Personally, I do really think that the rules for spamming could be a little more lax in the Regional Zone boards, because they're a place for people who already know each other pretty well to stay in contact. With that in mind, it's only natural for some silly jabs to occur, and for us to take the piss out on ourselves. So as long as it doesn't dominate the discourse, I don't see why it should be cut out entirely. I think the heightened strictures on spamming here is really the primary reason there's been more spam lately.
There's a balance needs be struck, and currently, it's a bit lopsided.