Paying it forward is the key to gratitude in this case, so keep it up. It's still nice to acknowledge those who have helped you. Two weeks ago I did up my list

Paying it forward is the key to gratitude in this case, so keep it up. It's still nice to acknowledge those who have helped you. Two weeks ago I did up my list of influential people - it came to 49 names, including some familiar HNers I've never met and some business people I've worked closely with for years. I sent them all an identical 2-3 line thank you email. I didn't see value in personalising it - it's hard to quantify or put into words. And judging by the responses I received, not enough people take the time to do that.