Not a bright red line, no. More like a fuzzy sort of dull brownish-orange line. Think of it as a strike zone rather than a foul line.
Regarding checking someone’s infraction history before deciding to issue a note or a warning, this is my own usual practice. If someone has no previous warnings, and the offense is not too severe, they may get a mod note instead of a warning (especially in the case of newbies), since they may not be that familiar with the rules. On the other hand, if someone has previous warnings for similar offenses (or if I recall having given them mod notes for it previously), they are more likely to get a warning, since the poster is already fully aware of the rule and has no excuse for violating it. I think it’s reasonable to treat a first offender more leniently than a scofflaw.
Back from real life: The point was that I was *responding *to some things that were, shall we say, not helping the conversation, from several individuals. There is a common problem in baseball threads, unlike other sports threads for some reason, where a disturbing number of posters, when their own perceptual framework is challenged, respond on a visceral rather than intellectual level. This one was no different. A “Cool it, everybody” note when that happens would perhaps help be a reminder for everyone to conduct themselves more appropriately and thoughtfully.
If you’d rather just wait for those less-self-controlled types to complain to you when they get *responded *to, and deal only with those posts in isolation, then OK. You do realize, I hope, that following such a procedure will only require more posts to be reported, increasing your workload - but perhaps it will help you get a better perspective.
So, you see yourself as sort of the canary in the mineshaft?
Personally, and as someone who I think also is given some slack by the mods since I’m a hot head, I’d just be thankful it wasn’t a warning and move on. It would be a silly thread to get a full out warning on, but then I’m not a sports fan so maybe it’s more cosmic than I realize.