ikester,

I have no problem with warnings to posters and even banning abusive or troll type individuals. However, deletion of material is difficult for me agree with.

For one, the deleted material will not be seen anymore so others don't have an example of the level of offense. At least if we could see what is inappropriate, we could insure we don't reach that level.

Second, you could wind up with inappropriate and uninformed protests. This is especially true if one side of the debate gets more posts deleted than the other. Supporters will inevitably cry foul. At least if the post is left in place then the evidence of offense is there for all to see.

Lastly, the evidence remaining in place will also be evidence of the fairness of the moderation. All parties are disciplined for the same things and anyone looking at it can be shown that this is true.

Of course, without ground rules the initial moderation process cannot even be started.