I hope this thread doesn't scare anybody from posting. This really is a great board, with tons of info. I think most folks are really trying to be helpful, even when they disagree. I think some of this particular thread is a tad tongue in cheek.
Might I also suggest, that many of the heated threads follow kind of common sense rules. The common sense of why they get heated may not be obvious to a new poster, but say - many of the threads get heated because they are about a way to break a rule: the rule may be real or perceived. The inquiry may be over a very grey area that Disney doesn't explain well.
I would hope - that this thread will do the opposite of intimidating people - it will encourage them to keep posting, and educate them. When I first started posting on another board, I posted what I thought were innocent comments. Someone went far enough to personally PM me with a nasty threat. What I didn't understand was that threats and nastiness were the culture of that board. The nastiness wasn't really directed at me personally, it was just the way that person ALWAYS posted. I did stop posting there, because I luckily found the DIS.
It would be my hope that someone new to the DIS, who happens to post a question about refillable mugs, say- would see this post and go AHHHH! IT not MY individual inquiry - it's the history of the subject. they can easily follow up with a search of threads onthe topic.
I also hope that maybe when newbies see a topic like: heelies, scooters, towel animals- they maybe have a place they can go to learn what heelies, scooters and towel animals are. (as well as any other topics they don't understand). I myself am very guilty of using abbreviations and shorthand.
As others have said, maybe posting your finanical history isn't so wise, esp if you admit to having large debt. Sort of like teens posting nude pictures. It may seem innocent to some, but others will immediately get defensive because they wouldn't post anything so personal.
And hey - even us experienced folks sometimes post threads that go no where. I'd almost rather generate a heated thread than one which goes nowhere.