Suggestion - MODERATOR

After reading all this, I have few more things to add... Forst on the issue of free speech. Free Speech doesn't mean I can say whatever I want wherever I want with no consequences. Free speach means that you are in most cases protected from STATE, and STATE prosecution only. There are limits to that 'right' as well. Free spech doesn't mean that if you use a privately or a volunteer run organizations' means of communication to say whatever you like that your 'speech' will not be censored, seen as inappropriate, mederatet or otherwise restricted if the organization finds it inappropriate. So, fundamentally, the 'free speech' argument doesn't really fly. EVEN IF USMS tries to keep the exchanges at this forum pretty liberal, they have the right to stop, moderate or censor them or create consequences when they see fit. This *IS* a moderated site, and some semblance of a controled content is to be expected. If you prefer less controled content, try usenet, try rec.sport.swimming. As for hijacked threads, I could care less except when they degenerate into bashing. Hopefully that won't happen as often, since one of the fire making ingredients is not here. Other hijacked thread, If you wqnt it back on topic, post a comment on topic, and the likelyhood is that people will follow suit. Chitchat and banter cointent, yea too much of it contributes to people losing interest. When there is a lot of personal back and forth betwen 2-3 or so, small circle of people, there is usually a lot of inside joking going on, and what happens, people outside inner circle reading it, even if they felt brave enough to jump in and try to have fun and not worry about possibly looking silly or intruding, probably don't catch on to a lot of it, and get discouraged. Also, if you get a specific time on the DS, when several of the chitchatters are on, and a new person posts something more serious or swimming related, they can look and see there's a number of other people logged on, and talking amongst each other, but not paying a whole lot of attention to their swimming post. It's very easy that unintentionally, too much banter can make this place look very cliquish, and not very interested in swimming. Also, I've seen instances of people talking about a 'get together' at a certain event, and when the organizer of the event offers to facilitate the get-together, it gets no response. It certainly does start looking rather cliquish. As much as I like teasing some of my fellow swimmers with the male/female sterotypes and banter on occasion, I have absolutely no desire discussing soap operas, celebrities of the likes of Paris Hilton (she's everywhere else, no need to be here) Brad Pitt etc.. Between work and swimming, I have no time or interest to follow the world of celebrities. If I did, I probably wouldn't be here, I'd be on usenet in one of the newsgroups discussing celebrities. Self importance? I doubt it. Usenet and bulletin boards have become a new form of socializing. Yea, in every social group there are a few individuals whose self importance (and other components of personality) are off center. Rather than broadcasting one's self importance, this medium is means for networking and socializing with people having common interests. Much like there are local hobby groups and crqft groups and softball leagues and similar, where people interact with one another. Someone coming to, let's say a local harley riders club, introducing themselves, wanting to join the group and particiapte is hardly someone broadcasting one's self importance. It is filling a normal human need for social interaction. If some people seem to sound more important, some people are more confident in their thought process and opinions then others and express themselves as such, and come across sounding more confident, which is often seen as important or authoritative. Also, knowing some of the who is whom in the USMS, there are some important peole posting here. Well, those are my thought for the moment.

After reading all this, I have few more things to add... Forst on the issue of free speech. Free Speech doesn't mean I can say whatever I want wherever I want with no consequences. Free speach means that you are in most cases protected from STATE, and STATE prosecution only. There are limits to that 'right' as well. Free spech doesn't mean that if you use a privately or a volunteer run organizations' means of communication to say whatever you like that your 'speech' will not be censored, seen as inappropriate, mederatet or otherwise restricted if the organization finds it inappropriate. So, fundamentally, the 'free speech' argument doesn't really fly. EVEN IF USMS tries to keep the exchanges at this forum pretty liberal, they have the right to stop, moderate or censor them or create consequences when they see fit. This *IS* a moderated site, and some semblance of a controled content is to be expected. If you prefer less controled content, try usenet, try rec.sport.swimming. As for hijacked threads, I could care less except when they degenerate into bashing. Hopefully that won't happen as often, since one of the fire making ingredients is not here. Other hijacked thread, If you wqnt it back on topic, post a comment on topic, and the likelyhood is that people will follow suit. Chitchat and banter cointent, yea too much of it contributes to people losing interest. When there is a lot of personal back and forth betwen 2-3 or so, small circle of people, there is usually a lot of inside joking going on, and what happens, people outside inner circle reading it, even if they felt brave enough to jump in and try to have fun and not worry about possibly looking silly or intruding, probably don't catch on to a lot of it, and get discouraged. Also, if you get a specific time on the DS, when several of the chitchatters are on, and a new person posts something more serious or swimming related, they can look and see there's a number of other people logged on, and talking amongst each other, but not paying a whole lot of attention to their swimming post. It's very easy that unintentionally, too much banter can make this place look very cliquish, and not very interested in swimming. Also, I've seen instances of people talking about a 'get together' at a certain event, and when the organizer of the event offers to facilitate the get-together, it gets no response. It certainly does start looking rather cliquish. As much as I like teasing some of my fellow swimmers with the male/female sterotypes and banter on occasion, I have absolutely no desire discussing soap operas, celebrities of the likes of Paris Hilton (she's everywhere else, no need to be here) Brad Pitt etc.. Between work and swimming, I have no time or interest to follow the world of celebrities. If I did, I probably wouldn't be here, I'd be on usenet in one of the newsgroups discussing celebrities. Self importance? I doubt it. Usenet and bulletin boards have become a new form of socializing. Yea, in every social group there are a few individuals whose self importance (and other components of personality) are off center. Rather than broadcasting one's self importance, this medium is means for networking and socializing with people having common interests. Much like there are local hobby groups and crqft groups and softball leagues and similar, where people interact with one another. Someone coming to, let's say a local harley riders club, introducing themselves, wanting to join the group and particiapte is hardly someone broadcasting one's self importance. It is filling a normal human need for social interaction. If some people seem to sound more important, some people are more confident in their thought process and opinions then others and express themselves as such, and come across sounding more confident, which is often seen as important or authoritative. Also, knowing some of the who is whom in the USMS, there are some important peole posting here. Well, those are my thought for the moment.