Wow, it's interesting how this thread has morphed.
Sad to say, in the past it has been hard for me to read new authors. Nothing against anyone, but I was burned a few times by authors who never finished their stories for one reason or another, or for new authors that could have seriously benefited from a beta. So much that I was wincing and couldn't read more than a paragraph. After that, I depended on word of mouth to decide if I should read a new author. And, of course, the Kerth nomination list.
I apologize to all of those authors.
In the past year or so, though, I've fallen into the same category as Labrat. My attention has wandered on to other fandoms. Even there, I'm not reading as voraciously as I have in the past. (Yeah, being burned here is NOTHING compared to being burned in a new fandom that doesn't have the respect for rules that we have here.) I'm finding that in both fandoms, I'm following a handful of authors whom I have read in the past and enjoyed their stories, and are still posting. I also find myself reading older stories that I read years ago and enjoyed very much. (Reasons why I totally love the guess the fic threads)
Back when I was new (oh how many years ago that was), I found that all of the icons were very friendly, and welcomed people with open arms. When I first hopped on IRC, I was amazed at just how friendly they were, and down to earth, especially with new people coming in going "OMG, I'm actually talking to <author>!" Sadly, the hallowed halls ring with silence as people move on, but I'm still seeing this wonderful friendly atmosphere continue on the boards. *pets fandom*
