Yes, other people told me that I should improve my confidence in real life back then. I didn't ignore them, I just didn't make a sincere effort to follow through (obviously a mistake). But their comments stuck with me, and something posted on SOHH was the final straw that made me realize I needed to focus on improving myself for real.
Its not like I logged on the board one day and was like
"I need to change my whole life." It was a combination of things.
As for the bolded, I already said I enjoy reading these threads because they interest me
and you can always pick up new tips/ideas from other people. What exactly is hard to believe?