Gromit - the problem is that the AB Ed has decided to be a bit more lenient about chat, more so on some sections of AB than others. I think partly this is due to an acceptance that such chat builds a sense of community which undoubtedly helps maintain a strong, regular presence on AB, and an acknowledgement that post Chatterbank, it was hard for many users to revert to a "no chat" AB. Also, chat means different things to different people. B&S does have threads which fall into the idle chit chat category but on other sections (I'm thinking Footie in particular) such "chat" is actually the to-ing and fro-ing of debate and discussion, it's the footie banter, if you will. Also, many of the (real) questions asked on AB do not require a simple facts or figures answer. They often require opinion or advice, and so conversation back and forth is a vital part of answering the posters query. I think AB Ed understands the neccessity of such chat, and so is generally trying to give more leeway where possible. To be honest, I would like to see the Report option "Chat" removed as I think it is (and has been) easily abused maliciously, especially in light of the apparent leniency now shown across the site. It allows threads to be reported and removed with out (in my opinion) genuine good reason (ie offensive, abusive etc) and is over used by the bullies and grumpies on occasions.