# Doper Demographics **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 2, 2022, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-demographics/970834 "2022-09-02T19:22:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2022, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-demographics/970834/63 "2022-09-07T23:58:44Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I’m struggling with how to respond to this suggestion. There is no way that we could be of any real use to university researchers and even if we were, trying to reach out to them through advertising is insanely impractical. 1. Deciding a thing doesn’t make it true. You might decide that only a crazy person would want your old beat up car and give it away, just to discover that you could have sold it because the materials are worth a few thousand even if the car, as a vehicle, is largely useless. 2. You can advertise on Google for pretty much any price that you choose. If you only want to spend $5 per month, you can do that. There’s no particular minimum to get started, I don’t believe. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2022, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-demographics/970834/64 "2022-09-08T00:02:52Z")
Try Weedmaps if you want prices in every city in the US where it’s legally sold. Our small sampling in that thread is interesting but very anecdotal. Better yet, go to /r/trees on Reddit. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2022, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-demographics/970834/65 "2022-09-08T00:04:38Z")
I didn’t say it would be expensive just impractical. It’s been years since I’ve used Google AdWords but as I recall you can set a monthly cap as small as you want. Go ahead. Knock yourself out. I’d love to be proven wrong. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2022, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-demographics/970834/66 "2022-09-08T01:23:39Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > Except we were told many times over the years that there was absolutely no interest in the books anymore and they had bunches of unsold books that they couldn’t get rid of. For year and years there was. But it dropped off. > [@mordecaiB](#): > > . Pay to post, allowing racism, allowing misogyny… We do not have pay to post, and we no longer allow those things. ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2022, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-demographics/970834/67 "2022-09-08T01:29:23Z")
I don’t think anyone is interested in a lower quality version of stack exchange or Quora. Unlike here, at least there is some filter on people randomly guessing at answers to questions that are out of their depth. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2022, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-demographics/970834/68 "2022-09-08T03:43:24Z")
Moderators are probably the main selling point. We’ve gone 30ish years without turning into meme hell nor troll city, and there’s an actual community with knowledgeable people. You can’t hang out on Quora or Stack Exchange. Here, you can get good info and still have fun, without worrying that you’re going to be dealing with flame wars and angsty gifs. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2022, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-demographics/970834/69 "2022-09-08T05:21:24Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Better yet, go to /r/trees on Reddit. Thanks for that. Some funny shit there. > [@DrDeth](#): > > We do not have pay to post, and we no longer allow those things. But we lost many posters that didn’t return after the pay to post debacle. It’s not like they just waited for three years without getting used to the offshoot boards. Racism was alive and well up to the last five years, long after it should have been banned. Misogyny is still around, just not as much of it. > [@DrDeth](#): > > For year and years there was. But it dropped off. Sure, but the years ended 15 years ago. Almost nobody under 40 is going to come here because of Cecil’s columns/books. > [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > We should put together a fund to advertise the Factual Questions forum to university students and researchers. Except for the fact that they have vetoed any money except by subscription time and time again. Hundreds of Dopers over the years have begged to be told how much money was needed so we could raise it, and we have been shot down every time. If they would have taken donations instead of pay to post, we never would have lost so many posters and would probably have raised more money. As I said earlier, the board is beyond rejuvenating. Just enjoy it for what it is while it lasts. Barring some catastrophic event, we are not going anywhere soon. > [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > without worrying that you’re going to be dealing with flame wars Except for an entire forum where you are encouraged to pretty much say anything you want about other posters. People here are always commenting about how you can’t read comments on other sites because they are so nasty and stupid. Luckily, TPTB made a forum just for that. How does that square with the smartest posters on earth in 2022? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2022, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-demographics/970834/70 "2022-09-08T05:28:47Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > Except for the fact that they have vetoed any money except by subscription time and time again. And, we haven’t even had that for two years now, ever since the board’s transition to Discourse. Given that re-instituting the ability to be a paid subscriber to the SDMB has been on the “to do” list since then, and as far as I know, has yet to be re-implemented, suggests to me that either paid subscriptions are now much more difficult to implement than they used to be, or they have been deemed “more trouble than they’re worth” by someone among TPTB. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2022, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-demographics/970834/71 "2022-09-08T05:40:42Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > And, we haven’t even had that for two years now, ever since the board’s transition to Discourse Except when Ed wanted to restart the column. In that thread he said he had a way for people to donate money in exchange for doing research for him. If we could have donated money for that, we should be able to donate money for board expenses. At this point it really doesn’t matter. Apparently STM is satisfied with the status quo. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2022, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-demographics/970834/72 "2022-09-08T06:34:50Z")
