How can we improve RAT in 2012

[Robert Vermaat]

How do you suggest we ‘protect’ the professionals from the amateurs, with over-moderating the board or stifling discussion?

I suppose that I fall into your category of "professionals"

Actually Duncan, you weren't the one I had in mind. No offense, because your level of knowledge is certainly that of a professional. The persons I was referring to are scholars, especially those working in an academic job, publishing only in very scientific journals, and who, most of the time, are only active in a forum unavailable to the general public, being for the staff and some students only. Such professionals, as now and then one joins the forum because their work is discussed here, are always coming under attack by amateurs. And by that I don't refer to those who attempt to read up on a subject, but to those who don't. It's very uncommon for scholars to be attacked in such a way in their own working environment, yet that's always what happens here after some point, followed by complaints to us (but there's hardly any moderating against it), followed by the scholars losing interest and leaving the forum.

So you see Duncan, as a veteran of quite a battle on this forum, why I did not have you in mind... :wink: