Sorry but I disagree that a forum can't have a reputation. A forum is no different to a club, whether that's a dance club or a cacti growing club. Clubs will always have a reputation based upon it's members / mods / management - it's too cliquey, it's really friendly, they're really generous with their time and welcoming, they're disorganised and not worth bothering with etc. (and just so we're clear I am NOT aiming any of these at any specific club).
In the case of this forum, my own personal observations (and I have lurked in the past too so this is not just based in this thread) are that you have some particularly vocal members who often come across as being aggressive. It seems pretty cliquey too, with a pack mentality - one person who isn't in the gang says something which a pack member doesn't like, and before you know it you have the whole pack on their case. Would be so nice if people could think for themselves.
How could you improve it? Not sure I know the answer to that, but it would go someway to helping I think if the arsey / aggressive ones could be brought into line, publicly by a mod when things start to get heavy or way off-topic.
FWIW I am a mod on another forum (unrelated) - we have a couple of gobby ones who have had the potential to scare off noobs, it's only after a carefully chosen word on forum, and by pm if required, that things have been smoothed over. There is a difference between free speech, and potential bullying - and when the whole pack mentality thing kicks in that is what you get.
And before the obvious responses come flooding in, no I am not a particularly sensitive soul. If I was I would have left a couple of pages ago. Lory asked, and I answered.
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