I raised this as an issue in private, but I don't mind sharing it here and now, as we're all discussing it.
And do excuse me if this comes across in any way passive aggressive...
We have t&cs here, which we all agree to upon sign up. Doubtless, these would still apply for guests, but it wouldn't prevent some of that nasty stuff from spewing all over the forum in the first place, imo.
I also agree that signing up really is no big thing. To be frank, I can't see how offering guest posting will encourage anyone to sign up proper in the long-term either. Which is why I disagree with it.
It occurs to me that other, lesser sites have considered the same kind of things and have probably had very similar discussions in their infancy, re traffic and 'spicing' things up. I can understand that to a degree, particularly where revenue is an issue. But to my knowledge, that was never what this place was about.
For me, this place was always about mutual respect and adult discussion. From what I have seen so far, we all do that very well, for the most part. What "we" don't tolerate however, is petty name-calling and abuse of our members, unlike some other places.
In all honesty, this whole discussion, along with some ideas about increasing membership is what has turned me off a bit and is one of the reasons I decided I did not want to moderate here. Further more, signing into a site to see the kind of crap that used to get smeared over some other sites daily, and then having to trawl through it and remove it, is not something that particularly appeals to me.
I understand that some people like that kind of atmosphere, but it's not for me. That is why I continue to come back here, but am increasingly concerned about the tone of this place and the direction in which it could quite easily head.
I don't buy the "cliquey" argument for one second either (and no irre, I'm not having a dig at you or anyone else). When someone has signed up purely to troll and call people names in the past, we as a community have come together and dealt with it. I fail to see how this makes those that are watching and are unsure about joining up even more hesitant.
Some people just like to watch. Some like to be more vocal and have their say. This is the nature of forums. It must be stressed that this forum is already everything it could be in terms of accessibility and ease of use, imo.
Another aspect of SZ that never really sat comfortably with me is our apparent alignment with DIF. Imo, we should never have had anything to do with the place. It has certainly caused us more trouble than benefits. I think we are good enough to stand alone in that regard and attract new members on our own merit. I can understand the association somewhat in the beginning, but it just all seems a bit daft, now.
Ultimately, people will vote with their feet, as they always do. You may gain a few new posters temporarily who want to join in with the name calling and silliness, but I really do think the base of members you already have should be given some consideration too. I think it would be a real shame to lose some of the aspects of the forum as it is presently.
a lot of this 
some of this 
and that's great, it's good to support each other, etc. but what are people who lurk thinking? They might see us as a bunch of mates. We all pretty much get on with each other here, those very, very few of us that actually bother to sign in. Can you not see it? Can't you see how it looks?
I'm much more powerful than I thought! 
