I was reading the Cliffy blog post and I couldn't help but wonder about parts of what he said. With the growing popularity of this site, and the occasional role it plays in some industry events or controversies, that this "collective ego" he spoke of does not only exist but is at risk of being exploited and abused?
For example, I get the feeling that some posters are so conscious of this, that by being active members with thread posting privileges they believe they have a power they can wage in their personal vendettas. Sometimes a thread title and/or OP can be so misleading, skewed, provoking, or taken out of context that I can't help but feel that it's a deliberate attempt to aim crosshairs at certain issues in hopes to stir the community and unleash their ire.
Recent examples include the previous title of this thread, and the thread dedicated to CliffyB's post. I hope I'm not seeing things where they don't exist, but it's been a growing concern of mine.
And let's not forget that even though claims of "collectives" and "hive-minds" are highly questionable, even downright offensive especially to anyone who puts so much effort in articulating personal opinions and emphasizing individuality, the forum is (unfortunately) being advertised as such to outsiders -- especially in the wake of similar incidents such as the recent one. Such an image can be extremely attractive to die-hard enthusiasts who just started hearing about the forum and where it lies on the map. As opposed to what many believe (members and non-members), the community is not static; there's as constant influx/outflux of members with all kinds of opinions, expectations and even agendas.
I don't know. I've got lots of unorganized thoughts and mixed feelings, I guess. But let's just say that I hope everyone continue trying to be a little more responsible.