As someone who's been using and running online conferencing stuff for -- eek! -- the best part of seventeen years, I hafta say that the Pprune crew are doing a great job.
You will *always* get the problem that some people consider it their divine right to say what they like even if it would embarrass a drunken sea-baboon on shore leave, while others take offence at ideas that wouldn't bother a Victorian maiden. Any attempt by moderators to actually keep things on the straight and narrow will always lead to cries of censorship from one mob and ruinous libertarianism from the other. Often at the same time (which is when you know it's going particularly well).
The only way to manage, as a moderator, is to steam ahead and do what you like; it has to be a dictatorship if it's not to die under a writhing mass of contradictions fuelled by those users who are the most loquacious and have the most time on their hands. If the cruel hand of tyranny matches the needs and wishes of the majority of the users -- including those who just read, which is most of us -- then an online system will be a success. As Danny and co seem to be incredibly sane and even-handed even under intense pressure, and have -- thank Zarquan -- a near-undentable sense of humour, I don't think anyone should worry too much that things will go pear-shaped.
As for the really idiotic things such as spoofing regular handles, deliberately provoking arguments, recklessly breaking categories and so on -- they always happen and always will. Whatever steps are taken, there'll always be some smartarsh who'll find ways around them unless you lock stuff down so tight it stops being fun. (My personal defences against getting wound up by this sort of thing are a mix of trying to keep a sense of proportion, a sense of the ridiculous and a sense of direction to the pub.)
(That's enough arslikhan (*). Ed)
R
(* One thing I don't like about Pprune is the rude word filter, which is bloody patronising. But it's probably a good thing... and smartarshery will always find a way)