Letiole - Thanks for your input. I think DGolds said it best in his most recent post on this thread - No one is ever going to be able to come up with a complete set of guidelines for behavior that governs every single circumstance or situation that might happen here. As you state, it is an unrealistic task to govern manners. While this proposal would not fairly be characterized as a "baby step", I believe it is a first step. I would hope that w/ some reinforced structure and a prevailing atmosphere of refocusing on our strengths - information and community - perhaps some of these ills will be secondarily mitigated. However, that is something that cannot be addressed in policy or procedure very efficiently.

Consider every reasonably controlled environment you've ever been in - schools, corporations, girl scouts, the military, and even the church. Even in those environments where principles of behavior are usually well articulated, there are always individuals who are into self-aggrandizement, constant reiteration of their own comments, and who apparently believe that volume of comment is a substitute for substance of comment. We grin and bear them there and I believe we can do so here

I believe we want to keep policies and procedures at a level that cause the least restriction on personal freedoms while effecting a structure that facilitates a quicker response to significant issues that do arise.

Is this a satisfactory response to your questions?