My feeling for forums is that if a thread has something you aren't intrested in, then you can go over there once and state why you don't agreee with it/why it isn't your thing, but then you leave it alone.
If you still feel strongly about it, you post your own thread and debate it there. Otherwise it is like a board meeting with no adgenda and no chairperson. It just degrades into chaos. An ignore feature can also help.
Most people understand this type of thing, moderators are required for when people don't. It's not about stifling anyone, more about keeping things on track and allowing people choice.
This achieves multiple things.
1) It keeps the thread on topic.
2) It allows a separate forum for offshoot discussions about the pros/cons/ philosophical issues of it all
3) It allows the original topic owner, and his/her interested parties to not take place in a discussion about philosophical disagreemnts and so on if they wish not to.
4) It allows the person with the disagreement to discuss and air their views, but gives other forum users the choice to read them and respond, or more importantly *not* to read them or respond.
For me, I already know, and understand DanielB's views, and accept his right to have them. What I can't stand is having them repeatedly forced down my throat, and seeing the same thing happen to others. When you are already doing something just for love, and there are a million reasons to stop doing it, having someone berate you and other like minded people can be enough to make you give it up.
For example, on of the big reasons I got involved here was to help others do whatever it was they wanted to do with the OT. I come here mainly because I enjoy the people, the chat, the transfer of ideas.
Seeing what people have managed to achieve, giving out advice and receiving it. It felt like a nice, friendly place full of people with similar interests. Once people start inflaming others and getting on their high horse and making statements like " It pains me to see this forum being used for projects like yours" and "remember that you are not involved in the original trilogy preservation" (that from someone who is actually doing *nothing* themselves, is really upsetting) , and statements like 'Yeah that sounds like something you would do" when watermarking a WIP, and much worse... it just p***es you off and makes you not want to be here. Regardless of intent, they do nothing but make you wish you hadn't bothered, and make you wonder why the hell you decided to share what you are doing anyway.
Those sort of statements made repeatedly don't have a place in the persons thread who is actually doing the work. Start another thread if you like, but polluting an original thread is a no-no.
On a well moderated board, I would have seen his views once, and then got on with my own stuff without being disturbed by it further, or could'v gone toe to toe in a separate thread about the issue, not inside the thread about the project.
Anyway, that's what I think.
Perhaps if we could all agree to keep the threads on topic, and keep views expressed in them to critique of technique, results method etc. and take any personal greivances off to a 'personal greivance' thread.
DanielB, what I would like to see from you is exactly the above. Respect other peoples work, and refrain from commenting on it in their thread - if you feel you must comment, start a new thread about it, and leave the original thread alone. That way, everyone has their rights respected and evryone gets a choice.
Now back to my holiday.