Any forum mods should read this: how to tame a mad crowd
 

From Scientific American:

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=...ness-of-crowds

The key: low profile, nonaggressive tactics. While it works for soccer/football fan violence, some of the group psychology can be applied to any forum as well.

Then again, the psychology of trolling and flaming (see: http://www.newscientist.com/blog/tec...me-me-bro.html ) probably needs special consideration and psycho-technological tweaks to address effectively

Great info on how psychology and group dynamics impact crowd control... with online implications.

Nothing that shoe can't beat!

http://www.jdlmg.com/shoes.jpg

Excellent topic, probably goes way over the heads of most around here though.

this is excellent and spot on from that second link:

I love internet psychology. :upsidedow

well written....

Interesting idea re "deindividuation"

a good read thanks

lol - classic

:thumbsup

That's a classic.

What I like about GFY is that it somewhat polices itself, if someone is out of hand the crowd will make the mods very much aware of it.

Two words: tear gas.