Thank you, wharvey, I did post in the other thread, thought better of it being OT and removed it.
So...
Originally Posted by Gaucho100K
This can be done without the need to kill OMNI - provided one can make the adult decision to just leave the darned place unmoderated.
As sad as I am to say this, an unmoderated OMNI would be of less use to me than no OMNI at all. I would support a members-helping-members exchange with tight restrictions on the inflammatory/scatalogical topics. I would even volunteer to be a moderator, though it goes against my grain.
I've been perusing other IBBs lately, just to see how they handle the off-topic topics. I've just begun my research, but the two categories that stand out are 1) Those IBBs that have categories for everything and 2) Those who only have a few categories and a couple of off-topic threads on page one.
Category 1 IBBs often have TOS that indicate mis-posted threads will be summarily locked/deleted.
Category 2 IBBs seem to tolerate a few vehement threads without becoming consumed by them.
I've yet to find an IBB with a situation quite like FT, but perhaps it is like finding other planets with intelligent life. They are hard to find because as soon as they gain some critical mass, they self destruct.
If FT can afford the bandwidth, and wants to also provide a free-play area, that seems fair, just make it invisible to non-subscribers and perhaps double the ads.