# Thank You to the Regulars



## AkaTrouble (Nov 2, 2015)

just stopped by  to express  sincere Thanks to the regular contributors on the forum

I spent a lot of time earlier in the year asking 100001 questions and maybe  being a little annoying with follow up questions

have not had as much time recently  to give back to the forum but still pop in when i can.

i use the word contributor  loosely  i think experts, guru's and pure geniuses as i type it.

i have not been able to reep any added financial benefits from the lessons you all taught me but have achieved a lot of respect from my peers and achieved many successful projects using what i have learned here

so again many Thanks Guys and Gals


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## Peter_SSs (Nov 3, 2015)

Thanks for the message that the forum has helped in some way.


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## SpreedsheetCrusader (Nov 19, 2015)

yup the forum is really helping a lot of people, and fresh daily with questions and challenges.

i wish if there is some kind of a compensation and retention mechanism for the effort of the guys here; especially the gurus.

something like this in the signature:

" if you feel that i helped you out, donate wt-ever you feel through this button"  donating can be done through paypal ---etc.

nothing forced ofc completely up to the will of the users of the forums, but i belive that is a plus for the ppl contributing and helping out.


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## RoryA (Nov 19, 2015)

We do not allow asking for, or offering money for, the help provided here.


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## Peter_SSs (Nov 19, 2015)

.. and just for confirmation of Rory's point:

#8 of the Forum Rules excludes helpers from asking for compensation but the fact that it works both ways is covered here: Solicitation & Offering Compensation

I help because I *like *to do so & it appears there is no shortage of like-minded helpers here, including many Microsoft MVPs. 
I doubt I would even post here if compensation was allowed because I think it would breed competitiveness rather than co-operation.


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## J.Ty. (Nov 20, 2015)

I think that would not be against the rules if there was a button to donate towards the cost of running this site. I occasionally write articles for Wikipedia, they do it - and I still feel a volunteer there. 

J.Ty.


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## AkaTrouble (Nov 20, 2015)

I tend to agree  with NO monetary elements on site.   The community value that underlies and holds the site together  is based on commitment from the members.

Very many of the contributors could sell their expertise for 100's of dollars, pounds, euro's etc. per hour.   

many IT projects and solutions  would require many hours of planning and consultations if there was a cost  as there would be an expectation of "fit for purpose"

i have done several actual qualification course with regards to excel  in the last 18 months after a period out of work, however i have learned more here than any of those courses. Partly because here you actually get solutions to real every day issues and applications of excel  you may encounter.  

Many here push the boundaries of the use for excel and it is only the combined knowledge base of the many  that can provide the solutions sometimes.  many occasions  i have helped  simply by managing to understand the question and express to others to provide the solution.

I have made a number of posts ( a lot to some and a few when compared to others)  most of them are based on recycling the knowledge I myself gained from here.

I have not felt the obligation to make posts, I have done so to return some effort back to the community  because it has invested in me and provided me with both help and knowledge.

like some others  i would probably not post  if it was business and reward based with that natural competitive side that comes from hire and reward.

it is also nice in a capitalist world to escape for a while into a genuine feel good atmosphere of, on the whole nice people  helping nice people  with nothing other than the wish to do so.

Please don't change  and please stay here so i know where to find you when i have a question  or when i put the "," comma in the wrong place.


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## MrExcel (Nov 22, 2015)

For my 2 cents... I started running an ad in the first post when someone visits the site and is not signed in. This is a cool solution - it is not obtrusive to the community members who are signed in. 

It works out - enough people click the ad to pay for the bandwidth that we use here.  

I am familiar with the annual request from Jimmy Wales to fund Wikipedia and I always donate each year. But the ad-for-non-members is covering the hosting costs, so I would vote against the donate buttons.


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## Rick Rothstein (Nov 22, 2015)

SpreedsheetCrusader said:


> i wish if there is some kind of a compensation and retention mechanism for the effort of the guys here;


There is one, sort of... if you think a particular message has been helpful to you in some way (e.g., it introduced you to a new technique, appealed to you as a "neat" solution to the stated problem, clarified something that was previously a "hazy" concept to you prior to your reading the message, or any of dozens of other reasons), feel free to click the *Like* hyperlink located in the bottom right corner of the message.


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## NeedleFelter (Nov 30, 2015)

I turned in my project and I would like to thank you all for the help I received.  I am very grateful.


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