# Do you notice SDMB poster's status? Guest vs Member? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 17, 2013, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-notice-sdmb-posters-status-guest-vs-member/663766 "2013-07-17T16:19:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-notice-sdmb-posters-status-guest-vs-member/663766/41 "2013-07-18T23:49:08Z")
I don’t notice one way or the other. When I first joined the board, one time I replied directly to someone and for some reason, I didn’t notice his name, only the word “guest” under his name. So I addressed him as “Guest” and was sharply reprimanded by a mod who probably thought I was being sarcastic or something. Yikes, I was embarrassed, but couldn’t figure out how to explain myself. It was a trick my eyesight played on me. It scarred me a little. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-notice-sdmb-posters-status-guest-vs-member/663766/42 "2013-07-19T03:43:22Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > If I don’t recognize a user name, I will look at join date. When looking at user names I’m sure I see the member/guest status, but that doesn’t signify much to me. I was a member when I joined, I’m a guest now, no big deal. > > I treat all charter members with utter reverence. > [@Athena](#): > > I pretty much spend most of my time in either the Charter Member Lounge, because I like the free drinks & big screen TV in there, or the 99ers Club (I can’t really say publicly why I like it there, but trust me, it’s great). But when I do venture out, I always notice the poster’s status; it’s hard not to, what with the “Guest” posts mostly greyed out and “Member” posts accompanied with the full dossier of info that we charter members use to rate the validity of each post. > [@typoink](#): > > I’ll forever lament the fact that I missed out on Charter Member status. I even posted back in the AOL board days…albeit only, like, thrice. When I was ten. > > It’s hard to even wake up, some days. **sniff** I used to be a Charter Member, before my general forgetfulness torpedoed that. Now I’m a lowly Member (because I hate ads _that_ much). My self-esteem has taken a real beating, and I miss the free drinks. > [@Shakes](#): > > I tend to think Charter Members are a bunch of snobbish A-holes. But **I’m** a snobbish asshole, dammit! Why did I let that Charter Member status expire? > [@Schism](#): > > So I can see the perks for older join dates: beards, lovely mountain views etc, but are there detriments to having a fresh join date? Just curious. Aside from dismissing the weirdos who join in order to troll or spam the boards, I’m likely to be a little kinder about social gaffes that newer members (or guests) make. We can be a remarkably prickly community to people who aren’t up to speed on all our quirks. ---
**Author:** ![nion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@nion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nion)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-notice-sdmb-posters-status-guest-vs-member/663766/43 "2013-07-19T04:56:30Z")
You know, it’s funny… I didn’t notice that the ads went away until someone mentioned it in this thread. 😃 So obviously I didn’t become a member to be free of the ads. I honestly felt it was the least I could do, seeing that I felt I was getting a valuable experience by visiting the board. The price was negligible, so I leapt. Also, I do actually notice whether someone is a member or not, though it is more a curious observation than anything. While most boards’ charter members tend to be on the pompous side, I don’t really see that here. Y’all don’t really have a clique, either. Yay for that. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-notice-sdmb-posters-status-guest-vs-member/663766/44 "2013-07-19T13:22:54Z")
> [@nion](#): > > … While most boards’ charter members tend to be on the pompous side, I don’t really see that here. Y’all don’t really have a clique, either. Yay for that. 🙂 Are you sure they don’t? Maybe they’re laughing at our clothes, favorite foods, cats, haircuts, and dogs’ haircuts in a secret room somewhere. And just pretending they think we’re okay. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-notice-sdmb-posters-status-guest-vs-member/663766/45 "2013-07-19T21:03:26Z")
Hey, other CMs, I think they’re on to us! Execute Plan 99! ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-notice-sdmb-posters-status-guest-vs-member/663766/46 "2013-07-19T21:15:12Z")
> [@Schism](#): > > As a new guest to this message board, (first message board actually) I’m wondering what do you glean exactly from the join date? Tends to help me figure out if someone’s a spammer or troll. People who’ve been here longer can be assumed to be real posters. I think. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-notice-sdmb-posters-status-guest-vs-member/663766/47 "2013-07-19T22:47:22Z")
I notice, but I don’t care. What does kinda irritate me is that guests don’t have their location displayed, and sometimes I like to know that. But like many others, the join date gives me valuable information. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-notice-sdmb-posters-status-guest-vs-member/663766.md?page=2)