An Open Letter to the Moderators and Administrators of the SDMB

[drewtwo99]

I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for helping to create and maintain the most awesome message board I've ever had the good fortune of coming across. My only regret is that it took me until the year 2011 to find out about it.

This truly is one of the best communities in the world, and a message board community is really defined by the moderators, terms of use, and administrators.

So, call me a suck-up, a bootlicker, a sycophant or an apple polisher if you must, but this is something I've wanted to post for a long time and I finally just decided to do it.

Of course, all the posters here who have been here for years, who have added so much to eachother's lives, thank you too.

In short, thank you to everyone here who makes it such a great place to spend online time. I know I'm still a relatively new poster around here, not even having a membership yet or having been here for a year, but I really have enjoyed my stay so far, and look forward to many more years.

[Taomist]

+1 Really can't word it any better myself.

[zoid]

DUDE! You're NOT getting a Charter Membership!

LET IT GO!

[Northern Piper]

Reported for forum change.

[dnooman]

Originally Posted by zoid

DUDE! You're NOT getting a Charter Membership!

LET IT GO!

I used to have that tile once. It was on a misty Tuesday, no fog, but a bit of flatus in the air. A year later I was short ten bucks at the time, and was relegated to being a peon, or "guest". No post counts, no whimsical tile, though neither did I care for.

As much as I covet it, the title of "Charter Member" falls only on the ones that had seniority and ponied up the wampum at the time. Money for title you say? On such an illustrious board?

Aye, was a day when no fees were levied against the people, but then the dark days came. Not as bad as the "Winter of our missed content", but few remember those anyways.

This can be a touchy subject for some. Not so much for me though.

Guest Side!!

[bobot]

Dear Bootlicker, Suckup,
You speak the truth. Amen.

[Ambivalid]

Well the Dope and this disability board have been my only experiences with messageboards; and that board was a very sad place. I stumbled upon a very entertaining and intellectually engaging community here (with it's fair share of hypocrites and douchebags; but where don't you find those? ). To the delight and relief of everyone here-I ain't going nowhere.

[twickster]

Thanks!

And, since this is About This Message Board, I'll move it from MPSIMS to ATMB.

[TubaDiva]

Originally Posted by dnooman

I used to have that tile once. It was on a misty Tuesday, no fog, but a bit of flatus in the air. A year later I was short ten bucks at the time, and was relegated to being a peon, or "guest". No post counts, no whimsical tile, though neither did I care for.

As much as I covet it, the title of "Charter Member" falls only on the ones that had seniority and ponied up the wampum at the time. Money for title you say? On such an illustrious board?

Aye, was a day when no fees were levied against the people, but then the dark days came. Not as bad as the "Winter of our missed content", but few remember those anyways.

This can be a touchy subject for some. Not so much for me though.

Guest Side!!

You could be a Charter Member once again. Write me for more details.

[TubaDiva]

We appreciate a kind word every now and again.

Thanks.

[elbows]

Really? One can reclaim their 'charter' status now?

Great to hear! Should make a lot of people happy, how does it work? Is there a fee?

[Vinyl Turnip]

It ain't Swift, but not a bad try.

[Czarcasm]

Originally Posted by elbows

Really? One can reclaim their 'charter' status now?

Great to hear! Should make a lot of people happy, how does it work? Is there a fee?

See post #9.

[Ellen Cherry]

Thank you, drew! It's very nice to hear that what I try to do every day, which is make this community a better place, is understood and appreciated.

[Rico]

Your kind words are appreciated, drew. Many thanks.

[suranyi]

I agree with the OP. I've been on a lot of message boards, and this is really the only one that has been worth reading long term. It's largely because of the moderation.

[ScarletNumber]

Originally Posted by drewtwo99

So, call me a suck-up, a bootlicker, a sycophant or an apple polisher if you must, but this is something I've wanted to post for a long time and I finally just decided to do it.

OK

You are a suck-up, a bootlicker, a sycophant and an apple polisher.

