[soccerdad, thanks so much for posting above. Good thoughts and I'll respond in a few days under the pseudonym of Pat. Until then, on the EBIAB side, we do have a dedicated forum on Electric BIAB here. If you have any ideas on stickies for that forum, please let me know.]

Q2. Who Makes a Difference to Me.

Looks like my cunning plan in post #1 is not working. I was hoping that this thread would at least save me some work on thanking people. I thought I might be able to do a Pat post just saying, "I agree." No such luck .

So, here are the people who make a real difference to me...

1. Those who take time in the My First Post thread. I used to love having the time to read every single post in that excellent thread. Some very high quality posts are written there. Thanks to you who go out of your way to make a considered first post.

Existing members who acknowledge the above posts and welcome people here are a dream for me. So many thanks to you.

2. Those who don't leave a new topic hanging. I think it takes some courage to start a new topic. I personally hate starting them and am very grateful when someone responds quickly. Even if you can't answer a question, just making a post saying, "I've wondered that as well," or "Nicely written," can make asking questions more comfortable.

3. Those who maintain the culture of tolerance. It's a very good culture here. Very rarely will you see a crappy post on this site. Almost any time I have made one (a pretty tiny percentage of my posts) it is rare for someone to jump down my throat. Silly things are usually handled nicely. (Moderators never edit my posts though and I really wish they would . They also never edit yours!)

4. I was going to thank the Moderators but they never do anything . (I'm going to give them some jobs in 2015 though ). I will mention joshua though who not only contributes here (I call him Sir LinksALot) but also keeps the spammers at bay every day.

5. Those who spend so much time here educating others. One thing that a lot of people wouldn't realise is how much time it can take to answer a question correctly. I don't think there is another site where you will find members so dedicated to giving you a thorough and correct answer, even if you are a brand new member. It's not news to any older members that I am good at this and will sometimes spend four or five hours on a single thread or a few hours on a single post. The following members here do likewise...

In alphabetical order, Mad-Scientist, mally, Rick and Yeasty regularly take on the very hard, time-consuming questions often asked here. They make a massive difference to me.

6. The newer generation of contributors - I won't name you but I do see you contributing and actively learning here. Very nice!!!

7. Donors/Enthusiasts - I love it when I see someone has made a $5 donation to become a Donor or a $25 one to become an Enthusiast. It doesn't happen regularly, so it is not the money that makes a difference to me, it is the fact that you have really stopped to acknowledge that someone here has helped you.

A few other quick mentions.... NME, hashie and jimmysuperlative, thanks for always being there when needed . BobBrews, thanks for entertaining us all on the board and for your hilarious PM's and emails.

Many of you totally deserve a mention but on this site, you really have to do very long-service. Please keep up your great work.

Happy New Year to you all ,
PP

Sorry to leave you hanging there PP.
Since reading the OP I have been thinking about how to reply. Although it is nice to have someone reply quickly to newly created treads to verify that someone has read it; this thread deserved some thought.
The fine folks acknowledged above are very much the same as I was intending to point out.

To answer the questions in the OP.
1&2) This forum more than any I have been a part of across various topics; consistently provides well thought out informative answers. No matter how many times a question has been asked here I have never seen a "do a search" reply or something to that effect. I believe that is entirely because of the leadership shown in this community. The great posts given on this forum are examples of how to respond to posts and our great new members are following in those examples.
It is the people (mentioned or not) that make this community great.
3) I am most looking forward to the redesigned site structure. An easier to navigate site would greatly help those looking for information already covered.
I personally don't think the Biabacus needs to be a program ( unless the plan is to market it along side BeerSmith ect). The only people I have noticed wanting the program are those who come here looking for a quick, free handout. I think that once people take some time and engage in the Biabacus programming it becomes unnecessary.
4) I wish I knew.
5) I want to contribute more here. 2014 did not go as planned for me in life and brewing. On positive for me this past year is that my wife has come to understand that I don't just brew to get hammered; there is a purpose, a plan and a goal for me to make brewing my profession.

I would like to thank everyone here for making my 2014 with this forum enjoyable.
Thank you Pat for the incredible time and effort you put in to make this community great.
And all the Best in 2015.

Wow, I'm not sure my response can measure up to the last couple, and Lumpy has summed up my thinking quite well, but what the heck...

1. I think one thing that is done well around here is quality. There are many experienced brewers who are willing to give quality answers, and if someone has an idea that may be viewed as incorrect by others, it is politely discussed and qualified for everyone else. This is a refreshing way to handle disagreements, rather than the usual internet drivel on some other forums.

2. Who does this well? I would agree with Pat here, its not hard to see who does it well when you look around the different topics and threads, and the names you mentioned Pat show up often and always have well thought out responses, with information based on experience. And of course PistolPatch should be added to the front of that list.

