> Do toxic communities produce better content? I don't think that's the right way to think about it. Rather, I would say that tightly-moderated communities of

> Do toxic communities produce better content? I don't think that's the right way to think about it. Rather, I would say that tightly-moderated communities of experts tend to produce better reference material ("wikis"). But this type of structure is "toxic" to discussions ("forums") and novices. The SO founders and key contributors built a wiki. The site's incentive structure pointed in this direction so everyone was complicit in this outcome. Now, site management seems to be saying that they want a "help-everyone" forum. They are -- like all big orgs with something to lose -- soliciting ideas, forming interdisciplinary committees, and giving "<3"-warming (yuk) speeches. Given how ingrained the current culture is, I believe that meaningful change would entail significant risk.