investment. I don't have a whole lot of sympathy for people who are trying to make moiney by leveraging the knowledge available on UT, and want all the benefits of the tools, but then say "Um, erm, I don't have PUTM membership, and even though I fully intend to make money (or keep my job) based on finding this information out, I'm not willing to spend the money necessary to get the features. Give me what I want anyway." You've clearly decided that there was some business benefit to PUTM membership in the past. If the cost of a 1 year membership is prohibitive, you can now get shorter-term PUTM membership for less money.
>
>For me, PUTM is a tool that I use to hunt for useful messages, files, FAQ entries and the like. It enhances the services available to people accessing the UT. Other peopel are entitled to make a different decision, but should not come crying to you or me for sympathy because they're not willing to shell out for the tools. I don't lend out my good socket set, either.

I agree. Some members think free membership should be eliminated altogether which I think is wrong. Personally, I pay for the extras.