[Colibri]

Thanks, it's much appreciated.

Of course, if you wish to send a bottle of single-malt Scotch that would be appreciated even more.

[samclem]

Originally Posted by Colibri

Thanks, it's much appreciated.

Of course, if you wish to send a bottle of single-malt Scotch that would be appreciated even more.

The most Cecil ever requested from a questioner was a double sawbuck.

I like five star Metaxa.

_{I've never had the seven or twelve star Metaxa..............hint, hint}

[Colibri]

Originally Posted by samclem

The most Cecil ever requested from a questioner was a double sawbuck.

He doesn't work as hard as we do.

[dnooman]

Originally Posted by TubaDiva

You could be a Charter Member once again. Write me for more details.

I received a response from TubaDiva regarding this matter, and I have to say that the terms are quite reasonable IMHO. I'm both surprised by the rational policy from a semi-corporate entity, and not surprised by the fairness that comes from such a group of people that have spent countless hours in a forum dedicated to both fighting ignorance and doing the right thing. Kudos.

I kinda think it's a bit of a shame that overt praise for the people that make this site function, is tantamount to being a sycophant in some peoples eyes. Appreciation for the Mods is I think a given, but it's just not talked about.

Thanks Mods.

Because of your facilitation, I now know the best way to pan-fry seminal fluid, what happens when aircraft land on my treadmill, and for that I will never, ever burning your dog.

[Drunky Smurf]

Originally Posted by Ambivalid

...(with it's fair share of hypocrites and douchebags;...

Glad to be of service Sir.

[ftg]

It's not just us local yokels that like this place.

Google loves us. The SDMB regularly appears very high in searches for the sort of things people like to post about here.

(E.g., I just Googled "decreed value of pi" due to this thread and that thread, with just the OP posting so far, came up first.)

And when Google loves you, $ is sure to follow.

Right, $ is rolling in, isn't it? Isn't it?

[bldysabba]

Originally Posted by ftg

It's not just us local yokels that like this place.

Google loves us. The SDMB regularly appears very high in searches for the sort of things people like to post about here.

(E.g., I just Googled "decreed value of pi" due to this thread and that thread, with just the OP posting so far, came up first.)

And when Google loves you, $ is sure to follow.

Right, $ is rolling in, isn't it? Isn't it?

Try googling the same term from the computer of someone who isn't a frequent visitor to the SDMB

[Chimera]

Originally Posted by drewtwo99

I just wanted to say thank you.

Dude, there's something on your nose.

[ftg]

Originally Posted by bldysabba

Try googling the same term from the computer of someone who isn't a frequent visitor to the SDMB

I was aware that Google did customizations, but I think it holds to some extent.

So I did run the recommended check: And my post was the only hit.

I have just checked Bing as well: The Pi thread is the first hit there. On a machine that doesn't seem to have used Bing recently, if ever.

We're gold. Or would would be if ...

[Autolycus]

Originally Posted by drewtwo99

This truly is one of the best communities in the world, and a message board community is really defined by the moderators, terms of use, and administrators.
.

As Vinyl Turnip alluded to, this is really some sort of middling satire, right? Don't get me wrong. I love this place and the vast majority of mods and rules it contains, but I for one would claim that a message board is primarily defined by the general awesomeness of its members.

And, for what it's worth, the Straight Dope is definitely the awesome-est place on the interwebz. I can honestly say I have found no better place for fun, productive, and enlightening discussion. But, and here I will repeat myself and claim that while the mods here certainly are fair and just, enforcing rules from an administration that is rarely wrong, and generally self-correcting even when it is, the core reason the SDMB is so wonderful is the posters. It's all about the posters. While this may seem over the top, in my experience, the average doper is a paragon of wit and social grace, whose every post is a delight. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but when I post something in a thread, I honestly feel ashamed at times, knowing that my contributions pail in comparison to the average genius here.

