05-04-2013, 03:16 AM
davester wrote:
I probably spend more time on the political side than on the tips and deals side, and I find it stimulating and valuable because I learn a lot of things about what other people are thinking across the country (and in other countries). I have never seen another forum as good as this one when it comes to discussions of political topics. I would probably end up drifting away from the forum in general if the political forum was axed.
Larry mentioned that there were other more appropriate political forums but I sure haven't ever seen any. The news site forums are populated by completely belligerent crazies. The political forum here has some very engaging and mature discussions mixed with the crazy stuff...something I haven't seen elsewhere.
That said, there are some posters on the political side who are completely nutso and whose obvious sole purpose is to try to tick people off (i.e. they are "trolls"), and I just know that they cause problems for the moderators. I would guess that those posters are a very small fraction of the posting population and I would be happy to see them axed if they are the cause of excessive effort by the moderators. Why not do that? Three strikes and you're out!
Also, as I recall, the genesis of the original political forum at DM was to create an outlet for more heated discussion that many on the main site didn't want. That arrangement morphed into the identical arrangement here. If you axe the political side then is this side going to be ruled with an iron fist to squash discussions that get heated? I frankly don't think that is going to work.
What davester said.
This is really about the squeaky wheel syndrome. There will always be a small number of thin skinned posters who will consume a disproportionate amount of moderator time. Maybe if you were to cap allowed complaints at - say once a month, mods refereeing time would become more managable.
Squeaky wheel is what drove Brian Moon, amongst others, stark raving bonkers and eventually killed DM.
Impose a forum version of sports "luxury tax", if a poster registers more than one complaint within a thirty-day period they pay a tax of $2 per event - paid directly to the mods. :punch::judge: