Bigfoot said:
Gosh Marc, It almost sounds as though the Cove Forums have become "Politically Correct".
But I would also like to add, as one of those on again off again lurkers, that this place & / or this profession is not for the timid. If you have thin skin you are going to have problems.

The forums are as much a 'Chit Chat' place for a lot of people as a source of information - and that does make a difference to many people. It is a place where people who like this medium can interact.
It is not the ASQ forums and neither will ever supplant the other because the whole idea here is different. This is a place where people are more open and that's not just a consequence of being open to the public. People can and do say things here they could not say on the ASQ forums, and it's a different mindset here.
The ASQ forums are fine for many people. Others like it here. But it's not competition - it's just different here than it is there.
As for these forums becoming 'politically correct', I tend to just look at it as more focused. There was profanity we didn't need, there have been 'attitudes' (including mine), and other things which diluted the usefullness and intent of the forums. Things change as time goes on. The internet as a whole is vastly different than it was when I started this site in January 1996.
Anyone remember the name of the forum which was online for years but finally spiraled out of control (it was not moderated)? I forget what the name was but for a while this forum was following the same path, but more slowly.