Most forum admins are volunteers. Most forums allow links. Not allowing links degrades content unless all the content is hosted locally. I can sympathise with the so-so layout, and the fact that FireBoard hasn't been updated since 2008 (as it was replaced by a different software), but no non-text content? Come on.

But you're right, I will be leaving, and I expect that, over time, others who try to hotlink to on-topic content on youtube will follow.

That said, I find it a bit funny that you say:

QUOTE:
If you boys don't like this forum you should go back to one of the ones you keep telling us are so good.
The rest of us don't want to listen to your complaining.

when TJC is constantly complaining about Youtube, but we don't tell him "If you don't like youtube you should go to a better video site. The rest of us don't want to listen to your complaining." In fact, most of us support him. If I owned YouTube and TJC said "nah, they've fucked it up again" I would probably think to myself "hey, maybe we have." I guess it's a bit of a double-standard around here, though.

Hey, even you agree YouTube is crap: http://www.thejapanchannel.com/General/3477-Youtube-Jerks-and-TJC48.html
(can I link to TJC here? Not sure. I know-- no links, but this link links here, and it actually points to a thread where Petina has linked to...3 separate websites).

Again, you've >already< done the work by moderating me, petina, and you do it all the time. You saw my post, you said "NO LINKS LOL REMOVE" and that was that. No "oh but it's okay, it's a youtube video". No smart moderation. Just "get rid of it". So here's how it works-- only your human rules establish there are no links allowed. The system has none, that's why I was able to post it in the first place. So we've established that links are able to be posted. Every time you see a link, you ask us to remove it. We can therefore establish you have made it your duty to tell everybody to remove their links lest they be banned. Okay, so people who post links, which are computationally allowed, are caught by petina, who tells them to remove it. So... there's already [the same level of] forum moderation going on... but petina has taken the role of "remove all posts containing http://***.***/***" and not "remove all >bad< posts". Just doesn't make sense.

Look, I sympathise with Eric. Again, I've modded forums. But the way we deal with it is to add more mods to moderate, or to be a bit more vigilant with our text filters and sign-up process, not to reduce the capabilities of its users by forcing them to post on what is little more than a text board. I'm sure there are regular users here, with countless high-quality posts, who would be happy to help moderate. At least consider it without shooting me down with a "The rest of us don't want to listen to your complaining."