[Chin_Lee]

First off, I do support and strongly appreciate the initiaves to promote in depth discussions of this hobby.
However we should not overlook the advantages of the high volume of buying and selling on the board. One of which is the increased opportunity to meet the people (in person) on the board which is why I believe that Canreef has become much more of a community board than the other boards.

In addition, a lot of the beginners who are doing the buying will get the opportunity to acquire livestock and hardware for a relatively good price as well as the opportunity to see other more experienced people's tanks and setups for ideas, methods, and goals to achieve with their new system.

I can appreciate that many people on this board are from areas that have very limited opportunities to personally meet the people on Canreef. However I give this perspective from a local reefkeeper in the Lower Mainland and I believe the same can be said in Edmonton, Calgary and possibly Manitoba. From a statistical perspective, by viewing the posts on this board, it can be suggested that Canreef has evolved more to a buy&sell than an information board; I am in the opinion that the buying and selling has advanced this hobby to another level that would have otherwise been unachievable in its absence for the members in the above mentioned places.

Nowadays with the internet and advances in technology, it is often said that we have replaced our interpersonal social and communication skills with a keyboard where many of the words are so often lost in translation. But for many of us, Canreef has provided us with the opportunity to put away that keyboard and to meet and speak to each other.