A craft forum I belong to has had its share of drama drama drama. The forum is a paid site, paid by the owner. Since she owns it, it is hers and she set up rules. If you don't follow the rules, you get banned. Those who have been banned argue freedom of speech. That doesn't count when it is someone else's paid site and the someone else is paying. If you want to practice free speech, start your own forum, there are plenty of other internet sites to do it on, but it is her PAID site. They're banned because they reduce themselves to really ugly name calling, etc. And of course, the rules state no name calling.

Sometimes it can be defused, but just like in real life, the mob mentality can take over and it gets everyone whipped into a frenzy and turns into a cyber war of the words, and ugly words at that. Interestingly, the original two posters who start going at each other, if a third comes in to defend one of them, then the mob starts turning on the defender, and so it goes on and on. They can turn on you in a minute!

Moderators can sometimes nip things in the bud. Threads can be closed or locked.

It can be a real exercise in diplomacy, psychology and sociology!