Interesting thread.
I also run or assist in running several forums and so I'll chime in from that angle.
The thought that any forum entitles anyone to "free speech" is just silly. When you signup to a forum, you usually accept a set of rules or agree to "terms of service." That is what rules the "community." I use the word community very much on purpose. Just as decency is measured in the real world by community, so it is on the internet where a communiity is decided by participants.
As far as decency goes, the owner of a website has a serious responsibility. They must insure they are not held legally liable for what someone posts or what information is collected from people based on COPPA and other Privacy Act regulations found at the FTC.
Most smaller websites don't bother too much with the legal issues but they should. Here are some scenarios to think about.
1. Someone does a search and is linked to a forum page with porn links or obscenity and they work at a company with zero tolerance. I doubt anything comes of it, but having your boss visit your cube because the IT guy reported you viewing "questionable" material is not a good way to start your day.
2. Someone takes a tip to do some bike mod and breaks their bike. Time to sue the owner of the website of course.
3. A site that has mild porn links, lots of lewd language and no blocks or at least warnings to block those 13 and under. Website gets reported to FTC and shut down.
I'm a bit AR so when I go to a site like "V11Lemans" I'm there to find info on the V11, and that's it. If I want to talk politics, there are sites for that. If I want jokes, there are sites for that. If I want to talk guitars there are sites for that.
FWIW.. people who need to swear and/or cuss to get their point across either are not very imaginative, or just have such little confidence in their opinion that they have to dress it up or it won't sell. I swear in speech as much as the next guy (or gal) but to type it just seems idiotic. Swearing or "cussing" are elements of oral communication, not written communication, although you can't tell from some message boards.
Desdinova