Other forums allow rants, and off-topic stuff like religion and politics...and that is why I don't post at those forums. I pass through e-budo only to see if there is anything new from the heavy-hitters on koryu, but did think that they had the right idea: off-topics like sex/religion/politics went to a non-public area.

I vote no, but politely...so please don't take it personally.

I vote no, because this is a martial arts website, not politics, religion, or any of that other crap. You want to talk about that stuff, do it on another forum that allows it, a lack of rants and arguments will not make this forum lesser. An off-topic/rant forum, however, will only take away from the high quality of this site. People will not leave topics on there and if they're insulted/offended, it will (I guarantee it) spill over into the martial arts discussions.

I have great faith in some of our members to be able to keep the MA part strictly MA, but I have very little faith that many, many of the others will leave it there.

I vote emphatically NO. Polite or not, I don't care, I would hate to see this site be dragged down because of things that are not even related to what all of us are on here for.

Well, Joel, I wanted to be polite about it because sometimes I have the desire to get more personal with folks that share my interest...but realize that it can open a door you and I might want to keep closed. Some of the posts start as non-MA (meat, buddhism, basketball kids, The Measure of a Man, etc.), others drift and there seems to be no closure. (I have been thinking of posting a thread called "the life of a thread" actually!)

Server space costs money...so issues of moderation and quality aside...who wants to see hundreds of threads about nothing backed up forever? No one. The folks who want to let off some steam, or get cozy, should probably think more about a 'chat' function.

Exactly, harlan. A chatroom for both on- and off-topic discussion has been suggested a few times, and is a possibility. I personally would love to get to know a lot of these people on a more-than-MA basis, but we do have PM's and email, which I know I have used constantly.

As for the being polite, there are some issues that I feel need strong opinions, and this is one. I don't think that anybody who actually knows me would be offended by my statements. And those who don't know me, well, I'm not going to change for them.

I don't (usually) mean to be rude, but my point was more important than being polite.

cheers,

I vote no. I don't want to read a bunch of whining and carrying on.

Yeah, but we still need somewhere that people can tell jokes and all that other crap we don't want in the middle of a real discusion.

go to a chat room or other forum that allows it

like I suggested before. You can have strict qualifying criteria. I suggested 150 posts in the MA before, so you qualify for the rant forum. You can even up that to 500 posts. By then people should be familiar with each other.

Didnt see that reply.

Ok...so....
How about....a general talk forum where you can...