Jon,
I think that the user board is a gem. Many gems are multifaceted, as is the board. I would like to point out there are many users who never post on the board and we have no idea how many even read the posts. Certainly, there have been posts that have had a high number of visits and most of these pertain to hot ticket items that are being discussed such as electronic prescribing, meaningful use, etc. The posts can contain extremely valuable information that may be of help to multiple users. However, if a post becomes hijacked, either a serious user who is trying to work towards a solution or a casual user who has visited the board for this topic can get frustrated when the thread is hijacked, as one may end up wading through a bunch of nonrelevant material in trying to get to a relevant posts, especially if the hijack degenerates. The community at large does not post. The community at large does not hijack posts. The community at large probably does not want to define the rules. That is why we have a moderator. It is my opinion that if a user wants to philosophize, be witty, or post anything else that really does not pertain to the topic when we are dealing with a serious matter, it should be his or her responsibility to start a different thread and take those who wish to participate along. In doing so, the person who wishes to hijack a post may avoid censorship. This is akin to having personal responsibility. This also avoids having a person who started the thread becoming the policeman. We have already seen antagonism when Bert has tried to steer things back on course, as recently as the last several days. This is not helpful and gives a black eye to the board. Respect for other users should be one of the primary rules of this board.
