Quote - I've been trying to handle things in a way that doesn't count as harshly against individual members, such as removing threads instead of deleting individual posts.

 

If out-of-line individual members are the problem, how is deleting whole threads a solution? All you are doing is wiping the slate clean for those members every time, and the forum suffers because whole discussions disappear.

Most people never see what comments lead to a thread getting deleted, one minute it is interesting, next minute it is gone, with no indication of what happened in between or who ruined it for everyone else.

The current pattern of moderators sweeping all the dirt under the rug (or chopping dirty patches out of the rug) isn't working, the forum is poorer for it. Sure, there's less visible conflict, but there's no life either. It's no wonder contributors like Joe Public are looking elsewhere.

Name and shame the troublemakers, leaving the offending posts as evidence, and let the forum return to being a place where people can discuss stuff.