My experience with FT has been pretty good because a) I am generally thick skinned, and b) I actually do search myself first and often find without asking. Indeed I would like to think I have answered many more questions than I've asked here. But I do get very saddened by the way newbies get treated. In particular I find by relative other newbies. I see people with join dates of 12 months ago who know a little smack down others. Very sad. This is what drives traffic to blogs where bloggers have an incentive to help all and sundry.

Sounds like we share the same views on moderation. I don't think moderation works on a macro scale like North Korea any more than it does on a micro scale like here, and just drives the conversation elsewhere. Sure things can get ugly but that's a reflection of human behavior. I prefer to see it warts and all. Everything you guys wanted this EMRP forum to be for example has ended up on TBB because he lets people do no holds barred criticism of bloggers, not the watered down stuff you have to have here