too bad you're sort of a glass half empty sort @moonjelly... instead of being encouraged by a whale giving you a step up on a post, you just see it as a fluke and focus on what would be if that had not happened. Did it occur to you that the whale saw some value in what you wrote and maybe you could work harder at learning the craft of writing? It is a craft and needs to be learned. The message I got from @dollarvigilante in this post is; be aware of what your strengths and weaknesses, be willing to change as you need to move your life along and always be learning. Doesn't matter what platform you are on, a following is needed if you want to grow and develop. It's the nature of the beast.