Online discussion forums

In my previous post I stated that good blogs should exercise some basic formalities. However, I think less of that is required for discussion forums (although it's always welcome). I take little issue with spelling/grammar errors and abbreviations in forum posts, as long as the text is still legible. What really matters are the ideas, and persuasiveness of the arguments. Calling something "stupid" or "gay" does little to persuade, whereas an interesting viewpoint and some good evidence provokes thought. But what's most important is to get the ideas across. Same goes for real-life conversation. If the ideas are there, and all parties respected, the conversation will produce nuggets that can be remembered by those involved and taken with them to apply in other conversations and in life.