Why is it so hard to thank a poster (like BobHarris) for a solution?

It’s nice of you to want to thank the volunteers who are answering questions. Since it is not possible to send a private message, I recommend these two methods:

1. Mark the answer as Helpful or Best Answer. We get points for that and the points add up to some perks.
2. Reply to the post, saying “thank you.” I can tell you that when someone does that, it makes my day! We are unpaid volunteers, trying to help other users. A thank you lets us know that we are making a difference … which is why many of us are here.

It's very kind of you, but we are not allowed to give out personal information, so there is no private contact possible. It could lead to problems. So, the best way is to post an answer to that person in the thread. That is the surest way.

I'll see if I can get his attention.

Apple runs these forums and makes the rules. Personally, I would not be here if it was a social media site (I don't do any of them). Anyway, I posted on a recent thread of his; do not know if he will see it or not.

Hello,

I understand and deeply appreciate the desire to be civil and polite in this angry world we live in. However, bandwidth is finite; it means the necessary closing of inactive threads. If you see a helpful answer right away, you can always post a "thank you" response and the person may—not "will"— see it.

Wait a month or two. Not so much.

If a post is closed for inactivity (~45 days, maybe), it is unlikely the person you wish to thank would return to an old thread to check for accolades. Most of the active contributors answer dozens to hundreds of posts per day. Trying to revisit any to see if there are thanks there would take time away from helping someone else.

Also the number or registered user here is staggering, estimated as a seven-digit number. Yet for all that, by my count there are fewer that 125 users who are helping on a regular (±daily) basis.

Using the "Best answer" or "Helpful" buttons is the best way to say "thank you." Those buttons trigger an admin email the person who provided the answer so they know what they did helped someone.

Your Welcome 😊

A tip (in development) on the topic: Apple USB-C power adapter volts, amps - Apple Community

Why no direct messages? Stalkers, harassment, and spam, among other reasons.

Here are the perks:

Share what you know and get recognized - Apple Support

Glad to have been of help - we all volunteer here and it is nice to get a thank you rather than some attitudes which happens occasionally. Thanks for caring enough to call our attention to it!