The Power of One

As a sometime session musician I am always amazed, if not moved, when a random group of people come together, who maybe only see each other a few times a year, and manage to make music, sounding not unlike a professional band, that lifts the soul and sets the feet tapping. Its the nature of a session that people will come and go, or take a rest with a beer and listen. Sometimes it can go on for hours the mood remaining high and the quality barely faltering, but sometimes a person joins who just isn't "in tune" with the character of the session, and it changes completely, spiraling down into mediocrity. Eventually more and more people leave until there is just the 'misfit' and few others who are too embarrassed to leave him on his own.

I've noticed a similar thing happen on various forums that I belong to. A happy group of people will have been posting messages - helping out, sharing information, the odd bit of banter etc. Then along comes a newcomer, who has to chip in with a comment or answer about every message, who is insensitive to the mood of a thread or particular person, and worse still, wants to press their opinion on everyone, becoming argumentative if it is not accepted. Like the music session, people move along - they stop posting and find somewhere else to go. What once was just a group of people who probably only knew each other by user names but gelled like a family, gradually begins to disintegrate and it may become worthless.
Thats the power of one.