Arlen G. Holder wrote:

Thanks for keeping an open mind, as you're the only other one on this ng,
that I know of, who has actually mounted & balanced a car tire themselves.

"Themselves".
Does that mean only those who've done it in their driveway at home, or
does it also include the shop I've worked at for the last 12 years?

Either way, we normally use the yellow dot, not just because it's
"correct" in our little version of reality, but because everyone expects
it. Even if we miss by an inch or two, or the dot has worn off over time
(used tire), or if we get a tire brand that doesn't even use dots, the
balancer makes it all happy again. It's really not that critical.