Say a newb arrives, maybe he'll actually post in the ANIMORPHS threads FIRST!!! Maybe we'll get that board to really LIVE, the way other boards do!!! Then, after he's committed a fair amount of time to showing us how he thinks, we'll let him know what our lives are like, and that we can empathise with him, too. ...
Brilliant point, Esty. Actually, that's enough to convince me to support hiding Life and General, not for security reasons but for community-building ones. I believe that there are two things that really bind this community together: a shared interest in Applegate's/Grant's literature and a sense of fun--not worrying about being a little crazy.
There is even a small risk that RAF can swing to being a general discussion board, and from there it's a small step to an anything-goes board a la 4chan (though I think Richard would shut down before things got that far out of hand, and that scenario couldn't happen without significant turn-over in the membership--it's a possibility, not a prediction). How we
enculturate new members plays a huge role in the long-term development of the community.
If we do lock down these boards, there should be a sticky to the effect that "restricted" does not equal "safe" at the top of General and Life; even if you're willing trust the community as it exists at the time you are promoted there are no guarantees that future members will be trustworthy, etc.
As far as posting count, I recommend making Life and General a "Full Membership" privilege--50 posts. That's approximately 20% of the registered membership, but a level that a new member can reach without getting bored.
So, vote changed from No -> Yes.
