I hope people will take a look at what McGrath has to say above. Is this cafe a friendly, comfortable place for all - or is there too much ugly talk? We're all responsible for making Mudcat what it is. Every message we post becomes a part of the whole, so maybe we should stop to think before we post.
It's my opinion that the tone of the Forum is a little out of kilter just now. If I were to stop in for the first time at this very moment, would there be enough in the Forum to make me want to stay? I'd see a number of long, nasty threads, and then some other preachy ones that try to tell people to behave. Then there are some generally pleasant chit-chat threads that don't seem to have much weight. Buried among those other threads, I'd find a few, shorter discussions that have some really valuable information. If all we had were the serious discussions, the tone would soon get to be far too heavy. We need a balance, and it's up to each one of us to contribute to that balance. Censorship doesn't work. What we need to do is to stop and think, just for a moment, before we hit the "submit" button. Does my message help make Mudcat what I want it to be? We all have different visions of what we think Mudcat should be. If we all would keep our highest vision of Mudcat in mind when we post, the result of our mixed vision might be something truly remarkable.
Actually, though, what we have is pretty darn good - but it could always be a little bit better.
-Joe Offer-