Do posters intend to hurt the feelings of other members?

It seems to me that many of the elder (long time posters) seem to cut one another a lot of slack in heated debates. Newbies, not so much...

@mr_m - I think every chat board has a "culture" and from what I've witnessed over many years on other boards in diverse fields is that someone who comes on blazing is not going to get a positive reception. A little humility goes a long way. This board is far from the worst in my experience- most people seem pretty willing to help. I only started posting here in around 2006, when I had a question about transitioning from electrostats to horns and got a lot of good feedback. 

Moderation- generally- is almost a last resort. Participants should self-moderate to a degree. When a mod has to step in, things are usually ugly- personal attacks, politics or the like. But, I do agree that once the rules are set, a violation should have consequences, starting with a 'time out.'
I acted as a consigliere for an exotic car board for a number of years- lots of big egos and no small amount of sniping. It was a thankless task for the mods, who were largely volunteers. Tammy does a pretty good job in my estimation. 

Audio Circle has a completely different feel to it.  Certainly, the moderators over there (one per forum?) clamp down a lot faster on any nastiness, but then there appears to be much less nastiness in the first place.  Chicken and the egg?

And much less of any interest happening over there, I think it’s safe to say. It’s a trade-off. 😛