Hi Carol,
Thanks for the link, and , Burgundia, thanks for your understanding.
I'm not saying that there aren't ETs and the myriad of phenomena that go with that. It just seems to my mind, that a lot of 'information' that is passed from said beings to human beings seems to be very dodgy in nature (to me, obviously it's not dodgy to everyone, so I apologise for my ignorance).
By dodgy to me, I mean information that
either easily fits my worldview (let's say for example...'we have come to help you' )
or totally challenges my worldview ( 'we don't mind telling you that there are only 50 planets like your Earth, out of 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 available' ) in order to seem like it is from a source that is 'other' that human. Other...in that it has the capacity to tell us a fact we don't or can't know or one that courts what we do know about the world to add authenticity... a bit like fortune tellers do ("Ahhh...I can see that you have been troubled lately..." is not far off from...."They told me our world is facing a great danger...." , "we must learn to live in peace with one another..."- no kidding !
I must sound like I'm having a go...and I'm not, and I apologise if my 'reasoning' affects those who've had encounters and are shaking their fist at the monitor just now. I'm not saying that anyone's experiences aren't real - I'm just disappointed at the quality of the information that such incredibly amazing events seem to leave behind. For example...it might be along the lines of...
"They told me (this challenges worldview) the council of Grabbernox has existed for 12 million years on Rangdoo and created and looked after the human race before the council was wiped out by a fleet of Xanthan warships who have now infiltrated the earth and are posing in top positions. However, they also told me (fits worldview) the Xanthan's one weakness is marshmallows and that is why it is so difficult to buy a decent marshmallow these days..." 
So what I often see in the stories is a fact that is
known building on a fact that is
unknowable. Some fortune tellers make a living this way.
My point is, why would an alien tell me their life history? A lot of these aliens to my mind have a habit of 'spilling the beans'... on all kinds of stuff that, if I were an alien, I would be careful what I said - because it's going to reach more people than Hello magazine. Who's to say they might even have a sense of humour?
My imagination of an alien encounter would be one where I hear a noise in the back garden and I go outside and meet one messing around with my hosepipe. Embarassed at being discovered, he tells me that they need some tubing because their drinks machine has just broken... and it's a long ride home and they've no spare parts.
They ask me not to tell anyone and in return say they will andswer me any one question. I ask, 'What's it all about?' and they say...'any question but that one.' I say, 'why, because you can't tell me because of the prime directive? ' and they say , 'no, we've got no idea either... that's why we're flying around the galaxy in this thing.... looking for some answers....' ' and it's a hellish journey - the coffee tastes like tomato soup '
Best wishes to all
K