Meursault@19 - I totally agree with the last sentence of your post. Regulation (whatever the motivation) cannot be appropriate in the world of puzzles, where enjoyment is surely the sole meaningful objective. The small sums of money on offer for both setters and solvers is a positive benefit in that regard. And it wasn't my intention to single out any particular medium or helper in my appeal, which is simply for moderation: when someone wants a hint for a particular clue, give them a hint; when they want a solution, give them a solution
with a comprehensible explanation; when they want to know where a piece of the jigsaw should go, don't show them the picture on the box. And if they don't say what they want, start with a hint - I can't escape the feeling that the responses on at least one forum are frequently driven by a 'who can type the answer fastest' competition resulting in a barrage of one-word posts (with that word not always being correct). There are few better ways in my experience to stop people developing skills than by responding to requests for a little assistance with "That's too difficult for you. Give it here and I'll do it."
Tango's original post started with the line 'Not all crossword people are over 70'. This is true [I'm under 70], but as witnessed by a recent poll on another site, a very large proportion
are over 60. For crosswords to survive as a mainstream entertainment we need to encourage solvers of all ages, and if the pastime is perceived as being dominated by an old guard who take a 'no assistance' approach
or by experts who want to give help only on their own terms, we have a serious problem.