I don't think that will help.  This seems to happen in cycles...every one is calm and civil, then it starts to get ugly, then uglier and then climaxes in some sort of huge rucus and then everyone says "okay let's take a break", people break, come back, repeat.  I feel like a lot of stuff that other people post here (including my own!) gets overlooked because everyone enjoys the argument threads more.   

Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life. ~Ludwig van Beethoven

I'll refrain from commenting with direction to, or on threads posted by those whose intention on Olyblog is strictly to disrupt and anger.  That way I won't encourage them and I won't be guilty of similar verbage.

Namaste

When there are men with jugs among us.

Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist.! --John Maynard Keynes

Produce, produce, produce. There's this really cool free service I heard about. Basically it's a pre-built clearing house for people interested in Olympia, WA. You can show videos, pictures or just ramble on about fish, and somebody with similar local leanings is probably going to see what you're offering. And it's free. And the more people add to it the more people learn to work together, even if they're working on seemingly diametrical projects.

Comments are valuable. They can help us all see a different perspective. But they also require time that could otherwise be given to creating content. The problem, I think, is living in the comments. I think my fellow Olympians know and experience some pretty cool things that I don't. It would be nice if we could all share.

Edit: Grammar for.

"In principle, I am an anarchist. Kurt Vonnegut once said he was an agnostic who respects Jesus Christ. I am an anarchist who loves democracy." - Kenzaburo Oe

And, it won't require shutting down comments or requiring people to post only hyperlocal content (although that would be my dream as benovolent dictator).

But, I say we bring back the forums! The forums, where did they go? you might ask. Well, no where, they're still right here. But as a type of content, they've been ignored.

Instead of allowing anyone to post a blog, if you aren't a regular poster of hyperlocal content, we can let folks post in the forums.

Here are two hyperlocal site (Tacoma and Dupont) that effectivly use forums as a way for anyone to submit content, but not allow it to overwhelm the rest of the site. 

I'd even suggest installing a new forum software on the site to clearly seperate Olyblog the blog and Olyblog the forum.

So, we could go through regular cycles of high activity and low activity in the forums, while leaving the front page and its associated content in peace. We'd still have comment up there too.