Agreed that the use of names versus psueds doesn't affect behavior much. Identities and investment in the community do. And the number of people is a factor as well; the more you feel anonymous, the more likely you are to not care how you're perceived.

I probably shouldn't get into TWoP stuff, but...I'm dumb, so:

1) The recapper for Supernatural hasn't moderated for about four years now.

2)

the crazy mod decided that there should not be any negativity and closed the "things I don't like about 'Lost'" thread.

Those two things aren't equivalent. I and other mods hate the "bitter/negative" threads (and the anti-bitter threads they inspire) because the premise is "only X opinion can be expressed here, and you're not allowed to dispute anything people say." Which is the antithesis of what discussion forums should be. Plus, when dealing with threads organized around being positive or negative, the mod has to evaluate what people's opinions are, instead of how those opinions are expressed. Which I think we agree is the opposite of what they should be considering.

Closing those threads didn't mean "Only positive things can be said." It meant "You can say positive and negative things in any thread where it's on topic. Like usual."

I believe the first "Bitterness" thread was in the Buffy threads. And I watched that community split into two teams that brought a bitter/anti fight into every other thread in the forum. So I didn't allow them for Angel or any show I moderated. I'm fairly sure that even Ace & Sep agreed that creating that thread had been a mistake.

[edited because UBB code doesn't go here]

If it had been than people who use IE are hated by more web developers than people who use other browsers, then I'd find it more believable.

As a web designer, I have come to loathe them all. The only thing that would make me happy would be for them all to render code the same way.

It just took me several minutes to thread a needle no matter what glasses I was wearing.

Needle threader [link]

That's the only type of needle threader I don't destroy almost immediately.

Recapping and modding seem to be indistinguishable as a force of opinion when I was on SPN on TWOP. Harshing on a recap got you booted, even if it was a perfectly legitimate callout.

And the people posting there were so basically out of control that you weren't allowed to talk about the relationship between Sam and Dean. Yeah, because that has nothing to do with the show. But people still got plenty ugly even with that rule in place.

White variant black bears (Is this an example of white being "just like glitter" - applied to a different mammal population?)

Oh, yeah. Rent. I should do that this afternoon.

I put my checkbook in my work bag today, just so I would remember to pay it on the way home. It probably won't work, but at least I tried.

Speedy Pigs. . . is that any relation to Angry Birds?

Huh. I have a chequebook in my bag. Maybe I should write the cheque. Can't hurt.

From the white bear story:

That the local people on the northwest coast of British Columbia refer to these creatures as "spirit bears" makes them all the more elusive:

This sentance makes no sense to me-- they are elusive because they are called "spirit bears"????

On TWOP I have never really felt at home because all the threads make me crazy. I like our board where you can have large conversations. I think that the large number of people and the many thread means that moderation HAS to be more heavyhanded, and at times seems harsh, but I think it is just the environment. I have never been on the Supernatural threads. I was just disappointed because the Cooking Show Thread had turned into a Recipe thread for about a year and then got told they had to go back to talking about cooking shows. But the mod was right-- these poeple just had really good recipes so I was sad.

Why did I schedule an appointment for right after lunch? All I want to eat is a chili dog and there's no way that wouldn't get all over me.

I have never had a chili dog.

Lived in Detroit 9 years.

No chili dog.

Huh.