Well I'll put my cards on the table and say that, however Max might see it as a defeat, the policy change is a thoroughly good one. It is of course, early days, but we currently have a thread about religion (the Easter one) that is just as impassioned as previous threads but which survives very well because we have been spared trollish interventions by anonymous cowards. Not to say that it will last, of course. ;-)

As for people not changing their minds, don't rush to judgement. I learn a lot from debating on forums, though the manly stubbornness in me might not always let me show it. I'm a bit slow-witted when I debate face to face, often wishing hours afterwards that I'd said something I hadn't thought of at the time. On here I can have a good think before I post and keep my cool (I see others failing to be as measured, and sometimes feel sorry for them). Personally, I haven't decided about anything in advance. I simply can't conduct myself in that fashion.

The most important thing to remember is that contributors to online forums are, at best, a bit wacky, otherwise they wouldn't do it. That isn't to say that forums aren't of value. Obviously, I think they are, but, as I'm here, I'm clearly biased, and a post like this one does take me ages to produce (being a one-finger typist). The main thing is to realise that this is good on its own terms, but it's not real life. Keep it in proportion and never, never let it make you lose sleep!