I tend to think that consensus amongst moderators is important for the administration of a site like Stormtrack. As such, though I'm not a mod at this time, I'm not sure I'd go with the "assign one mod per forum" idea. As current and past moderators know, the amount of time and energy that any particular moderator spends performing the duties of the position varies significantly. Some mods, quite frankly, have underperformed, though I'm confident that such was not intentional (life gets in the way, after all!). In my experience, there's a continuum of mods, from those who don't really do much in terms of actually moderating (looking over FCST threads, cleaning up flame wars, etc.) to those who have the time available (or make the time) to actively participate in the moderation of the forum. In addition, everyone gets busy from time to time. I fear that "assigning" forums to particular mods may not allow for enough flexibility to most effectively moderate the site.
I agree with Tim that, for many Stormtrack members, there may be a typical "lifecycle". Many newcomers are enthusiastic and excited about the hobby and forum, willing to meet new chasers and willing to spend the time to look at a 120 hr GFS forecast with great detail. As we gain experience and get older, I think many tend to "settle" into their respective chase pairs or groups and become less motivated to post frequently. I'll occasionally read a post from an experienced chaser that touches on how their priorities have changed with time (as a result of family, work obligations, etc.). I don't really think decreased forum activity is necessarily the result of chasers being driven away from Stormtrack or revolting over Stormtrack policies. Sure, sometimes policies may not be popular, but I don't think this is way we don't see Tim Marshall or some other respected veterans posting frequently.
I also agree that changing the names for warnings/infractions is worthy of consideration. More than a few folks to whom I've issued warnings or infractions have come back a little defensive, and it's not always easy to diffuse such feelings. However, ST mods sometimes need to issue "warnings" for some relatively minor offenses, and I think some reasonable folks take such actions personally. Indeed, many of the times, warnings ARE issued more as a "reminder of rules" than anything else. MANY members have received a warning at one point or another, so, if you get one, please do NOT take it personally or as if a mod thought you did a great injustice to Stormtrack!
Finally, I continue to worry about "forum bloat" when it comes to adding additional sections. It seems that many forums add additional subforums with time, with some eventually becoming dormant or at least very inactive, which in turn seems to create a perception of inactivity (a "dull forum"). Admittedly, I was also worried about forum bloat when the Winter Weather section was added, and that (along with the Tropical Weather forum) seems to have been fine. However, I don't really see that there are enough threads about photography, for example, to necessitate a new subforum dedicated solely to photography. IMO, we have existing forums that handle photography discussions well (if it's camera or tripod-related, then the Equipment forum is good; if it's technique or show-and-tell related, then Weather and Chasing or a REPORTS/DISC thread is good). I certainly could be wrong to be worried about forum bloat, but my experience with sprawling forums generally isn't good, and I worry that after the initial "honeymoon" period, a photography section would sit for many days or weeks without much activity. I'm digressing a bit, though.
