I can't thank you guys enough for the tremendous amount of support that you have all given us during these dark days. I know that it was really touch-and-go there for a while, but I think we're all back on even keel. Now that the waters have settled a bit, I'd like to post some of the letters that I found to be particularly touching. Note: because I know how rabid Colbert "fans" can be, I've taken off the email addresses. I have heard stories where they will send all sorts of disgusting pictures and nasty words to fill up people's email addresses and they have to change them. But still they hunt them down somehow and extract their awful "revenge."

Thank you for these letters, they touched me to the bottom of my heart. A warning in advance: These are 100% real, unedited letters. Some of the unbridled emotion might be too powerful for our younger readers. Kids, you might have more fun here.

name: Ghina

type of message: Very Positive

comments: Just wanted to say how happy I was to read your statement concerning the mistake you made. It is always hard to own up to the mistakes we make, and what makes it even harder, is the fact that we mislead 1000's upon 1000's of people. I wanted to let you know that instead of me trusting you less, my trust for this site has increased.

P.S. Being a website on an internet and all, I would not only address and mention the American population, there are others out there you know. The world is not only composed of Americans!!

name: Joni

type of message: Extremely Positive

comments: I love your site. So you made a mistake, guess that means you are all HUMAN! Yours is one of the few sites that I enjoy checking every work day (I do skip weekends, I try to unplug as much as possible! :) ) Keep up the great work and interesting facts!

type of message: Positive

comments: Colbert is a scum. You provide a small oasis of refreshing tidbits at no cost several time daily to my routine which I enjoy greatly. Thank you and good work.

type of message: Factual Error

comments: In regard to your recent posting.

I have been frequenting your site for some time now, and your random tidbits have been a thrice-or-so-weekly short escape of mine and will continue to be so for as long as you continue your good work. I regret not writing in about the pachyderm post when I first read it, but I will elaborate as to why, shortly, as I am also a fan of The Colbert Report and saw his segment involving what he called the "wikiality" of information.

The segment I refer to hits pretty close to home as more and more people die for a war that no one is really sure why we are involved in in the first place. Are we supposed to be spreading democracy? Seems a little too noble a cause without adequate recompense in the longrun. Are we doing it to halt terrorism? We'd be more involved in Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia for that matter to further that claim. To halt nuclear proliferation? Iran would be overrun. This was at the heart of Colbert's point, I believe: If the media or the people continue not to question the motives of an administration that is getting away with spreading half-answers to questions about involvement, the populous will believe what answers are given as true. Information, or truth, becomes a product of what percentage of the population believes it to be true. Unfortunately, truth can be relative as few fact-check or research to get a more knowledgeable understanding of a situation and figure things out for themselves from there. And truth, in the case of Colbert's close-to-rabid fan base helped him prove, an elephant population can triple in a few short months. Enough people helped him "believe it true" via a site that makes something true based on volume of belief.

While Colbert's satirical approach to portraying this idea is probably misguided, his point should resonate with your establishment as well. All I'm saying is that his point shouldn't manifest itself as a thorn in your side as much as it should with the people who brought it about. He only started the idea. Others made it "factual." Who do you blame? The person who created the idea or the people who believed it?

Thank you for your time. In all honesty, I thought when first reading your post on the elephants you all giving a nod to Mr. Colbert in acknowledging his attempt at making more people aware of what he deemed as the "wikiality of information." I passed it off as such and probably should have written in just to make sure.

Again, thank you.

type of message: Positive

comments: Guys, you do a great job bringing us facts and broadening our horizons. Things like that will happen but hey, we should not dwell on them! Keep up the good job!

I couldn't have said it better myself. I hold every member of the team in the highest regard, and felt horrible that we were led astray, and in turn, led thousands of readers astray. I'm so glad that the loyal readers haven't turned away from us because of this terrible misunderstanding.

Having had a day wherein my research was posted, I too feel the burden of what has happened during this whole experience. I'm so glad to read these letters and know that we can move ahead. Thank you, readers and fans of the site.