you know, Joe & Jack make good points about the 'insider' jokes and banter and such...but I doubt that it will change much. Lets face it, there are simply different 'mindsets' and comfort levels...I know people who simply do not 'open up' at parties or in large gatherings You do too. In smaller groups, after being introduced, they are fine, But getting into this group is not easy! I know...newcomers are always welcomed, but the welcome is often overwhelming and confusing...and to really 'catch up' on the swirl of banter & interlocking threads is not for the average browser...or for the timid or faint of heart!

I always liked the (perhaps apocryphal) story of the multi-cultural party at some UN function where a delegate from Sweden was talking to one from Israel..(or similar disparate cultures)...and they were constantly moving in circles around the room as the Swede tried to increase his personal space, and the Israeli tried to decrease it! And neither quite realized what was wrong,...Some people stand right in your face to converse, while some NEED to leave some distance.

The situation here is similar...some LEAP right into any thread with thread creep and cute remarks, while others not only can't think of appropriate replies, they think it silly to try!.....(Me, I am somwhere in the middle to right end.*grin*).....

I sort of like the idea of the off-the-wall threads being (mostly) kept to the tavern and a few others..(the BS thing helps...AFTER you get the idea!)

I am not expecting that any of this will solve the dilema...just trying to shed a little light......