tikunetih wrote:Something I've observed on various forums over the years, both financial and on-financial, is the example of the seemingly thin-skinned, popular contributor who periodically flounces off because some aspect of the forum isn't to their liking only to return later when they miss the positive feedback they used to get from those who valued their posts...
In my view, forums that work well and avoid becoming navel-gazing echo chambers involve some - not a lot, but some - rough and tumble with people able to air their differing views; not quite like a pub, but nor the tightly controlled formal environment that some might prefer.
To benefit from this I think forum posters should leave their egos by the door (investors should most certainly do this too), not wish to overly control things and embrace a little chaos. Occasional nuggets of valuable stuff periodically emerge from that chaos, and closing yourself off to it can be to your detriment.
If instead posters wish to tightly control the environment in which they write, then my advice would be to become a publisher: that is, write a blog where (a) you fully control the published content and (b) you decide whether comments can be posted at all and/or where you can personally filter those comments that do get shown.
Fighting talk!
To be fair to Gengulphus he has been consistent over the years about this. "Flouncy" is not a word I would ascribe to him. I can recall him on TMF stating a couple of times or more that he might quit. And again in the embryonic days of TLF when we were all discussing what this place should look like.
He has a very thorough and detailed approach to topics which is valued. He holds himself to a high standard and expects those same standards from others. My sense is that he flourishes best in systems that are structured, ordered and rule-bound. He has often argued, both on TMF and TLF, for more rigorous moderation, and so his appeal for that here is not a recent revelation but rather a long-term thematic one.
But as you say, there is always a measure of chaos and anarchy here, as in real life. People differ in how they deal with that. Some embrace it; for others it is uncomfortable.
Of course there is more to his lament than just temperament. HYP-P has been a volatile place for as long as anyone can recall, which causes frustration for purists and pragmatists alike. Nobody there seems happy, although some might argue that is a sign of a decent compromise. That said this thread has become a microcosm of the very issue itself, with a wide variety of opinions on whether and what to change.