John, Re: credentials: Choice about whether and when they matter will differ among people. I tend to figure that they matter in cases where there may be harm from giving a claim too much weight or where there may be better alternatives that are missed, or similar things where that bit of information can help in making important health decisions. For most topics we discuss here credentials don't matter at all but there are topics for which they truly are important for being most certain of providing the best options for health and longevity. When that sort of subject matter is often discussed by a person I think that being frank not only about personal strengths but also personal weaknesses is important to avoid accidently misleading any fellow members. Since health questions are very important to me so are credentials. That doesn't mean that I don't listen and learn from non-vets, because I do, but when opinions collide it is good to have a grasp of credentials to best assess how I will respond with our ferrets and their care. Given tit for tat, I figure it is just a logical courtesy to provide others with the data they need to do the same since I answer health questions pretty often. In fact, it has only been in relation to health issues that I have had reason to check anyone's background. Others may weigh other areas more strictly and check into credentials for those, but for me claims that are attached to health advice are ones that sometimes raise red flags and cause me to check. Still other people may never check credentials, perhaps because they always take anything from the internet with a grain of salt, or perhaps because for them it just doesn't matter. We'll all vary on that score. [Posted in FML issue 4865]