I really don't see a problem with a healthy debate. Although some can get heated, I enjoy reading both sides and I get some good information on subjects that I may not understand all that well. Things I did not think of before. Both sides are worthy of consideration and I support folks freedom to state their opinions, even if I don't agree with them.
The thing I find bothersome is when some people feels they are losing the debate, they will result to bullying or personal attacks. That is not free opinion. I'm not sure what system you use to let people know they are being considered for removal but I think "Bullying" should be added to your list of automatic tossing. It is harder to determine, but should definitely be unacceptable.
You may have already considered a flagging system where your first "offense" you send a "yellow flag" stating "That's one". Next is orange, then red, and your out. That gives people an opportunity to adjust behavior. I know you get tons of suggestions, so you probably already considered this one, but makes sense to me.
Also, no matter what we do in life, our wives always seem to find out...
You are correct. Healthy debate, as heated as it is at times, is a worthwhile process. I encourage debate on this forum and I get a lot of reported violations when those debated topics get to the point of forcing us to think outside our biases created by our life experiences.
Our perspectives are formed by our life experiences. We all have different life experiences. That lead us to differing perspectives. Those differing perspectives result in differing opinions expressed when we communicate.
The rub usually comes due to narrow mindedness on certain topics when a few folks refuse to realize the person they are hacking on is a good person; probably someone they would enjoy visiting with around a campfire, just a person with a different life experience that leads to a different perspective/opinion. When the narrow mindedness results in someone hanging tags, labels, and other adolescent name calling, I intervene, which might be a warning or change of PW, or completely tossing the person.
The software has a flagging/violations system on the back end. I don't really use it. Once I've had my fill, the person is gone, regardless of what the flagging system says.
Yes, wives always know. And when I'm on the road, like I seem to be more than I ever expected, my wife knows everything that goes on here. She handles my PMs, the reported violations, and a host of other things needed to keep the operation going while I am gone. When she is already busy with so many tasks and then she has to deal with grade school behavior here, my tolerance is even lower than when I am home and I am the one dealing with it.
Some of the old guard who has been here for a long time have given me some ideas that would get them back to posting more often. I am hoping that some of those ideas work. I'm hoping that when we get back to actual hunting season we can quit the bickering and snide manners that would provide a "tooth inventory" if such behavior was expressed face-to-face rather than via the anonymity of a keyboard.
I've went through our financial statements since I took over Hunt Talk from Moosie. That was January 2009; more than ten years ago. Since then, it has cost over $1,200 per month to keep this platform afloat; costs incurred for database management, servers and hosting, tech services, software upgrades, etc. We've had very small income from an Amazon ad. The other ads you see are a part of the package we provide to our video and podcast sponsors.
Suffice to say, this has not been a profit endeavor when measured as a stand alone business segment. Yet, Hunt Talk has served a valuable purpose in fulfilling our WHY; "To promote self-guided public land hunting and create advocates for that cause." Our investment in Hunt Talk has been worth every penny, given the power the platform has grown to provide. The number silent lurkers on Hunt Talk who are in the trenches on policy making, agency and congressional staffers, and others influential in public land and hunting policy, is astounding. That was part of the goal we had for Hunt Talk when we took it over from Moosie. So, mission accomplished.
I give that background so people know that Hunt Talk has become immensely useful to our "WHY." And, with the costs it entails, I've finally reached curmudgeon status when it comes to unnecessary BS that happens here at times.
We have even bigger plans for Hunt Talk and in the next months will start opening it up to ads from other companies to help offset the costs. The niche Hunt Talk has grown to provide for our WHY is not something I intend to let be degraded as the result of those who struggle to communicate in an adult manner.
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