To those of you who wrote that you have read this forum for years but only have a handful of posts.... well, that's how I started out here, too. I understand what you're saying and respect your opinion. My history is very similar. This forum is a great resource for sharing information - it's part of my "daily news".
On one of the Lobster Pound threads, the owner, Mike, mentions the integrity of this forum and questions how it will be taken seriously if people post inaccurate information. I've paraphrased his comment here, but you get the idea of what he's saying.... And he's got a good point, in my opinion. (Have you ever read the "Rants and Raves" section of Craig's List? Good grief! That's the last thing I'd want to see here!)
I also put myself in the shoes of the business owner who is trying to defend his livelihood because a customer went off half-cocked and then decided to go public with accusations of food poisoning, bad customer service, etc. but have no other history here on the forums anywhere. The mad customer is just using the forum for their own agenda - to get back at the restaurant manager/owner who didn't give in to them.
Is that really fair? It's certainly not ethical.
What I'm suggesting isn't necessarily censorship, as it's more of a "quota" or even a verification method (which some forums - yes, open forums) require for membership. And when did "open forum" mean you can simply spew garbage from your keyboard anytime you wish? I'd like to think this forum has way more class than that (and it does!)
Sometimes censorship is necessary for the protection of the other members of the board - I've seen posts and even whole threads removed from this forum in the past - but it was because someone(s) weren't following the rules. Is that reason to leave - because others can't play nicely? I think not...
Like I've said - I don't expect people to agree or for this to be popular but maybe some safeguard should be in place... who knows?
But integrity here is important.