I am very reluctant to delete posts. To me, once a message has been posted, the damage has already been done. It usually doesn't help to delete a post. I get a lot of requests for posts to be deleted, and it usually feels to me like the requestor is asking me to punish the offending poster. [Other mederators] delete posts more frequently, but I do not believe that they believe in deletions for the purpose of punishing offenders. Our purpose is to keep the discussions going and to protect the interests of Mudcat, not to punish any wrongdoers. I think that we moderators have far less interest in the discussions then some people may think. We just want to keep the peace, and we try various techniques to do that. Sometimes, we may actually be successful.

Joe