I am a new member of ITForum, and hence in the "beginning" stage of cultural maturity for such a discussion group. Also, since I feel that I am also in the "beginning" stages of cognitive development (compared to some of the power minds involved in this forum) concerning many of the topics, I must confess that for the most part I feel inhibited about responding to the topics (which I find fascinating as reading material) and only feel comfortable interjecting a word here and there (usually on the more personal level).
So, although I agree with Kurt [Rowley, 28 Jan 95] that there seems to be a continuum of cultural maturity in this medium, and his idea to divide the group into "beginning," "advanced," etc., is valid in the context of "levels" of discussion availability, I personally wouldn't like to see this implemented, as I feel I am learning so much from "listening" to the discussion. In addition, since, I am a beginning member of the discussion group, I find the "chit-chat" to have a "welcoming" influence, inviting me to feel more relaxed and hence begin to participate.
Thanks for letting me enter some "chit-chat" into the dialogue. In order to discover anything, you must be looking for something.