While I am white, male and old(ish) at 55 I want to note that I started here over 20 years ago when I was not so old. I think many of the other old men here are the same. ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2022, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-demographics/970834/73 "2022-09-08T23:46:34Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > But as the internet grew, other places popped up that people enjoyed hanging out at more. If message boards with long-form posts were preferred by internet denizens, then we’d see lots of similar message boards. But instead, we see places where short comments and likes are the norm, like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, etc. IMO if the SDMB community wants to get new/younger members long-term you (we?) are going to have to migrate to one of the major social media platforms. Also probably the most likely one, reddit (while of course a cesspit in many ways and also a major change from a lot how the board works now) can be a good home for effort-posts and in-depth discussions on a lot of subjects if the community/mods of those subreddits are serious about cultivating it. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2022, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-demographics/970834/74 "2022-09-08T23:49:39Z")
The thing about reddit is that there are many thousands of subreddits. If you have a question about anything, there is a subreddit for it. Why would you ask in a general interest area? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2022, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-demographics/970834/75 "2022-09-08T23:51:59Z")
I know there’s at least one other member under 30 because there was a thread about it not too long ago. ETA: > [@Youngest Doper in 2021](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youngest-doper-in-2021/948020): > > Since this site is dominated by old fogeys these days, I was wondering who the youngest Doper is. If you’re under 30 and don’t mind sharing, reply with your age and how you discovered the forums. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-demographics/970834/76 "2022-09-09T00:03:25Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > The thing about reddit is that there are many thousands of subreddits. If you have a question about anything, there is a subreddit for it. Why would you ask in a general interest area? Yeah I think GQ/FQ would be the least likely element to survive the migration. The only real value in doing that would be if you want more or less the same community to be able to talk about most of the same things (especially in the other forums) but be able to keep growing. IDK if people really want that in any case. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-demographics/970834/77 "2022-09-09T00:13:03Z")
Now that I think about it, there are subreddits like that where there are regulars and occasional posters that “know” each other and they even have meetups. You have to be invited into them. The best one is /r/centuryclub which you can join if you have amassed over 100k in either link or post karma. It even has a few spin-off boards, one if which exists to point out drama and make fun of the main subreddit but you have to be invited into those. You can get good answers to general questions there too but more along the lines of “what are good mid-priced stereo speakers” rather than some of the more in depth history questions that pop up here. It has political threads and it skews very liberal. It really is a lot like the Dope. It sort of grew organically over the last ten years and it would be hard to repeat that. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-demographics/970834/78 "2022-09-09T00:33:32Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > But we lost many posters that didn’t return after the pay to post debacle. Considering you never had to pay to post, somehow I doubt this. Doubtless a few did but no one active that I know of. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-demographics/970834/79 "2022-09-09T00:54:58Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Considering you never had to pay to post You had 30 days for free. After that, you had to pay a yearly membership to post. We did lose some members because of it. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-demographics/970834/80 "2022-09-09T00:57:19Z")
HUH? Well, I guess I am wrong then, I thought if you didn’t pay you just saw ads. Okay, old dude memory failure. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-demographics/970834/81 "2022-09-09T01:01:24Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I thought if you didn’t pay you just saw ads. That came after pay to post. In fact, if you were a member or a charter member when we switched from vBulletin to Discourse, you are still in the member or charter member user group and you still don’t see ads. So that last year of paying for your membership really paid off. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-demographics/970834/82 "2022-09-09T01:02:30Z")
I was always willing to pay. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-demographics/970834.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-demographics/970834.md?page=5)