1. Don't reply. Ever. Just gets them all excited.
2. Filter the poster, or just delete the headers.

Flonkers, besides being pussies, are lazy. They nearly always use the
same handle. Ego thing. Easy to just delete, whether you use a
filter or not. With a newsreader anyway. Don't know about google.
Once you filter the main assholes, and occasionally add new ones, they
simply disappear from view.
I read ASA, and disagree with salty about what killed that group.
Wasn't flonkers, it was the group members themselves.
The flonkers were easily ignored, as I said above.
Probably got old and quit sailing, so they just started farting all
the time, as oldsters are wont to do.
Same thing here.
Used to get new blood as the old boaters died off or went on to
something new.
But younger people go right to internet forums now, most not being
aware of usenet, which used to be basically the only game in town.
I suspect this group to die off, but I might be wrong.
The old farts are fighting, and nobody new is coming in with boating
posts.
Tom posted a while back about this, and basically scored a bullseye.
You can't talk about boats all the time, but if you get off the boat
track without being civil, you just stink up the place.
Once in a while I stop by a local big mall's food court with my wife
for a bite to eat.
I've noticed a few times a group of 6-8 old guys at a table, chatting.
Nobody pulls a knife, and I never even hear a voice raised.
If I see them again, I'm going to get a table right next to them and
see if I can hear what they're talking about.
Bet it ain't boats.
OTOH they may be of a kind - religion, politics, VFW, union, etc.
So it's probably different on that score.
Hell, I'm far from shy, so if I do see them I'll just ask them what
keeps them together. Bet it ain't boats.
Anyway, a group is what you want it to be, simple as that.
Post about boats, and you can actually get good info, since there are
still boaters here.
Go off course, and you just reveal what you're made of.
Sometimes that's good, and sometimes that's bad.
So what?
Just felt like saying that.
One more thing. Remember Dunkirk? The boaters came through and
saved the Brit army so they could fight again.
That's the spirit!

--Vic