[Scrapper1]

Originally Posted by rei

Is it good business to have moderators closing threads when THEY think it is a good time to do so?

Not to be a smart-@ss, but when else do you think they should close a thread? Why give them the ability to moderate if they're not supposed to use it until they get the say-so from somebody else? Of course they should do it when they think it should be closed.

I can see if many people are starting to complain about a thread, but it sure seems that a certain moderator in a certain forum sure likes his job maybe a bit too much!

I don't know who you're talking about, but I think the fact that this thread is still here shows that you're over-reacting.

Now, I don't run this place, but for those that do, I have to admit that having a moderator closing threads doesn't make me think that this place is about free thinking.

That's because this place isn't about free thinking. It's about making money for the people who own it. We get the benefit of using it to express ourselves within the boundaries that they give us. If we don't like the boundaries, we can always move over to the NFHS site.

Nothing good comes of closing down conversation,

I disagree. There are threads I've seen that have devolved to despicable levels, including mocking Special Olympians and even comments about my own deceased mother. Sometimes you just have to shut it down.

Also, I don't think that a bit of controversy hurts the site! Heavily moderated sites tend to die off quickly.

There's a difference between controversy (which we have plenty of) and lack of civility (which we can do without).

Maybe try banning members for 2-7 days if they get a bit out of line. I have seen that work much better in other forums.

It's been tried here too. I don't know if it has worked or not. However, I agree with mbyron in that there are certain posters who I think should be moderated even more strictly than they are; but the mods bend over backwards not to pick on him.

Again, I think you're probably over-reacting a bit.