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Take the opportunity to debate out of the llounge and the place would become sterile. Trolling is not going to go away, and I appear to have missed some of the recent mess, except in a few instances.
Debates that deliberately inflame seem mostly to be those that have an injection of feeling from someone who holds a point of view that will change no matter what - and then deliberately attempts to force that point of view onto others. And it is not only religion/politics - even the name of ereaders can provoke immense passions by some.
I don't really think that closing threads solves the problem, cos (as already mentioned) it allows the trolls permission to succeed again somewhere else or perhaps under other names. However the ability to remove offending posts (by the "Star Chamber") would allow the debate to continue in a civil and rewarding manner, which is a more preferable solution.
There are, also, a few issues that bring even the long-time members and even mods to 'cross the line' - just shows how human most of us are.
I suggested a subscription system which does not appear to have found favour (If we can afford the prices charged for readers and ebooks, many of us will have a few bob in our pockets for a nominal charge) although this would depend upon how successful this would be as a deterrent; and I accept that it is likely a-non starter.
A few other forums, I have been on in the past, have had a system whereby posts are actively moderated for the first (say) 20 posts from a new member. Does this have any mileage in mobileread - it should deter some of the spam and some of the newbies who arrive just to stir. It would, unfortunately, increase the work of mods; but then again perhaps not, because if the spam is caught before the post is published ?
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