It is pretty subjective: not so much the rules but how people interpret those rules. What might seem relatively innocuous to some may be insulting, derogatory or out-of-bounds to others.

I was an online "sheriff" for AOL back when they were one of the bigger fish in the pond (you actually had to PAY for their service back then). I was one of five moderators who reviewed posts in one certain area, eventually becoming the supervisor. We had pretty definite rules but it was amazing how posters used various and sundry tricks to get around them. For instance, no personal insults. But what difference is there in "you are an idiot" and "don't be an idiot"? Not much. The point still gets across. We did a lot of reading between the lines for stuff just like that. Even trying to get the other moderators on the same page was a challenge.

One of the differences there was that as many posts as possible received a response from a moderator. Pretty challenging as AOL was huge back then and message boards in general received bushels of posts. This is something I wish moderators would do here as well. But in general, having been there myself, it is my opinion that the moderator(s) here do an excellent job. You have to be pretty far out of bounds, as far as I can see, before the axe comes down.

Truly enjoyed the old Igolf forum on AOL...we had many spirited discussions. :boxing2:

I hear ya'!

I've been a moderator on several music boards for over 20 years. I've seen every trick in the book.

I remember one member, actually was a good friend of mine, who was a member from day one. He has a MASSIVE # oof posts. Most were quite helpful. But when things got even close to political, he would jump in with both feet.

Most of the mods knew him personally, so they wanted to stay "hands off", and he knew it. But finally, he went too far and got a suspension. Only a few weeks, but he was incensed! He couldn't believe that he was expected to follow the same rules as everyone else.

Once his suspension was over he snubbed the forum for several months, until he finally came back. But he still couldn't understand why he was suspended. Even after several phone calls, he just didn't get it. He thought he was "special"...

After his second suspension, it began to sink in an he finally settled down...

The problem was, his posting crap with a perceived (and for a while actual) impunity caused others to try to do the same.

Did some of the mods go too far at times? Most probably. Did we listen when members pled their cases? Most certainly. Did we ever change our minds? Occasionally...

Communication was the key...