I find it interesting that the OP has yet to say anything more...aside from pointing out that nobody had responded after 49 views. I couldn't help noticing, however, that the post was made during a time that, for most here, is late at night on a work night. So, that could also play into things. I myself just saw this thread for the first time while taking a quick look to see what was up before fixing dinner. I'd be curious to see a response from the OP now that the topic has been discussed openly...yet again.
My personal take, having been around since before the TMF was born? It was a much more hostile and (to me) uninviting atmosphere in the old newsgroups than I have ever seen it here. In fact, that is why I never joined in on them in spite of the wealth of good material being shared. However, that doesn't mean that anyone (myself included) is going to enjoy feeling ignored, left out, etc.
I've been a pretty active member here since Drew & I joined back in 2001 (right after our wedding). In that time, there have been a few occassions when I've felt left out of things. Each was the result of my own inability to join in...whether because of life circumstances keeping me from being online or simply being in a frame of mind where I didn't feel like getting involved in stuff.
Not everyone is able to join in things as much as I...and many others. Sometimes, we forget that others aren't as fortunate in their freedom as we are. It's only natural that those who have had a chance to interact more, esp. in person, will be quicker to respond to those whom they know than to those who are relative strangers. I suppose it's because there's a certain level of comfort and familiarity that has been developed. Given a reasonable opportunity, we would likely respond in kind with those whom we have not yet had the priveledge of getting to know.
We may also forget, as was pointed out in the OP, that not everyone views their love of tickling the same way that we do. I think that this, while unfortunate, is a natural and unintended side effect of the fact that we each tend to approach things from our own unique perspectives. Because, for many of us, tickling is something that we are very passionate about (though still on a variety of levels) we're going to address and defend it just as passionately.
I'll use myself as an example here, lest I annoy anyone else by using them. As anyone who's seen a good portion of my posts is aware, I am big on community. That's my experience of tickling...as a means of interacting with friends and a sometimes tool in building relationships. That's my own reason for being here. If it were simply a sexual thing, I wouldn't be here at all. (I don't need to be. I'm here for the friendships and community, not the fetish.) Because of this unique view/experience, I tend to come across rather harshly at times, even though I don't intend to do so in defending the community and those in it.
I, like many others, need to try to keep in mind that everyone's experiences are different and not react as if they were the same as my own. I know I can sometimes get crazy about those who insist that is MUST be a sexual thing. That's not my experience. So, I can understand how some must feel much the same. Does this type of thing play into the sense of being left out or pushed away. Perhaps.
There are areas where improvement is necessary. We can sit here and argue the individual points until we're blue in the face. But, until we each accept responsibility for our own shortfallings and act to correct them ("for the sake of the community"
), nothing is going to change.
