...made up your mind for you as to if you want to meet them? Whether you're a provider or a hobbyist, I'm curious to see how much board activity truly effects your decision-making process.
Board presence is a huge factor for me. Especially since I travel. Getting to know folks by how they think and behave, gives me a pretty good indicator how well we might click BCD. It is sort of the icing or garnish to doing research and looking at reviews for the final decision.
I have both specifically booked a lady based on rapport here, and avoided some with pretty fair results over the years. Avoided many TOFTT situations from selecting
[insert pejorative adjective or noun here]
by simply reading between the lines on the boards.
A wise, and now retired provider, often told the new ladies:
". . .take care in how you post--everything you type here is a advertisement, regardless of if you intended it to be that way or not."
Level 14 Elf Paladin, which never ever will stop making me laugh, there really should have been an "E" all of the above. Some of the most wack-a-doodle providers, based on board persona are the most delightful to spend time with. Same things that might make me want to spank them on the boards, well that was a terrible example...
Often the folks you are trying to help the most, trying to get them to thinck just a little bit harder get the most pissed off at you. Often after a public meeting there is an epiphany, this can even lead to a beautiful friendship.
So it is really just for fun and shouldn't be taken seriously, except sometimes and then we are left will a circle game and a similar question posed long ago by a dear friend:
Ender, I do not think you are a douchebag, well at least I didn't until you posted this poll. Just kidding. It has affected choices on both sides. And in one instance scared me off a group permanently.