How can I tell when provocative words in a post are gratuitous? Well, I don't usually worry about a post - it's just the thread titles we're concerned about in this thread. It's a judgment call, and I have exceptionally good judgment.
Just ask Sh----es.

If somebody starts a thread and titles it "Motherfucker," I'll usually open it to see what's inside. If the first message is blank or filled with a chain of vulgarities, that's usually a pretty good indication that it's gratuitious vulgarity. And yes, if that's the case, I feel justified in deleting the thread.

If somebody starts a thread asking for information about a rugby song called "Motherfucker," there are good arguments for and against deletion. The usual Mudcat policy is to give preference to very conservative (i.e., limited) editing, so I would not delete or euphemise such a title.

And if I were looking for information on a song with the word "Motherfucker" in the title, I would put motherfu in the Filter and expect to find something. I would not use the term in a Forum Search because it would pull up too many Martin Gibson threads.

Generally, we do editorial actions on what I call "no-brainer" situations, and let the rest of the stuff go by. If everybody is calling everybody names and a thread is obviously an all-out brawl, I feel justified in closing or deleting it. If it's a little irritability here and there, or even a veiled insult, I'm not going to bother.


See what excellent judgment I have?
Just ask Sh----es.

-Joe Offer-