What do you do when a veteran user gives you criticism that flips your whole moderation style?

I had a user who's been on my forum for 7 years tell me I was being too strict with locking threads about a local event in Austin. She said I was killing conversation by following the rules to the letter. I changed my approach to let some debates run longer if they stay civil, but now I'm worried I'm being too soft on actual rule breakers. Has anyone else gotten feedback that made you rethink your whole moderation system?

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the_kai21h ago

Man, that's a tough spot to be in. I mean, how do you even tell the difference between a rule that needs to be bent for good conversation and a rule you're just giving up on? Like, what's the actual line you've been drawing since that feedback?