# Does anyone sorta still wish the SDMB was P2P? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 4, 2008, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sorta-still-wish-the-sdmb-was-p2p/461974 "2008-09-04T12:54:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sorta-still-wish-the-sdmb-was-p2p/461974/1 "2008-09-04T12:54:25Z")
Aside from the fact that I renewed a week before we went pay-to-post… :smack: 🙂 Does anyone have fears that the quality of the boards will decline drastically now that anyone can register and post? Will sock creation become an insurmountable issue? At first I was very against the idea of paying to use a message board, but TPTB were right on this one… it kept the riff-raff out. I know that we were a free board years ago when I joined (I still kinda miss the old styling), but we were smaller and not as well-known. So, your thoughts? Seems that many were exultant when we went free after the upgrade. What do you think? ---
**Author:** ![Zulema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/db5fbb/32.png) [@Zulema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zulema)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sorta-still-wish-the-sdmb-was-p2p/461974/2 "2008-09-04T13:11:37Z")
I think it’s going to be more interesting. Since P2P things have gotten kind of stagnant. I don’t know if that means the posts are going to be higher or lower quality. Higher quality, whatever that means, does not always lead to most interesting. A wider variety of posters might freshen things up a little. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sorta-still-wish-the-sdmb-was-p2p/461974/3 "2008-09-04T13:14:02Z")
I suppose we’ll have to wait and see. I’m a wee bit concerned. I find it a bit irritating that people like Koxinga and others who have posted loads don’t have a post count. You see a really good reply to a topic and then look at the user and don’t know anything about them but their join date. It sort of undermines their posts if you get me. ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sorta-still-wish-the-sdmb-was-p2p/461974/4 "2008-09-04T13:21:31Z")
I’m not - place is more interesting with lots of new people. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sorta-still-wish-the-sdmb-was-p2p/461974/5 "2008-09-04T13:24:09Z")
I have the exact opposite opinion. I am glad that the P2P is gone as the board MOVED when we had lots of posters…posters who left when it went P2P. I wish we could send emails out to all of the posters who left to let them know that it’s free again. But I’m ok with being weird like that too. ---
**Author:** ![Earthworm\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f07891/32.png) [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sorta-still-wish-the-sdmb-was-p2p/461974/6 "2008-09-04T13:25:15Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > I know that we were a free board years ago when I joined (I still kinda miss the old styling), but we were smaller and not as well-known. It seems to me that the board’s become smaller and less well known as a result of p2p. And of course, **I** can post again, so I’m happy about the change. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sorta-still-wish-the-sdmb-was-p2p/461974/7 "2008-09-04T13:29:59Z")
> [@Earthworm\_Jim](#): > > It seems to me that the board’s become smaller and less well known as a result of p2p. And of course, **I** can post again, so I’m happy about the change. And on that, I’m glad to see you back, **Earthworm Jim**. It’s been too long. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sorta-still-wish-the-sdmb-was-p2p/461974/8 "2008-09-04T13:32:10Z")
During P2P the board became an insular society of witch-hunters that branded practically any new poster with different opinions or personalities as trolls and hounded them off the board. I can only hope that the end of P2P will alleviate that somewhat. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sorta-still-wish-the-sdmb-was-p2p/461974/9 "2008-09-04T13:41:07Z")
I think it is a big positive. The board was getting a bit stagnant. How many arguments did you want to get into with the same people? In the other forums, some fresh ideas and perspectives should be fun and good. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sorta-still-wish-the-sdmb-was-p2p/461974/10 "2008-09-04T13:48:03Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I think it is a big positive. The board was getting a bit stagnant. How many arguments did you want to get into with the same people? > > In the other forums, some fresh ideas and perspectives should be fun and good. Screw you \*\*What Exit? \*\*I love arguing with you! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sorta-still-wish-the-sdmb-was-p2p/461974/11 "2008-09-04T14:17:09Z")
I enjoy reading more than posting, just don’t care enough about most things I guess. Repeating arguments not my style. But I think the boards will get more interesting at least for awhile, but suspect over the long run they will become pretty much like all the other boards out there. Which will be sad. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sorta-still-wish-the-sdmb-was-p2p/461974/12 "2008-09-04T14:20:52Z")
The SDMB had free posting for a very, very long time before P2P, and things were really, really awesome then. I really don’t think we’re going to see all _that_ much of a change. Hell, some of the best debates on here were from those days. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sorta-still-wish-the-sdmb-was-p2p/461974/13 "2008-09-04T14:30:00Z")
We are getting back a huge number of Missing Posters. This is a Good Thing. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sorta-still-wish-the-sdmb-was-p2p/461974/14 "2008-09-04T15:16:54Z")
Free posting is a good thing, if only because the boards seem to have slowed down a lot ever since P2P was turned on. And I like seeing all the old posters coming back. > [@Revtim](#): > > During P2P the board became an insular society of witch-hunters that branded practically any new poster with different opinions or personalities as trolls and hounded them off the board. I can only hope that the end of P2P will alleviate that somewhat. Was it really that different before P2P? I remember pretty frequent complaints about the boards being cliquish and unfriendly to newbies from way back when. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sorta-still-wish-the-sdmb-was-p2p/461974/15 "2008-09-04T15:19:37Z")
I think I missed the memo–when did we go free? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sorta-still-wish-the-sdmb-was-p2p/461974/16 "2008-09-04T15:22:53Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I think I missed the memo–when did we go free? Just this weekend \*\*Jerry \*\*upgraded the software and moved us to a new server and when we went live on Tuesday, they brought back free posting. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sorta-still-wish-the-sdmb-was-p2p/461974/17 "2008-09-04T15:50:01Z")
I was a bit dismayed to see the “moon landing” and “fly in a jar” threads in GQ, but I guess we’d always get those anyway. So overall it should be a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sorta-still-wish-the-sdmb-was-p2p/461974/18 "2008-09-04T16:30:13Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Was it really that different before P2P? I remember pretty frequent complaints about the boards being cliquish and unfriendly to newbies from way back when. Well, I noticed it a lot more during P2P. Could be I just got more fed up with it, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sorta-still-wish-the-sdmb-was-p2p/461974/19 "2008-09-04T16:30:58Z")
[QUOTE=Dead Cat] I was a bit dismayed to see the “moon landing” and “fly in a jar” threads in GQ, but I guess we’d always get those anyway. So overall it should be a good thing. [/QUOTE] Shall we open a pool on how long before someone asks about if the mouse in _The Abyss_ really was breathing while in that liquid? All silliness aside, I’m looking forward to more people coming around. As said several times above, it was starting to get really stagnant here. _Sponsored by Liquivent. Remember, if it doesn’t say Liquivent on the bottle, it’s just perflubron!_ ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sorta-still-wish-the-sdmb-was-p2p/461974/20 "2008-09-04T16:34:38Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Well, I noticed it a lot more during P2P. Could be I just got more fed up with it, I suppose. Yeah, I don’t think that part of the board ever changed. But the pool of posters got smaller, so it was more likely you’d see the same old names in each new conflict, adding to the sense of cliquish hounding. Now we have the opportunity for all new witch-hunting! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-sorta-still-wish-the-sdmb-was-p2p/461974.md?page=2)