# distinction between boards **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 13, 2010, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distinction-between-boards/553560 "2010-09-13T02:04:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distinction-between-boards/553560/1 "2010-09-13T02:04:12Z")
Can’t it be argued that IMHO and MPSIMS are interchangeable? Also, if I post something with a “eye of the beholder” answer, not necessarily a cut and dry FACTUAL answer, it shouldn’t go in GQ? BTW, were Cafe Society and Game Room ever part of GQ? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distinction-between-boards/553560/2 "2010-09-13T02:47:16Z")
ISTR that either Cafe Society or IMHO was split off from MPSIMS. Maybe both of them, but I don’t remember. The Game Room was split from MPSIMS fairly recently, like in the last few years. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distinction-between-boards/553560/3 "2010-09-13T02:51:55Z")
Yeah, Game Room, SD Chicago and the House side forum weren’t here c.2002 when I originally joined. ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distinction-between-boards/553560/4 "2010-09-13T02:54:47Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Can’t it be argued that IMHO and MPSIMS are interchangeable? Also, if I post something with a “eye of the beholder” answer, not necessarily a cut and dry FACTUAL answer, it shouldn’t go in GQ? BTW, were Cafe Society and Game Room ever part of GQ? IMHO is for soliciting opinions and it’s the complimentary to GQ’s factual queries and the GD’s stricter form for debate. Broken down in examples: - How many Republican presidents have there been? (GQ) - Which president has been the worst in terms of \_\_\_\_\_\_? (GD) - Which is your favourite president? (IMHO) MPSIMS is geared more towards following a story as it develops; while IMHO is about a topic, MPSIMS is more often about how the OP (or whoever it entails) deals with or perceives the topic. An example could be: - How many people here have broken bones? (IMHO) - I broke my leg. Advice needed. (MPSIMS) (With a caveat that I’m not a big MPSIMS or IMHO reader - someone with more experience from those forums will probably be able to enunciate the differences between them a lot better.) The Game Room is a newish development, split in part from the Café Society and MPSIMS. As games, board games and sports discussion didn’t really “fit” into the other forums and were taking up a lot of real estate, we split the difference into it’s own forum. ---
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distinction-between-boards/553560/5 "2010-09-13T07:28:47Z")
> [@Gukumatz](#): > > … > MPSIMS is geared more towards following a story as it develops; while IMHO is about a topic, MPSIMS is more often about how the OP (or whoever it entails) deals with or perceives the topic. An example could be: > > - How many people here have broken bones? (IMHO) > - I broke my leg. Advice needed. (MPSIMS) > > (With a caveat that I’m not a big MPSIMS or IMHO reader - someone with more experience from those forums will probably be able to enunciate the differences between them a lot better.) > > … For advice on what to do with a broken leg, it’s IMHO according to a [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12906527&postcount=23)that is running concurrently to this one. (The likelihood of you using that particular example while it’s being discussed must be very remote. :)) ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distinction-between-boards/553560/6 "2010-09-13T12:05:42Z")
In IMHO, you’re asking for people’s opinions – in MPSIMS, you’re just saying what happened to you, and people can respond with similar anecdotes, advice, commentary, jokes, or whatever. IMHO: What should I do about this situation with my SO? MPSIMS: Argh! I’m in the middle of this situation with my SO! Obviously it’s not the brightest line of distinctions, so even when, as a mod, I know I want to move a thread, I’m not always entirely sure where to move it to. 😉 GQ is for “cut and dried factual answers” (how do cell phones work?) – IMHO for opinions (which cell phone should I get?). In general, when it’s clear what forum a thread goes in, put it there, and when it isn’t, put it in MPSIMS. **twickster** , MPSIMS moderator ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distinction-between-boards/553560/7 "2010-09-13T12:46:12Z")
Sorry Twicks, gotta go here. GD and the 2010 Political board? Isn’t the 2010 Political board an audition space for a future Political board? Haven’t enough people asked for a Political Thread proper? Why then did my Obama thread get the boot? Shouldn’t it have stayed? How else will the Political thread get it’s fair shot at making or breaking it, in terms of life after 2010? ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distinction-between-boards/553560/8 "2010-09-13T12:46:36Z")
> [@NineToTheSky](#): > > > [@Gukumatz](#): > > > > … > > MPSIMS is geared more towards following a story as it develops; while IMHO is about a topic, MPSIMS is more often about how the OP (or whoever it entails) deals with or perceives the topic. An example could be: > > > > - How many people here have broken bones? (IMHO) > > - I broke my leg. Advice needed. (MPSIMS) > > > > (With a caveat that I’m not a big MPSIMS or IMHO reader - someone with more experience from those forums will probably be able to enunciate the differences between them a lot better.) > > > > … > > For advice on what to do with a broken leg, it’s IMHO according to a [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12906527&postcount=23)that is running concurrently to this one. > > (The likelihood of you using that particular example while it’s being discussed must be very remote. :)) :smack: Actually, I asked because I broke my leg back in May and had to cast about for some examples. I didn’t know about the discussion you linked to, but they’re right. My MPSIMS example was a poor one - a better one might have been “I broke my leg. Sympathy, please!” ---
**Author:** ![ColdPhoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@ColdPhoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColdPhoenix)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distinction-between-boards/553560/9 "2010-09-13T12:48:37Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distinction-between-boards/553560/10 "2010-09-13T13:15:44Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > Sorry Twicks, gotta go here. > > GD and the 2010 Political board? > > Isn’t the 2010 Political board an audition space for a future Political board? Haven’t enough people asked for a Political Thread proper? > > Why then did my Obama thread get the boot? Shouldn’t it have stayed? How else will the Political thread get it’s fair shot at making or breaking it, in terms of life after 2010? The forum is for discussions of the November 2010 elections – the thread wasn’t that specific. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distinction-between-boards/553560/11 "2010-09-13T14:54:07Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Also, if I post something with a “eye of the beholder” answer, not necessarily a cut and dry FACTUAL answer, it shouldn’t go in GQ? If the answer depends on personal interpretation or experience, it is probably best for IMHO. GQ is generally for questions with objective answers, at least in theory (even though there may be differences in opinion on what is the correct factual answer.)