I'll be honest here, GT. Perhaps this isn't the forum for you. Threads do have a tendency to ebb and flow on and off topic. It is very similar to rel world conversation if you think about it. And so what if there is a little banter back and forth?
In case you didn't notice, the kill system was eliminated quite some time ago. I never cared about the ranking of those. So some people do spam a bit. Lately it doesn'[t seem so much.
"At all times keep on subject"??? Gees, sometimes other threads get started when other points come up. Sometimes it changes a bit, but it's really not a big deal. I know I am not going to get uptight about it, nor do I think any of the other admins are.
The "what are the best" threads have brought about some interesting discussion and I know that I have learned from alot of those. Things get brought up that often others hadn't thought of. There is nothing wrong with those. If you don't like them, then maybe you could just NOT READ THEM!
You are a little uptight about who should and shouldn't be here. We are ALL here to learn and discuss. Everyone brings something to the table. Erich has a great amount of knowledge, but he has been doing research longer than some of the forum members have been alive. Everyone has to start somewhere, and here is a good place to start. There is a lot more here than what is found on the net, and so what if it came from the net? No one has the index to everything on the net, which is humungous. People have posted links that I have not seen before, and I have spent a LOT of time on the net.
To be honest, if the forum held to the strict rules that you listed, this place would probably be pretty damn boring. I have made some good friends here, met Joe offline, spoken to a few on the telephone and have enjoyed it here. If you aren't happy with things the way they are here, you don't have to come around. I personally like it the way it is.