one of the points that by-tor made (albeit indirectly) is being lost. for the most, part people here do want to help others and do want to talk about these reps (hello, that's why we're here) and to further discussions about the minute details that drive us all crazy.
but there is a way to go about things. if someone approaches with an attitude of entitlement and 'gimme gimme gimme', well, things may not go so well for them. by-tor even mentioned that crystalcranium's pm specifically didn't anger him b/c it was done respectfully in the right manner.
this isn't the helpdesk and we're not teachers. sure some are better informed in certain areas, but we are all here to have fun and share info. i think it is certainly not out of the question to expect someone to do some legwork before turning to another member asking for help. no one gets paid consulting fees or the like. no one pays by-tor a dime for his write-ups or pug for his photos or ubi for all that he does. these guys (and many, many more) give a GREAT deal to our community and yet that is not enough. now, they can't even vent when being a personal shopping consultant for numerous (15-20 per month in by-tor's case) other members gets tiresome.
and it's not like it's an easy thing to do. many of our other senior members have mentioned touched on the idea that the 'who has the best _______' is constantly in a state of flux. things change very quickly. and god forbid someone gives the wrong information - some clown would start a thread saying that member xxx told them to buy rep zzz and it is such crap blah blah blah.
i find this whole bit to be quite comical. and a big thank you to by-tor for answering all of the pm's that he does answer, and thus saving the rest of the membership from drowning in these threads.