To eliminate the JAIL board from the list of active boards on IHUB would be akin to striking the News Media in the Real World
Another aspect of the Jail board I like a LOT is that it doesn't completely shut anyone out of the site, even during suspensions. If someone thinks Matt made a bad call, they can make their case there.
In any event, its presence on the Hot Boards list, while arguably "unsavory", is definitely accurate. Whether or not it speaks poorly of the site, it speaks truthfully, and that's what matters.
I'm not very knowledgeable about Motley Fool anymore (it really surprised me to see their total message count), but of iHub, SI, RB, and Yahoo, what iHub and SI share that are *extremely* important to me, and that you highlight so nicely in your post, is "accessibility".
Matt and I *live* this site. As does Jeff at SI. As did I there. Heck, not to toot my own horn, but it accurately depicts the way we are about our sites: I was horribly sick last night and feel like death warmed over today. Scarcely the energy to whine about how awful I feel. But I couldn't resist checking in and posting.
At RB and Yahoo (and, regretably, to a certain extent on SI), the message boards are just a profit center. Eyeballs to display ads to. At iHub and to a certain extent SI (especially with Jeff and somewhat with John), it's just "what we do". A hobby with a profit motive. Unlike at Yahoo and RB, we at SI and iHub do our jobs not because we have to, but because we want to.
Come to think of it, I think the first time I was ever quoted in the WSJ, it was something to the effect of "This is the kind of job you'd gladly do for free." Which was while I was a contractor to SI but not yet an employee of Go2Net, which likely had a negative impact on my salary negotiations. <g>
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go lay on the couch and feel sorry for myself until I fall into a fitful sleep. :)
AI
