I get a lot out of this board - more than I can list - but the main thing is that it helps me to stay focused on this hobby rather than drifting off after the next "sparkly" as I have tended to do over the years. Not a day goes by when I don't see or read something inspiring here that makes me want to stick to quilting.
Probably your friend didn't mean that to be as insulting as it seems, but she didn't see the value in it for herself because she just has not experienced anything like it. Even a big, friendly, talented quilt guild can't come close to the kind of interactions we have here. It's an excellent example of a global village, where we are sharing our brains and our hearts and we have others to turn to with our questions, problems, joys and sorrows, triumphs and goofs 24 hours a day, every day!