I think there are 2 solutions that Blizz could easily implement here, and I wish they would:

1. It is really easy to right click a name in the chat window and report spam. They should also make it just as easy to report TOS violations with a similar option. They could even go as far as allowing people to mark someone’s conversation as “offtopic” (stuff you don’t want in trade chat for example), but that might be going too far.

2. Now we need a place for people to go and take their chatting. Create a City Chat channel that goes to all cities in the same way that Trade does. Push everyone who is just chatting over to that channel away from Trade. Maybe this is facilitated with selecting text as “offtopic” and using some form of the ban from channel that you mentioned above.

I think if we give chat a place to go, give people the tools to more easily report TOS, and Blizz makes sure to enforce it’s own TOS policies, we could make most everybody pretty happy.

And a good, fist-pumping, shoe-on-the-podium rant is healthy for the soul.
Taz´s last blog ..When Is A Tree Not A Tree?

It’s another reason that if I join LFG, I typically join under the Quest option, and I check for groups looking for healers and then I whisper them after I do an armory check. It’s easier than getting the unannounced invites from random people. I try to keep one “Group” quest in my log, even if it’s a really low lvl quest.
Ysinnia´s last blog ..Random Achievements

I agree with you wholeheartedly – trade is a depressing, offensive, annoying and often utterly useless channel that people spam with tedium and obnoxiousness. My first act on arriving anywhere is to turn it off.

I’m sure if the problem is at all solveable though – I mean it is kind of in the nature of MMOs to generate a quantity of dross, is it not? Or I am being horribly cynical? I think perhaps if it wasn’t trade it would be elsewhere.
Tamarind´s last blog ..Now I know why Kael’thas can’t get laid

Trade chat makes me sad. And if you have the time to spam general in a raid, you’re doing it wrong.

One of my favorite phrases I have ever heard uttered in a raid chat was:

“Less blah blah, more pew pew!”

I think that says it all.

It’s a sad state that we find the game, where the chats are so polluted with crap. Although, unlike Sylly, I do not turn these channels off. I still use both channels from time to time but I can just filter it all out when I’m not using it.

The only thing I cannot stand and read, is General inside a raid instance. It used to be beneficial to have; for it was a way for raid groups to share information and exchange tactics, etc. Some even look LFM, for whatever spot that was left empty by a d/c or a member leaving. My first FL kill came about thanks to that feature, but these days I only see people flood it with their sewage.

How they manage it, I have no idea because whenever my guild raids, we are too busy actually raiding to just sit on our asses and talk about Michael Jackson.
Tomi´s last blog ..Argent Daily Guide – Part 2

Guild recruiting only shows for people who are unguilded unless they opt to join the channel. It’s hard to even figure out what that channel is.

You can’t be in LFG unless you’re searching for a group to join, and LFG has no level based squelch. I hate the endless “looking for more for (some obscure low level instance everyone hates)” noise.

I honestly think part of the problems with trade could be solved if there was a global general chat channel that automatically turned on when people were in cities, could be turned off, or turned on to be always on.
Zandrae´s last blog ..Three things the Alotholic loathes.

Six of one and half a dozen of another…