Outreach
First of all, thanks for the kind thoughts Haffy! You also told me after I did my first 100 "Addicting isn't it Dan?" and I thought "Yeah, a little bit I guess." No denying it now.
The site is a wealth of information for sure. The contacts are the most important, from Bruce's introductory tutorial for Di and I about GSAK at KK's event, to thoughtful threads on all things caching and of course all the new friends we have made. While the welcome page is a great idea, I agree with Haffy that a little extra personal touch might make the difference in a "lurker" and a cacher who has something useful to say.
I would like the members to be more like "members" of a true group, more involved in activities like the Relay for Life that Dan does, perhaps a list of us who like public speaking and promote the sport in that manner. The CITO events could be better promoted on this site.
So to you newer members, don't be shy. Get involved and don't be afraid to ask questions, any questions. I've never seen a question asked that I thought was "dumb" on this site. Most of the technical difficulties I've had were solved by members of this group, many more then willing to share their know how.
Lastly, don't get turned off on those few occassions when some of the discussions get a bit heated...we're all human, have egos, strong opinions, but most of time we play well together.
Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason.