When people take what we say the wrong way, it's often an indication that we didn't quite say it the best way, and that's quite a useful thing to learn for the next time.

Arguments? I think people miss the point when they get into trying to win arguments. A discussion in which we try to explain our point of view, and get to understand the other person's differing point of view, I think that is far more interesting, and there is no reason in the world why it should ever get ill-tempered. It's a shame it so often does do that, but there's never any need to get dragged into losing our rag ourselves, even in that situation.

But if everyone posted every time they opened a thread, I'm sure this place would very rapidly become completely uninhabitable. The only reason for having some kind of a hit-count on threads would be to reassure people that it was normal practice to read without posting - and I don't think that really needs to be done. And a hit-count would introduce a potentially harmful competitive element.