I generally don't get a lot of recognition on this forum, just the odd quote here & there. I generally don't mind that lack of notoriety, as those few replies I get are usually along the lines of "that's a good point".
However, I've had some level of recognition before (somewhere else, obviously).... and the briefest summary for it would be "a mixed blessing".
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Up until a couple years ago, I was one of the more active & known members of the GameFAQs World of Warcraft board; during the years I was regularly posting there, I had gained the reputation as being what could be called "the voice of reason" (as well as being one of the very few "nice guys").
For those unfamilar with the general culture of the GameFAQs message boards (or the internet forums in general for that matter), placing myself in that position was just asking for trouble. I managed to keep it up for a few years, but in the end it just wasn't worth it; especially once I stopped playing WoW.
While doing so did help me gain some respect from the more benign posters, it did gain me a few enemies as well. Usually it was the trolls (who almost always are among the most active members of any forum or messsage board), quite often due to me not taking their crap and making them look like the fools they were. It might have been a bit cruel to leave their only viable options to respond as either something which makes them look like a fool, clearly label themselves as a troll, a jerk with an over-inflated ego, or remain silent (the last being the best idea); still, they only got that from me when had earned it. There was always the chance to give an intelligent reply, but very rarely did I ever get one.
In essence, I had fabricated a senario (if not the environment of the board in general, though it's all but impossible to completely eradicate the "problem posters" of such places) where posters were required to have a somewhat intelligent or at least civil discussion (non-malicious joke topics/threads were fine though, if annoyingly stupid on occassion; most "fad topics" tend to be this), less they label themselves as an undesirable jerk. In short, a very troll-unfriendly environment; good for me and many others, but not so much for the strong presence of those who are there to stroke their egos or incite others.
Anyhow, this led to some of them holding onto grudges (and a few quotations taken out of context) which lasted for years. As clearly pathetic as that was, it does eventually begin to get to you; my own tenacity (or perhaps more accurately, stubbornness) isn't something to sneeze at, but even I couldn't keep it up as long as the single-minded malice/stupidity which drove the trolls over there. While it wasn't the direct cause for me ultimately quitting the game, it probably was a factor.
So when I finally left for good, my pseudo-policing of the forum ceased. Every so often, I may get a comment on my time on the GameFAQs WoW board; usually along the lines of "you were the best poster there". A bit of a good feeling getting those remarks, but there's no doubt that gaining the reputation for that wasn't the always an enjoyable experience.
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So yes, it certainly can feel like your posts are insignificant.... but then again, it's not always a good thing when your posts are a significant matter on the forum. Being a relative nobody means you're a bit more free to do as you please; fewer people will bother you about going against the norm, because you're not worth their time. When you're well known, things start to get a bit political (in the "office politics" context); especially if you're the sort of person who's willing to tell people what they don't want to hear (but often need to hear).
