Thanks for all of this input. To clarify a few points:
1) The ombudsman would be a member of BetterMost. This person would be a resident's representative, willing to review decisions made here to ensure they were in keeping with our rules, were fairly applied, and were consistent. The ombudsman also has the role to challenge decisions that he or she feels are not in keeping with those rules and are unfair or inconsistent, and they can make that known in a public way. It's part of an appeals process after a decision is rendered. The ombudsman has the responsibility and right to challenge anyone in a leadership role here if their decisions seem lacking within the context of our rules.
2) This community has an extremely limited set of rules governing conduct, and that is done on purpose. We have a very limited power structure here on purpose, to prevent any individual or group from claiming power over another individual or group. Many social communities can dissolve because of power plays, but that's impossible here because no one has the authority to just impose their will on others unless those people go along with it. The ombudsman is another protective mechanism to ensure a safety valve exists here.
3) There is a significant gender gap when it comes to tolerance and acceptance of different kinds of content and the way people communicate, and I recognize that. The answer to that is more ways and places to communicate freely, recognizing that not every aspect of BetterMost will appeal to every resident. Finding the areas that do interest you and avoiding those that don't is the best recommendation. Where people get into trouble is when they attempt to impose their vision of acceptable content on the community as a whole, something I regularly resist. Every resident here has the power to be their own moderator of their own blog, and as long as they don't violate the core rules of the community, they can talk about whatever they want.
4) The dispute resolution process between individuals should be conducted privately and not involve the entire community, and personal attacks of any kind are not acceptable to me. I am working on some new ways to deal with interpersonal disputes which will be discussed at length, along with the Ombudsman position, as part of our Annual Report which is forthcoming.