I'd like to back up what Bert is saying.
I also have some past experience moderating tech self-help boards. Ignoring posters who either excessively go off topic or are clearly argumentative (i.e., "flaming") just destroys any value to posting a question or answer. A certain number of flamers never go away, and the genuine posters rapidly get frustrated -- after all, why should they avoid posting to see if the annoyances will stop? We all know there are clear areas where unbridled "free speech" is undesirable. There are plenty of social networking sites where flamers can vent.
