I'll be honest, I'm terrible at being a nice person. I'm always saying the wrong things at the wrong time. So how about I tell you a story instead?
Once upon a time, on a forum far, far away, there was a kid. And he didn't sign up to it because he wanted friends - he just wanted access to certain areas of information. the forum was a nice enough place, and it had some good people on it. In fact, he made some good friends on there - but, he couldn't call it home.
He always felt like the third wheel, always on the sidelines. He felt people didn't appreciate him, and the lengths he went to to try and make himself a member of the site that people liked. But, ultimately, it was impossible.
The admins were always above the community, dipping in when it suited them. There was always drama between them - you could feel it. The forum had trolls, and they weren't banned, because a mod had taken their side, due to being a personal friend.
Eventually, after a bitter stand-off, the boy left the site, leaving a heartfelt goodbye to his friends.
The boy spent many a week trawling the internet. He'd sign up to some forums, but they never really felt like anywhere he could settle. He was a wanderer, stopping off at different websites, never staying for more than a week.
Until he came across Iwaku.
He didn't expect much. The standard half-hearted welcome from the admin, delivered more out of obligation than actual willingness. He thought he'd be out by the end of the week. But, something happened - he was welcomed.
Not just a simple hello, but a genuine greeting.
He had found a site where the people weren't stuck-up snobs or inactive shells, and where the mods and admins were just members with responsibilities - they were actually human.
And there was the person who was making it all happen. He didn't know what it was like to have so many responsibilities and to be in such a position, but he damn well appreciated how hard it would be to keep things going. And yet, despite everything that stood in her way, she always greeted everyone with a smile, and made sure the site became the best it could be.
And when the boy heard that someone was calling out for people to show her appreciation, he did not hesitate. He dropped everything, wanting to do his part to make sure she knew how important she was, and just how many people look up to her. He had led a life where everything was handed to him, so he knew he couldn't fathom what she felt. But he knew that every person who made her feel needed counted, and he wanted to make sure she knew just how much he appreciated her, and all the work she did to make - and keep - the site great.