Actually, I often appreciate many of the goodbye posts, even if temporary, here's why:
Some months ago, I noticed no posts from a member here, and I got no e-mail replies or PM replies either. I started a thread about her. That very day, someone replied to the thread and said they noticed too, and that they could give her a call. By the end of the day, others had replied that they too noticed she had not been around.
We found out she had surgery, and it had to be done all of a sudden. I was relieved to find out she was okay, as was everyone else.
The point is, if someone just disappears, I wonder about them. Many of us do. And I sometimes think in the back of my mind, 'hey, I hope nothing bad happened'. We can get that 'family' feeling here, and if a family member goes missing for a long time, I feel better knowing that they're okay.
When Aztec posted a few weeks back that she would not be around as much due to her new job, I appreciated it. And recently, Mary posted that she will be here much less often because of school and work obligations. I think it was nice of her to do that. In both cases, had they not said something, I'd have started to wonder 'is she okay?'
Now, in the case of those who in a huff say "I'm Leaving!!!" well, that can get annoying, especialy when they keep coming back. But when someone says, 'I'm leaving, this board has served its purpose, it's time to move on' I appreciate the fact that they let us know, and that it's a postive reason why they're leaving. Of course, if they choose not to say anything, that's obviously fine too.
Of course, when someone does go missing, I try PM or e-mail (if available) first. And yes, I do realize that many folks just take time off from this place, and that there's no need to tell us. But overall, I have no problem with such 'departure' posts, and I often am thankful we've been informed.
