Bingowings said:

Perhaps having the Off Topic area catagorised and having a small degree of moderation of certain areas and a total hands off approach to others would lead to a happier atmosphere.

Moth3r did express frustration that people starting Off Topic thread seeking advice over things like purchasing hardware were getting a lot of zany antics and board family feud stuff chucked in.

If there was an Off Topic Moderated zone too that could be a guaranteed safe haven for those sort of threads.

I liked how it was was before, practically un-moderated, but that fact wasn't advertised so boldly.

There was, and is, very very minimal moderation when someone really spins off the rails or spammers take over. For the most part, most members could get into a real knock down drag out post fest and things could find their natural conclusion without the need for being disciplined or moderated out of the forum. I liked it that way.