Having been implicated in this issue, I feel obliged to make a contribution to the discussion.
I believe that the board's problems stem mostly from volume, not behaviour.
The volume of discussion material is vast, and we've only been going for a few months. Having already given up on acquainting myself with past discussions, I am trying to at least keep abreast of all
current threads, on a daily basis, particularly since some of the fun comes from the cross-thread banter. I can see, however, that the success of the board carries with it the seeds of its own destruction (a lovely expression that I read here somewhere). No, that's being too pessimistic and alarmist, and I am sure that subscribers, with their love of words, their dedication and their ingenuity won't let that happen. But I can also see that it won't be long before keeping abreast of all discussions will be beyond the capacity of all but the truly interested/obsessed/insert-your-own-adjective-here. The board will most likely lose its sense of being an intimate club; perhaps the foundation contributors already feel it has. I suspect, that like traffic, it will find its own level and sort itself out, but probably as a natural process, not through the imposition of rules or external processes.
On the subject of behaviour... I cannot think of a posting or exchange that has shocked or embarassed me. I have learnt a lot and continuously (or it is continually? - I am sure that someone will put me right, or I can LIU
) been impressed and inspired by people's good nature, their willingness to help, their erudition and their wit. The board seems to have been almost totally devoid of the flaming that can plague such forums.
Sorry I'm not contributing much of a solution here. As the saying goes "if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate" (now, where did I read
that?).