3/4. I just want to keep brewing in 2015, the biabacus works great for me as it is and if I encounter anything unexpected when brewing I know I can either find the answer here or find someone to help.

5. I will continue to welcome new members and answer questions and discuss things that I have experience with, and hopefully continue my brewing education and pass it along as I learn. Oh, and drink a lot of beer, I can do that too...

Happy New Year, PP. Thanks for the well wishes. I am going to answer some... but out of order.

Q5. I am going to respond to the My First Post thread at least once every time I log in.

Q1. Encouraging people to post and answer questions, no matter their experience level. You have no idea how comforting this is to the new brewer. Most brewers I have run into treat the information they have learned as obvious, or a kind of right of passage. Like you need to have brewed award winning beer to even think about answering a question. Asking questions at the LHBS is an exercise in futility, while the folks are know what they are doing, they are disinterested and aloof, for the most part. My wife says unfriendly. Here, however, most of the time, questions, no matter how basic, no matter how big of a newbie the person is, are treated with the same interest as the more advanced and less black and white questions.

Q2. Mostly everyone does Q1 well. It is a great culture here. PP, you are great. You deserve so much of the credit. Glad to have found the site.

Q3. Less threads like this. I don't disagree with the idea of seeking out misinformation but the banter with the folks from the other forum and the tone the thread took do us a disservice. We look bad... kind of like religious zealots when we do stuff like this. Best to ignore folks who are only interested in picking a fight. I really didn't like this thread at all.

Thanks again everyone for being a part of this site. I really can't express my appreciation enough.

All the best in 2015,

Jeff

1. What do we do well?
2. Who/m does it well? (Who/m has made a difference to you?).
3. What do you want in 2015. (e.g. A programmed BIABacus and/or nicely written help for it or something else?)
4. What do you think is the best way to find the resources (people and funds) to make 3 above happen?
5. What can you do in 2015?

1. Best practices, we do nail this quite well. There is still plenty of freedom in the process to explore the artistic side of brewing, best practices merely set a solid foundation to work with.

We are all open minded to alternate practices, provided amicable discussions can be had from all participating parties. This is another strength on this site. We choose the practices that make the fewest assumptions, and bend to new methods when faced with compelling information. It's important to know the "rules" before one starts to break the rules, and in brewing we are always pushing boundaries.

2. Pretty sure I've learned at least one thing from just about every regular here (present and past), whether they know it or not. It does take a lot of courage to put oneself out in the spotlight with a new thread, and it's important to know that even silently ... there could be many homebrewers benefiting from conversation.

3./4. I will have to think about this one, right now I am very content with how things are bringing my goals to fruition. I realize that not everyone will feel this way, so it's important to keep moving forward. No matter what, we must always move forward ... even if the path is not lit. I will join just about any project (big or small) if I can be of service.

5. The sky is the limit.

I've just done my last 'educational' (hopefully) post for 2014 and so it's time to get a few beers under my belt as 2015 starts in five hours here .

Many thanks for the above posts. They are much appreciated and there are several things that "Pat" will be able to respond to above.

For now, all we need to know is that any poor quality threads here this year were entirely due to Bob and Rick . (Just joking, fellas ).

Give it heaps tonight and many thanks again,
Pat

Happy New Year Pat.

SD, Have a Good 2015 brewing Year!

Even if you living in Georgia or (hopefully not) Alabama, you not too Stupid, you joined us Here!!

I do wish everyone much happiness this year, oh and happy brewing.

Besides the usual suspects of people that make a difference on this site, it was soccerdad that jumped in to help me on the RM-MN thread. Soccerdad and Joshua are outstanding to me.

PistolPatch wrote:...Many thanks for the above posts. They are much appreciated and there are several things that "Pat" will be able to respond to above.

Looks like Pat has been lazy or busy or something but I have it on good authority the he hasn't forgotten this thread.

In the meantime, thanks for the mentions above. Really appreciate that and...

soccerdad wrote:Well - I feel stupid :-) I had no qualms breaking the ice and answering a few questions in the initial post, but how I ever missed an entire forum section on EBIAB is beyond me.

SD, go through my posts (or anyone's for that matter) and you'll find 'obvious' stuff I have missed over the years. Often the 'obvious' info, if available, was not actually obvious because of poor lay-out etc.

Having the guts to break the ice and answer a few questions and laugh at yourself is the perfect attitude I reckon so good on you . Pat will write more on the following I'm sure but the information that we are exposed to when brewing is overwhelming and this site is working towards making info fast to find for any brewer so if you can think of some good stickies for the Electric BIAB forum or any other forum, then don't hold back.

Same goes for everyone ,
PP