Dr. Maserati said:I have stated this before (but I acknowledge it requires monitoring) - simple reminders periodically ij contentious threads to address posts not posters and to keep on topic would go a long way.
If posts do not adhere to that they get wiped - and the responses - pretty shortly people would report problem posts instead of engaging them.
Just my 2 cents.
It is something I have proposed to the same people who are complaining here, on more than one occasion, but it was never taken up. Yet it is the very thing that keeps being requested, of that thread in particular, HEAVY moderation, even by those who advocate that the ideal mod is the one who intervenes least.
At the moment, this problem is mostly contained in a handful of threads.
But to get people to behave there as advocated here, we would have to toughen up the moderation across the board, to remain consistent. We don't want to pay that price, and judging by the comments we usually get, neither is it welcome by those who are frustrated mainly over these particular threads.
OR we have a special set of rules for that thread, but the moderation would still only kick in AFTER posts are made, and unless people amend their own posting habits there (some more than others), it would not just be the folk they dislike that would be kept on a much shorter leash.
To keep a thread like that in order would require a big (initial?) commitment by the mods, and a willingness by the participants to give genuine attempts a chance.
And let's be honest, mods here get a lot of flack the moment they apply a different even hand than is acceptable to some, sometimes over minor "interventions".