Guys, I guess I do not get it. I thought the site had a moderator and it is called "Subject". We also have a second moderator and it is called "Started by". Is anyone so bored that they read every single thread (Even the ones they know are not their cup of tea). If you do not like nonarchitecture threads, DON'T READ THEM!!...
David, let me ask you the same question I just asked one of the Toms: do you have any experience participating in strongly moderated forums? If so, what has or your opinion been about them? If not, am I to understand that your objections are primarily theoretical rather than practical?
I think what you fail to grasp is that GolfClubAtlas isn't merely a collection of threads: it's also a sum of its collective parts. A person who stumbles upon this website for the first time isn't going to know what topics he likes or dislikes - he's going to click on a number of different topics to see what's going on. Some of them may turn him off to the site altogether (this seems to be what happens to many of the industry insiders who visit this site, by all reports)....
Cheers,
Darren
Darren - Let me start by answering your question. No, I have not participated in a strongly moderated forum, nor would I. I do not need anyone telling me what it is OK to say or not say.
Next, I think you are asking for it both ways. On one hand you are saying we need a strongly moderated forum section to keep us focused and on the other you are wondering what someone coming here for the first time (Who we want on this DG) would think.
Darren - No one would have access to the strongly moderated forum who was new. Every new poster I have read for four years has started with something like "I have been a lurker for x months and here is my first post, be kind..."
The strongly moderated forum that TEPaul is talking about would not allow them to just lurk and I cannot fathom that they would go through the hassle of registering. You would end up with Papazian's nighmare - Only the chosen few discussing topics that they already know by heart like NGLA and the wildcards like JakaB left out. Gib mentioned a treehouse with room for everyone. The private, right minded forum, is not that. In addition, people like Mike Hendren, Huckster, Shivas, Tiger, Lou Duran, Myself and many others who occasonally like to talk Kids, College Basketball, Family, Football, the disgrace of Gary Barnett (Clearly a symptom of his time at Northwestern - right Shivas), politics and Annika Sorenstam would either be thrown out or warned one to many times and get sick of the PC police and leave. I sincerely belive that a split forum would not be GCA jumping the shark, it would be GCA trying to jump the shark and falling into the pool.