As usual, there is no consensus on this issue, and with a 50/50 split in the poll, any decision one way or the other leaves a substantial unsatisfied constituency.

However, I think there is still the potential for a win/win scenario that has arisen out of Giskard’s suggestion in this thread. That is to make a private forum for which you must explicitly ask permission to join. This type of forum would be completely invisible to anyone that has not asked to join, so that anyone who doesn’t want exposure to conversations unrelated to Lansing, would never see it - even by accident.

I say that it is a potential win/win because it will only work if the conversations in the private forum truly remain private and civil so that rancour does not spill out into the main forums. I think that this is doable by implementing a rigid set of rules which is discussed below. However, I am enough of a realist to recognize that rules alone cannot guarantee that the potential negative side effects of an OT forum are kept isolated. Therefore, I propose a 1 month trial of a private off topic forum, after which the moderators will review its effectiveness, and if it is deemed to be problematic, it will be shut down permanently.

As I said above, I truly believe that there is the potential for a win/win scenario. Those that don’t like being distracted by anything unrelated to Lansing can have that desire met by not joining the OT forum. Those that do want to have a more collegial environment and have an open discussion with others, that are to some degree like minded, will have that opportunity.

To this end, I propose the following rules:

  1. The only posts permitted on this board must be recreational in nature. No current events, politics, or religion.
  2. Uncivil behaviour will not be tolerated in the OT board, for which the first example will result in an immediate temporary ban. Repetition will result in a permanent ban from the OT board and possibly the entire forum depending on the severity.
  3. Uncivil behaviour in the main forums that is a spillover from conversations in the OT board will result in an immediate temporary ban and permanent loss of rights to post in the OT board. Repetition in the main boards will result in a permanent ban from the entire forum.
  4. No trolling or spamming. Repeated postings with no substantial content or posting with intentions to incite will result in the loss of rights to post in the OT board.
  5. This is not a forum in and of itself. It is meant to be an adjunct to the main Lansing boards. Memebers that post more frequently in the OT board than in the main forum will find their rights to participate there revoked.