Totally agree with you, Tiok. One of the pluses for me about SS is that I don't know who anyone is - real name used or not - I don't know where they live, don't know their age, political affiliation, their religious affiliation, ethnicity, Pepsi or Coke, .... The only thing I know about them is their comment in the Discussion Forums. I have encountered many of the same Commenters on other SSs with whom I've become acquainted. Their posts seem true to form across the Forum. I have come to like and enjoy many of them. I consider them my 'online friends'.

Our commonality is our desire to say something about the article and/or on one another's posts. What's left is simply their perspective/ideas of the subject at hand. Now that's something that puts us all on common ground and is a wonderful place to begin.