I ran a small, moderated board for a time. I was amazed to learn that at least one person who joined, who I think was very new to Netland at the time, would have answered about that board, as follows:

1. Does anybody believe that this is an unmoderated forum? (Yes)
2. Do you think it should be moderated? (No)
3. Did you join believing the site to be unmoderated? (Yes)
4. Does moderation make you want to leave again? (Yes, and he took several other members along.)
5. How many unmoderated sites do you know of? (He thought he knew of one-- Mudcat. I think he knows by now that it isn't/wasn't "unmoderated.")

Look, we all want to be able to do whatever we want, when/wherever we want to do it. (Be honest-- don't we all?) Some of us learn, when we are no longer in our terrible two's, that the world doesn't quite work that way-- we adopt willing, respectful, cheerful cooperation as a higher order of behavior than total self-gratification.

Sometimes we (all) appreciate a little help to remember to play nice; in the adult world of reality I believe that would be called STRUCTURE.

Mudcat is structured. Nicely so, IMO.

~Susan