As for the helping people with suggestions of unreleased stuff, agreed, people should try to help others with current available elements and if possible/known with stuff the guy actually has, it hasn't to be perfect it's also a game of making due with the means at hand.

As for spoiling stuff, I think most of the times it becomes clear rather fast if someone is talking about new or current stuff, and depending on your position you can read on or not. At least for my own preference this is enough, since one can get a rough outline of the expansions without spoiling oneself with all the details. Sure, a bit more indication in thread titles wouldn't hurt, but that is a generic forum problem.

The major problem is the dearth of appropriate forum space. I visit mtgsalvation.com when I need to scratch that Magic itch (no, I'm not talking about VD), and they have a sub-forum for just about any aspect of the game you can conceive of - custom card creation, game news, rumors, speculation, spoilers, etc. Here we have one forum for discussing the game in its entirety, and when someone creates a distracting thread it really sticks out. The community here is, for the most part, pretty good at policing itself, but every now and again you get something wildly off topic or flat out tasteless. There's a time and place for everything, even those types of threads, but the general forum here should not be expected to serve as a catchall for any poster's fancies and ploys for attention. Until such time as other forums do exist, people will need to either grin and bear those threads or be prepared for the reprobations of certain members of the community.

The major problem is the dearth of appropriate forum space. I visit mtgsalvation.com when I need to scratch that Magic itch (no, I'm not talking about VD), and they have a sub-forum for just about any aspect of the game you can conceive of - custom card creation, game news, rumors, speculation, spoilers, etc. Here we have one forum for discussing the game in its entirety, and when someone creates a distracting thread it really sticks out. The community here is, for the most part, pretty good at policing itself, but every now and again you get something wildly off topic or flat out tasteless. There's a time and place for everything, even those types of threads, but the general forum here should not be expected to serve as a catchall for any poster's fancies and ploys for attention. Until such time as other forums do exist, people will need to either grin and bear those threads or be prepared for the reprobations of certain members of the community.

I agree with what you state here. But I'll bet that the other forum you mention has a stronger moderator presence too. Without active moderators that kind of forum community doesn't normally exist.

The major problem is the dearth of appropriate forum space. I visit mtgsalvation.com when I need to scratch that Magic itch (no, I'm not talking about VD), and they have a sub-forum for just about any aspect of the game you can conceive of - custom card creation, game news, rumors, speculation, spoilers, etc. Here we have one forum for discussing the game in its entirety, and when someone creates a distracting thread it really sticks out. The community here is, for the most part, pretty good at policing itself, but every now and again you get something wildly off topic or flat out tasteless. There's a time and place for everything, even those types of threads, but the general forum here should not be expected to serve as a catchall for any poster's fancies and ploys for attention. Until such time as other forums do exist, people will need to either grin and bear those threads or be prepared for the reprobations of certain members of the community.

I agree with what you state here. But I'll bet that the other forum you mention has a stronger moderator presence too. Without active moderators that kind of forum community doesn't normally exist.

It does, and they do an excellent job. If FFG doesn't want to hire more mods, they could at least take some volunteers.

Don't get me wrong, though. I'm not pining for more forums and moderators that will likely never exist, just making observations. People need to understand that they have a lot of freedom here, and with it a lot of rope to hang themselves. That is not carte blanche for them to post whatever they feel like, so nobody should be quick to take offense if someone calls them out for their bologna.