Melissa, I hear what you are saying, but I personally feel that this forum is, largely, so well attended, by so many people who have such a rich array of opinions (and are not afraid to express them), that on the whole it is self-policing - even if not always a very nice place to be - and the hosts do keep a watchful eye on things too.

That doesn't mean that we'd not be a lot better off without some of the vitriol we read here, or that it's not intensely painful to be on the receiving end of the same - specially if you're new. But there is such a lot of traffic, that silly or dull threads soon slip off the bottom (matron), and even the ones with the hand-to-hand fighting benefit from input by more level-headed members, which balances those by our angrier customers, and provides a bit of first aid to any wounded cadets. (How many mixed metaphors in that then?)

You're right that people do step in here in all innocence, and that a warning sign on the door might be helpful, but the system functions well on the whole.

Now that's not true of the BBC Folk and Acoustic forum by comparison, which though moderated (not always benignly), and hosted (but often in absentia) has its fair share of trolls and flamers while attracting a massively higher percentage of newcomers - who drop in like autumn leaves via the BBCs only national folk programme, the UKs only mainstream folk festival, or who are looking for THE perfect place to promote their act (and immediately win a place on the BBC Radio Two playlist - ha!), or via other routes such as the BBC's defunct country music forum.

Over there it really IS essential that the local level-heads do their utmost to keep things steady, for the benefit of the image of UK folk music.

Here - well...

Tom

Tom