Well, my first thought was that if Harpgirl didn't like BS threads, she could simply log in and check the BS filter on the Membership page and never have to look at another BS thread, ever again.
But she has a point.

I really would like to see Mudcat as a valuable music resource and a peaceful, pleasant place to be; but oftentimes that isn't the case. Sometimes, Mudcat is downright embarrassing. Our local nitwits are slugging it out in the "Tower of London" and "Show of Hands" threads, and one wonders how threads on such topics and turn into fistfights. There are days I'd like to put all that crap where outsiders couldn't see it.

We've had this discussion over and over through the history of Mudcat. I came in January, 1997; and there were already discussions about whether certain subjects were suitable for discussion. I was very glad when Jeff worked out what I still think is a very simple and elegant solution - moving non-music threads to the bottom half the page. That way, people have to go looking for BS - but it's not hard to find. And since it IS on the same page, people can't really complain too loudly about our moving a non-music thread to BS; and we don't have the problem of having duplicate threads in the Music and BS Forums, started by people who want to ensure full coverage.

So, the short answer is that I'm sure that Max will read this request and consider it. I don't think he'll change what we have, since what Jeff devised is a pretty good compromise. People who are logged in can view the Forum exactly the way they want to see it - but they can't control how visitors see us.

And as John MacKenzie says, we don't generally allow threads about how Mudcat is run, but I was going to chalk this thread up as a technical suggestion for now and let it run until it gets nasty.

But it just got nasty, so it's closed.

John thinks it's horrible that multiple personal attacks in a thread were not deleted. I agree that it's horrible that there were multiple personal attacks in the thread, so I closed the thread so it will drop off the Forum Menu tomorrow and be forgotten. We could argue about that for a long, long time - and it really won't make much difference tomorrow when the thread drops off the Forum Menu. My preference is for closing, and John's is for deletion - and arguing about how appalling one or the other preference is, doesn't do Mudcat any good. That's why we no longer allow threads discussing Mudcat moderation policy. If you have a complaint about how Mudcat is run, contact Max or Mick or me by e-mail or personal message.

-Joe-