How can we improve RAT in 2012

[Robert Vermaat]

but perhaps those posts were deleted?

Contrary to popular belief :wink: post are not edited or removed on a daily basis...

The issue was not so much that they were attacked personally, but that they could not deal with the number of people who kept questioning their academic work by using non-arguments instead of proof. Of course I can’t be sure that\\s why they left, but the number of posts always dropped sharply after such a discussion and a complaint was made.

Academic discussion is not stifled on this forum, it has not been in the past and it will not in future. it's one of the main reason for the forum's existence. However, we ask of all contributors that they bring proof, which can lead to lengthy (and sometimes heated) discussions. Any moderation is done when the discussion gets out of hand, never because of what the arguments brought forward.

If anyone has reason to think that this is different and should warrant change, I would very much like to hear examples of cases where people felt hindered in such a discussion (I mean based on arguments, not on the supposed right to say anything you want). I for one have not had any such complaints, nor do I know of any made to admins or other moderators. I can’t exclude that they were made of course, but since I’ve been a mod they weren’t discussed in the staff area.

Perhaps people PM to each other about this, but when they limit it to that, of course no mod can react.