I'd posit that threaded discussions are a problem. Particularly with the nerd community, the ability to reply and pick apart what the parent post said almost e

I'd posit that threaded discussions are a problem. Particularly with the nerd community, the ability to reply and pick apart what the parent post said almost ensures that every discussion devolves into inanity. I try to make it a point, if I'm going to comment, to just leave a top-level comment and not respond to replies. It works well enough, and it might be worth considering as a rule.