Of course, it goes without saying that intellect in a vacuum is meaningless. What also always amazes me is the fluid grace of how posters defend their ideas here. No matter how passionately a poster advances his or her cause, on the dope one will never find any goal-post pushing, strawman-making, or scotsman-kilting. There is no ad hominem flaming, arguments from anecdote, arguments from authority, and, (it almost feels silly to even type this because of how obvious it is), there is never, never, any woo. Really, considering the density of erudite yet urbane discussion on this board, I am constantly surprised that our fight to eradicate ignorance is taking longer than we thought.

In the end however, it's not just about the general doper's intellect. The social factors are the grease that makes our collective hamsters spin. Never have I found a board that is so friendly and so adept at calmly dealing with the peculiarities and peccadilloes of Joe Q. Public. Through all the pleasant discussion here, nobody ever picks nits, (at least not un-warranted), nobody ever is rude or overly judgmental, and certainly nobody ever posts any tired memes in some pathetic attempt at humor. You know, with the internet being what it is, I was worried at first that this board would be full of awkward weirdos, but I have never been so relieved to be wrong.

I guess, what I'm trying to saying with all this is... thank you. Everything; every post, every mod, ever poster, all the way down to the newest July 2012 arrival, is wonderful. Thank you for making this board the internet paradise it truly is, a place of which one cannot conceive any better. For giving me a place online which I can fit in and say I'm proud to be a doper... thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!!

[AClockworkMelon]

Originally Posted by Autolycus

As Vinyl Turnip alluded to, this is really some sort of middling satire, right? Don't get me wrong. I love this place and the vast majority of mods and rules it contains, but I for one would claim that a message board is primarily defined by the general awesomeness of its members.

This is some sort of parody, right? I, for one, think a message board is going to be mostly defined by whether AClockworkMelon posts there.

[Digital is the new Analog]

Originally Posted by AClockworkMelon

This is some sort of parody, right? I, for one, think a message board is going to be mostly defined by whether AClockworkMelon posts there.

I was going to post this in the "Why do you come here" thread, but I didn't think people would understand.

-D/a

[dnooman]

Originally Posted by Autolycus

As Vinyl Turnip alluded to, this is really some sort of middling satire, right? Don't get me wrong. I love this place and the vast majority of mods and rules it contains, but I for one would claim that a message board is primarily defined by the general awesomeness of its members.

And, for what it's worth, the Straight Dope is definitely the awesome-est place on the interwebz. I can honestly say I have found no better place for fun, productive, and enlightening discussion. But, and here I will repeat myself and claim that while the mods here certainly are fair and just, enforcing rules from an administration that is rarely wrong, and generally self-correcting even when it is, the core reason the SDMB is so wonderful is the posters. It's all about the posters. While this may seem over the top, in my experience, the average doper is a paragon of wit and social grace, whose every post is a delight. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but when I post something in a thread, I honestly feel ashamed at times, knowing that my contributions pail in comparison to the average genius here.

Of course, it goes without saying that intellect in a vacuum is meaningless. What also always amazes me is the fluid grace of how posters defend their ideas here. No matter how passionately a poster advances his or her cause, on the dope one will never find any goal-post pushing, strawman-making, or scotsman-kilting. There is no ad hominem flaming, arguments from anecdote, arguments from authority, and, (it almost feels silly to even type this because of how obvious it is), there is never, never, any woo. Really, considering the density of erudite yet urbane discussion on this board, I am constantly surprised that our fight to eradicate ignorance is taking longer than we thought.

In the end however, it's not just about the general doper's intellect. The social factors are the grease that makes our collective hamsters spin. Never have I found a board that is so friendly and so adept at calmly dealing with the peculiarities and peccadilloes of Joe Q. Public. Through all the pleasant discussion here, nobody ever picks nits, (at least not un-warranted), nobody ever is rude or overly judgmental, and certainly nobody ever posts any tired memes in some pathetic attempt at humor. You know, with the internet being what it is, I was worried at first that this board would be full of awkward weirdos, but I have never been so relieved to be wrong.

