I'm confident that I'm not the only person here who has left an otherwise-good forum because it was NOT moderated well enough. My pet peeve is when someone brings up a good, valid point that may go against some folks' preconceived ideas, and then others pile on and make all kinds of false accusations. That is where the need for moderators really comes into play.
In my particular case (on another un-named preparedness forum), I had racked up well over a thousand posts over a number of years, and received the "_____ of the month" award for being voted the most helpful postings. I then dared to question the story of the Sacred Republican candidate and was just piled on and accused of being a liberal demoncrat and all sorts of other vile names. That is when a moderator should have stepped in, but didn't. When it became apparent that such behavior was going to be tolerated, I left and never went back.
It would be nice if there were no need for moderators, but then it would be nice if there were no need for police or military. We live in a real world where people sometimes act like jerks and need to be reigned in before they cause too much damage. That, folks, is the role of the moderator. I've never seen a case where there was too much moderator action - only too little.
Regarding language and keeping it family friendly - it doesn't take long before foul language taints the content of a site. Good, decent, civilized men won't tolerate that, and you're left with the kind of folks you wouldn't dare trust your family with when things turn nasty. Moderating language is part of making sure that you attract and keep the kind of people you want.
My sincere thanks to the moderators of this forum for doing a tedious and often thankless job. Without your diligence and hard work, it would self-destruct in a very short time. THANK YOU!
