I've not seen any other giveaways, but I have seen warring factions at other forums. The karma's, moderation, and general quality of the membership makes Sigforum more like a real community than anyplace else I've visited online.

I’ve been a member of a few others, I haven’t seen it. The karma’s are amazing, but the kindness shown here, and the way not only Para runs it, but we police ourselves makes it my only home.

I'm not really on other boards, except one for my car, don't recall anything like a karma on there. The closest I could say is similar is a local men's group I'm part of has a Facebook group where we will occasionally give things away or fundraise for members or local families/charities there was a charity golf tournament yesterday or today.

The best karma ever from SIGforum was y'all helped bury my best friends son Raymond almost a year ago. Para broke the rules (after some convincing by my wife) and allowed a fundraiser to give Raymond a funeral. You guys paid for almost half of his funeral, between SF, me, and my wife's employer the family didn't have to spend a penny outside of food, drinks, and flowers.

I can't express enough my many thanks to everyone who helped make it possible. I'm sitting here at work in tears hoping no one walks in my door. You guys did something really, really special. Thank you!

When my kids were young and I was a detailer and into the car scene. I spent a lot of time on other forums, guns, and cars. I moderated more than a few. The terms karma was only used on a couple, and often after the fact. There would be giveaways or prizes, that sort of thing from companies. It became apparent to those in the mod staff that the vast majority of them were shills from advertisers. We did our best to cull such things and people, but they would always sneak in.

The first time I heard of 'karma' was here. I joined in 2004/5 under my original lost name, I am unsure when I saw my first Karma, but I know it was under the previous name. I was mostly just a lurker and didn't spend much time talking. It was a novel idea. Years later when were planning our move to CT, and I could not sign in (no longer had that email) I joined again. I have whittled my forums down from well over 50 to one, despite my absences for periods of time. I no longer frequent the Pen forums, penmanship, guns, cars, book review groups etc.

I find the class of membership here has all of that covered if you are but brave enough to ask. You may find out in the answer, you don't know half as much as you think you do.

Sig forum is more than a board, it is more than a gun forum. It is more than an advertisement-free center for discussion. It is at its core I think a well-rounded place of learning. Whatever you choose, whatever your question, it takes little time for the folk here to give an equitable and usually correct answer. Sometimes we figure those answers out together, sometimes we debate them and find that common ground.