I think it depends on what you are used to. This place is no worse than any other forums I've used in the past. There are some here who like to cause controversy but it's just a case of figuring out who they are quickly and making a judgement call as to whether what they are posting is designed to incite a flame war or not. If it is, just ignore them in that instance. Thus far, that list of people is pretty short partly I think because the vast majority of people on here are more mature by the very nature of what's being discussed, it's people in the trades, home owners etc. For many forums it's gaggles of screaming kids who have zero clue about how to conduct themselves in a mature way, especially when faced with differing opinions. Plus, I grew up in a male dominated family and I've studied and worked in male dominated industries my entire life, so having it out with a bunch of guys is something I'm used to doing, although I'm more used to it being around a pub table with a decent beer in hand.
I guess where it can get a bit fraught is when the regs result in a grey area and then it becomes peoples personal interpretations. A prime example is the thread that's been running about T+E in commercial. I have opinions on that but I chose to stay out of it (aside from liking the odd post here and there) because some people were just way to aggressive with their comments and it really did seem to become a series of personal vendettas because someone dared to have a differing opinion... I've been in the game 30 years, served my time blah blah blah... yeah great, but that doesn't automatically mean (a) you're right and (b) you're a decent spark. And I guess that is probably the biggest sticking point for me personally, there are some things I don't feel qualified to comment on, not because I don't have a view or because I've not encountered them, but because I'm not in a position to claim expert status because until you've got certain qualifications (NVQ, AM2 spring to mind), in the eyes of some people you can't possibly have a clue, regardless of what alternative experience you may have.
An extension of this is that there are some folks here who are willing to answer questions and treat people with respect (providing they conduct themselves in a mature, respectful way) even if (from their perspective) they may be dumb questions, then there are others who just... well, I don't know... in my last job I encountered someone who claimed to be amazing, qualified up to the hilt and he let everyone know it. Yet I was hardly ever able to get a sensible answer out of him about anything. Instead questions were met with derision and comments with an overwhelming air of "I can't believe you just asked me such a simple question... you're clearly clueless!". Then I started investigating his work and well it wasn't good and I found myself thinking "And you think you're superior to me why exactly???". This kind of superiority complex where you put people down is going to put people off, I've seen it demonstrated a couple of times here and it's certainly stopped me posting in one or two threads.
Anyhow, I would encourage the girls to get on and post
Maybe we should have our own girls only forum???