I guess, what I'm trying to saying with all this is... thank you. Everything; every post, every mod, ever poster, all the way down to the newest July 2012 arrival, is wonderful. Thank you for making this board the internet paradise it truly is, a place of which one cannot conceive any better. For giving me a place online which I can fit in and say I'm proud to be a doper... thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!!

This is a great board, and IMO you're a really good guy, so can you pass me some of what you're having there? I like optimism, but damn, you left out entire forums, let alone prolific posters that violate most of your statements daily.

Not trying to be a downer, but reversing most of your statements would result in a few, if not many, accurate descriptions of actual posts.

I love this place too, but let's not deify it dude. It makes for unrealistic growth goals.

[Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor]

Many 10-Qs.

Now I'm going back to sleep.

[Shakes]

I feel lucky. This is the first message board I ever belonged to. Quite frankly, I didn't even know what a message board was before I stumbled across this place.

Having nothing to compare this place to, I figured all boards were pretty much like this one.

You can imagine my surprise when I started to browse other message boards and you would see idiots posting shit like "First!" "Second!" "Third biatches!!"

So yeah, 10 years and this place is still doing me just fine.

[jtgain]

I think the fact that so many people do take the time to criticize the mods is evidence of the good job that they generally do. Bear with me on this.

If the mods truly did a shitty job and made the board a bad one, people would just quit posting here. Most unhappy people simply walk away rather than complain. The mods have allowed this board to be, IMO, the premier message board for discussion on the intertubes.

So, when something controversial does happen, we have a vested interest in seeing a desired outcome, so we start threads and put some heart and soul into our arguments.

Bottom line to mods: Calling you an asshole simply means we care and appreciate the job that you do.

[Absolute]

I agree wholeheartedly. This is one of the best places on the internet, in large part because of the hard work of the moderators and administrators.

The board attracts high-quality posters because of the high-quality moderation.

[Colibri]

Originally Posted by dnooman

This is a great board, and IMO you're a really good guy, so can you pass me some of what you're having there? I like optimism, but damn, you left out entire forums, let alone prolific posters that violate most of your statements daily.

Not trying to be a downer, but reversing most of your statements would result in a few, if not many, accurate descriptions of actual posts.

I love this place too, but let's not deify it dude. It makes for unrealistic growth goals.

He's either whooshing you, or you're whooshing me. If the latter, congratulations on the meta-whoosh.

[dnooman]

Originally Posted by Colibri

He's either whooshing you, or you're whooshing me. If the latter, congratulations on the meta-whoosh.

Neither. I think he was genuine.

[Colibri]

Originally Posted by dnooman

Neither. I think he was genuine.

Well then, he's clearly talking about some other board. I mean, for one thing picking nits is a way of life here, innit?

[Onomatopoeia]

Originally Posted by drewtwo99

I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for helping to create and maintain the most awesome message board I've ever had the good fortune of coming across. My only regret is that it took me until the year 2011 to find out about it.

A belated 'welcome aboard' there, drewtwo99.

Originally Posted by drewtwo99

This truly is one of the best communities in the world, and a message board community is really defined by the moderators, terms of use, and administrators.

Agreed

Originally Posted by drewtwo99

So, call me a suck-up, a bootlicker, a sycophant or an apple polisher if you must, but this is something I've wanted to post for a long time and I finally just decided to do it.

You donut!

::flaps wings and flies away::

Originally Posted by drewtwo99

Of course, all the posters here who have been here for years, who have added so much to eachother's lives, thank you too.

Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say 'all posters'. A select few, like me, are awesome though.

Originally Posted by drewtwo99

short, thank you to everyone here who makes it such a great place to spend online time. I know I'm still a relatively new poster around here, not even having a membership yet or having been here for a year, but I really have enjoyed my stay so far, and look forward to many more years.

Yeah, wait until you've been here a few years, after the optimism-choking epiphany that the world is generally worse than you thought slams in to your quivering brain, leaving it an almost lifeless husk. There is such a thing as learning too much for one's own good.

Good luck, mate.