Originally Posted by Taminy
I suspect though that while some of us come out of those situations feeling like every other injury pales in comparison, others come out feeling more fragile and may be more impacted by a shoot-from-the-hip style. I'm not suggesting we walk on egg shells (I like the mix of styles and personalities), I'm just acknowledging that for some newcomers walking into some of the more contentious threads might not feel too different from those RL meetings.

The moderator can terminate a thread that he thinks is hurting the forum, but that is a blunt instrument. I wonder if it is technically feasible to "demote" a thread so that it no longer shows up in the "Recent Posts" sidebar. Interested members would still be able to find the thread, but it would be less prominent. The moderator can also warn people that a thread is becoming too acrimonious without terminating it. On some forums the moderator deletes an entire thread when he dislikes some messages. I oppose that approach. Even acrimonious threads have some information content, both about the subjects discussed and the personalities of the discussants.

"To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle." - George Orwell