Let me start by saying I feel for you and Patrice; IMHO all of this has put both of you in a position that is completely unfair.
The only thing all of the problem posts outlined here have in common is that they are off topic. It's not that I am not interested in what is going on with people; finding the time to try to keep up with hundreds or thousands is an art I have yet to master. I have always used PMs to carry on topics that I felt weren't appropriate for the board. If I try to use the link for Recent Topics, a lot is filtered out - but I still miss posts. If I check Posts Since My Last Visit, I am bombarded. I go to the Main section, and the posts actually related to quilting seem to be dwindling. I, for one, came here to share my love of quilting, see new projects and read about all things quilting. Life events were in Chit Chat, but it was manageable. It's just not anymore.
I may be a minority of one, but I would like this to be The Quilting Board. I am not anyone's lawyer, business consultant, health practitioner, moral compass or conscience. My only advice in any situation such as those would be not to take advice from any Internet message board! If the off-topic posts are causing the problems, and we haven't done very well with policing ourselves, then the remedies are limited:
1) Have the moderators delete problem posts - unfairly putting a tremendous burden on a few instead of practicing discretion ourselves;
2) Isolating the problem type posts into a separate area, which obviously isn't working well because it allows the posting to continue to get out of hand; or
3) Eliminating it all together.
It is sad that it has come to this. I remember posts about Guam, totally off topic but I came away having learned about a different culture and a place I'll never go to (Thank you, Terri!) We can chit-chat about many, many things without getting too personal. The internet isn't the place for personal. Do you really know who I am? Do I really know who you are?
Just my nickel's worth :oops: