IMO, you three–Token, Deanne and Cuba–are among those regulars (and there are quite a few others) who consistently keep the level of discourse high around here. (I’m afraid of leaving somebody out if I try to name “names” — you know who you are!) DM created–and works long and hard to maintain and enhance–the conditions in which this dialogue can flourish, but it ultimately works the way it does because of the community that has developed at the core. Inevitably, trolls, snipers and snarks wander through from time to time. But they either keep moving along or learn to behave and participate in a productive way, because the core community enforces the standards we collectively agree are important: candor, fairness, civility, and humor.

Some of the DM posters I respect the most are those with whom I am least likely to agree. To me, that says a hell of a lot about the forum. And probably explains why DM keeps outgrowing server capacity.

Why did the Decatur Patch do this? To get a spot on the new Patch Civil War Facebook page, of course. http://decatur.patch.com/articles/should-the-battle-of-atlanta-actually-be-called-the-battle-of-decatur

Seems to me that the Decatur Patch could find its own Civil War story if they wanted some real estate on the Patch CW page.

So I would not say a big difference between Patch and DM is that Patch is the only one that may be abandoned.

As for me, I read both and I hope both succeed.