# "General" forums on webboards otherwise devoted to other topics **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 6, 2007, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-forums-on-webboards-otherwise-devoted-to-other-topics/394830 "2007-03-06T18:18:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-forums-on-webboards-otherwise-devoted-to-other-topics/394830/1 "2007-03-06T18:18:19Z")
Why do people post so much in these places? For example, I hang out at the [Subsim Radio Room](http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/) (devoted to submarine sims of all models). The subboard with the most posts is for SH3. The second most? You guessed it their General Forum. You’ll almost invariably see the same thing wherever you go. For me the only reason I go to a board is for information on the game/product/ideas being discussed there. If I wanted to discuss politics I’d go to a political board, and not hash things out in a general forum. Now I do post in there once in a great while, but not usually as a matter of due course. Now the SDMB is organized along completely different lines, since we field topics of just about every conceivable kind, so here doesn’t count. So what purpose do these general forums (non SDMB) serve? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-forums-on-webboards-otherwise-devoted-to-other-topics/394830/2 "2007-03-06T18:38:10Z")
They increase the relevancy of the dedicated forums by providing a place for off topic stuff to live. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-forums-on-webboards-otherwise-devoted-to-other-topics/394830/3 "2007-03-06T18:43:00Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] They increase the relevancy of the dedicated forums by providing a place for off topic stuff to live. [/QUOTE] People spend so much time at _their_ board that when they have an OT question, instead of finding a new board, registering etc…, they can start by asking their online friends. At least that’s my take on it. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-forums-on-webboards-otherwise-devoted-to-other-topics/394830/4 "2007-03-06T18:56:18Z")
Look at how many people post at MPSIMS here, which is pretty much our “general” board. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-forums-on-webboards-otherwise-devoted-to-other-topics/394830/5 "2007-03-06T20:00:03Z")
I think it’s interesting to discuss general topics with people that share your same interests (cars, motorcycles, C++, whatever.) The Straight Dope message board is unusual in that the whole board is general topics, it’s a “board about nothing”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Barrington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Barrington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barrington)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-forums-on-webboards-otherwise-devoted-to-other-topics/394830/6 "2007-03-06T20:02:23Z")
[QUOTE=John DiFool] Why do people post so much in these places? For example, I hang out at the [Subsim Radio Room](http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/) (devoted to submarine sims of all models). The subboard with the most posts is for SH3. The second most? You guessed it their General Forum. [/QUOTE] Nothing much to add, except I’ve noticed the same thing there, and stay well clear of the General forum. There’s too much ignorance in there for my tastes. But waves to a fellow subsimmer and SH3 player. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-forums-on-webboards-otherwise-devoted-to-other-topics/394830/7 "2007-03-06T22:20:56Z")
World of Warcraft has a “General” forum, but the topics are restricted to questions/opinions about that game or game related material only. There are also a bunch of sub forums for specific topics, such as player-vs-player strategy discussions. If you want to bash President Bush, you have to do that in the “off topic” forum. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-forums-on-webboards-otherwise-devoted-to-other-topics/394830/8 "2007-03-06T22:29:42Z")
[QUOTE=control-z] The Straight Dope message board is unusual in that the whole board is general topics, it’s a “board about nothing”. 😃 [/QUOTE] I completely disagree. The Straight Dope is a board about everything. (But I can see where the confusion arises). ---
**Author:** ![DJ\_Motorbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@DJ\_Motorbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DJ_Motorbike)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-forums-on-webboards-otherwise-devoted-to-other-topics/394830/9 "2007-03-06T23:50:49Z")
No, it’s about nothing. For instance - what did I do today? I got up and went to work. That’s a topic. ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-forums-on-webboards-otherwise-devoted-to-other-topics/394830/10 "2007-03-06T23:57:01Z")
How is that a topic? Well, uh, maybe something happens on the way to work. No, no, no. Nothing happens. Well, something happens. Well, why am I reading it? Because it’s on The Internet. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2007, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-forums-on-webboards-otherwise-devoted-to-other-topics/394830/11 "2007-03-08T03:26:14Z")
On an urban planning board I run – damn, third time I’ve referenced it this week – the off-topic subforum has about two-thirds of all the posts. I call it the glue that holds the board together; it’s something that really allows people to get to know each other, and thus build friendships, community and a loyal userbase. It also gets regulars visiting the site during off-hours and weekends; it becomes something that’s fun, not just a professional resource. The quality of discussion in the off-topic area is at about the same level of the SDMB. It’s even attracted some non-planners to the site. Since I added the off-topic subforum in 2001, forum usage and membership jumped. The problem with an off-topic board? The “blueshirts” (very serious planner’s planners), “plannerati” (very prominent “celebrity” planners) and academics see threads like “Judge an owner by the car”, “The Antichrist as a pacifist, ecologist and ecumenist” and a 900 post “Neverending Beer Thread”, and think that the site isn’t “serious.” They tend to stick to dry listservs that seldom see an emoticon among the messages. I could keep the off-topic area and the “not serious” among some because of its presence, or I could get rid of it and earn some respect, but lose a LOT of traffic and a great community in the process.