Quick question:

If the forum is private, how will people be able to read what we write etc and decide whether they want to join and participate in our discussions? 

I wonder if making it a public forum will result in less members, less input. less variety etc and maybe result in the forum not lasting in the long run because it goes a bit stale?

If the forum is private, how will you ever get new members.  Some people like to read for a bit before they take the plunge and sign on. 

edited...I apologise for any misunderstanding or inconvience this has caused

This forum was created to promote the free and open exchange of ideas, and I think making the forum private would go against that foundation.  Furthermore, making the forum private implies that we've got something to hide.  Do we?  I don't think so.

Shadow, you are right.  It happens from both sides.  I think the problem some have is that only one 'side' has ever admitted and apologized for it.  They others think they are too good to  admit wrong and apologize, therefore, they will continue getting bombarded with 'troll posts' as they call them.  Is is silly? Yeah.  Is it sad? Yeah.  It is life? Yeah.

I have seen every member  of the Furum who even remotely thought of being a troll apologize for their actions (and I believe they have the intentions of quitting when they do that), then they see their names slathered across TP again, or get blamed for something they didn't do and figure that if they are going to get blamed for it, they might as well do it.

If the grasshoppermom, Fizzy, and a few others would stand up and admit to some wrong doing, I really think it would stop, but they wont - because they dont want it to stop.  Their board is not allowed off topics at the time and they have no other way of keeping it interesting.  No one said they must 'go' first.  We've already done that - about 6 times now.  Not doing it again.  If they can't take it, they dont need to dish it out.

I can promise you - when they stop, the people here will as well, but like i said......they wont stop - it's all they have to make thier day interesting.  I find it horribly funny that their Terri Schaivo thread got deleted (edited) because they CAN'T talk about it....lol.  Oh well, maybe they can just read ours.  It has lots of information in it. 

TP has become the laughing stock of pet forums now, and they have done it to themselves.  One of the biggest news stories going and you CAN'T talk about it????  OMG, get real.  Sure it's a pet forum, but come on........the good thing is that here, we can control ourselves enough so that we don't need "pre-school rules" that tell us what we can and can't talk about.  I don't know of another pet forum who doesn't allow SOME KIND of off topic posts.  Although we love our pets dearly, our lives entail more than just animals........and a good forum will let you discuss all that.  Maybe after they 'graduate' from pre-school they'll find a forum who can let them express themselves.  There are many good ones out there.  Because the off topics are not allowed, the 'bashing' and 'trouble' topics are about all they have to offer. 

I don't have to go out of my way to prove my points about them anymore.  They are doing it themselves.