Very possible. I would guess that what will happen at first will be some inconsistency in how things are handled, as each of us try various things to see what works best. And Lord knows, when there is a lot of inconsistency there will be howls. Such is life.
The way I am thinking of handling it at this point is that when I see a thread degenerating into a flame war, I am going to post on the thread a message saying to take it to the back room. I might even (if I am not busy), start a thread in the back room for those involved. Then, if the flame war continues in the main forum, a short one hour suspension would be in order to get the point across. And if that doesn't work, then getting longer. And if that doesn't work, then it would be time to cut the cord.
There will be growing pains with this, but hopefully it will work in the long term. Thanks, AM
That sounds like a pretty reasonable approach. Moving the entire thread, especially if it didn't get heated during the first 50 posts or so, would be a mistake I think. Most people here don't want a serious post to be hijacked into a flame war and moved. They want the rascals on the thread moved so that the thread can continue without them.
That's not to say that those who are getting angry don't have a legitimate argument. But they need a place to argue their points without ruining the thread for the rest of us.
It will be interesting to see how this evolves, but I think you may have already come up with the preferred way to handle this. I guess that's why they made you a Moderator. ;-)