# Guests and the Pit **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 6, 2012, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-and-the-pit/621038 "2012-05-06T01:45:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![srzss05](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@srzss05](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/srzss05)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-and-the-pit/621038/21 "2012-05-06T22:34:14Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > For a lot of us, it’s a community of people we know and know well. I can kind of understand that, but my main objection was to “most Boards do it”, and while I admit I don’t read dozens and dozens of boards, those that I do read don’t have a special place for fights. They are message boards, not communities (and they like it that way). ETA—or they just air their grievances in the thread that caused it ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-and-the-pit/621038/22 "2012-05-06T22:40:23Z")
Personally I’d rather curse at people than sit around a campfire singing songs. I do believe, however, that the titles are a bit misleading especially to new members who might not notice the date some of us signed up. I was even a Charter Member once but let mine lapse so now I’m just a “guest”. Maybe the titles could be changed: Guest 1-100 posts Member 100 or more Charter Member - the ones who pay Based on the number of posts the person has. The software can do that. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-and-the-pit/621038/23 "2012-05-06T22:43:39Z")
> [@Sister\_Vigilante](#): > > Personally I’d rather curse at people than sit around a campfire singing songs. > > I do believe, however, that the titles are a bit misleading especially to new members who might not notice the date some of us signed up. I was even a Charter Member once but let mine lapse so now I’m just a “guest”. > > Maybe the titles could be changed: > > Guest 1-100 posts > Member 100 or more > Charter Member - the ones who pay > > Based on the number of posts the person has. The software can do that. No need for such a 3-tierd system, but I like your idea of changing “guest” to “member”. Anyone registered is a member. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-and-the-pit/621038/24 "2012-05-06T23:09:38Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > No need for such a 3-tierd system, but I like your idea of changing “guest” to “member”. Anyone registered is a member. No, anybody who hasn’t paid is by definition a [del]freeloading parasite[/del] guest. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-and-the-pit/621038/25 "2012-05-06T23:11:49Z")
Er - As of the moment there are 3 tiers Guest - Non-paying Member - Paying, but not a charter member Charter Member - Has been paying at a discounted rate continuously since the board started passing around the plate. So we would need another term. “Newbie” might work for \<10 posts. But that would encourage post-padding. ---
**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:** [May 6, 2012, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-and-the-pit/621038/26 "2012-05-06T23:32:42Z")
> [@Sister\_Vigilante](#): > > Personally I’d rather curse at people than sit around a campfire singing songs. > > I do believe, however, that the titles are a bit misleading especially to new members who might not notice the date some of us signed up. I was even a Charter Member once but let mine lapse so now I’m just a “guest”. > > Maybe the titles could be changed: > > Guest 1-100 posts > Member 100 or more > Charter Member - the ones who pay > > Based on the number of posts the person has. The software can do that. The software can do it easily but that is not the model they choose. I believe they can also do it by time on the board. So Guests could be broken into categories in a way that wouldn’t promote post padding but I doubt it would really make any difference. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-and-the-pit/621038/27 "2012-05-07T01:15:44Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > The software can do it easily but that is not the model they choose. I believe they can also do it by time on the board. So Guests could be broken into categories in a way that wouldn’t promote post padding but I doubt it would really make any difference. Yes of course they can create multiple titles and requirements for those titles. They could create different levels. None of it makes a difference to me, but making people who have been here since 2000 “guests” is well, retardation. And by that I mean “slowness”. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-and-the-pit/621038/28 "2012-05-07T01:34:13Z")
In all fairness, I’ve made thousands of posts - but most of them are retarded. I don’t think it would be appropriate to label me as a member. eta: Perhaps village idiot? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-and-the-pit/621038/29 "2012-05-07T01:37:10Z")
> [@Sister\_Vigilante](#): > > Personally I’d rather curse at people than sit around a campfire singing songs. > > I do believe, however, that the titles are a bit misleading especially to new members who might not notice the date some of us signed up. I was even a Charter Member once but let mine lapse so now I’m just a “guest”. > > Maybe the titles could be changed: > > Guest 1-100 posts > Member 100 or more > Charter Member - the ones who pay > > Based on the number of posts the person has. The software can do that. Oh, that’d be a bad idea – at least with “Charter Member”. For some people, that title is almost sacred. There’d practically be riots. I’m only half-kidding. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-and-the-pit/621038/30 "2012-05-07T02:24:53Z")
At 43K posts, you get eggroll. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-and-the-pit/621038/31 "2012-05-07T16:28:38Z")
> [@Sister\_Vigilante](#): > > None of it makes a difference to me, but making people who have been here since 2000 “guests” is well, retardation. And by that I mean “slowness”. It’s not a new idea. Public radio and TV do exactly the same thing. They call people that chose to donate money members, and offer them small additional perks. The SDMB is doing the same. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-and-the-pit/621038/32 "2012-05-07T17:22:03Z")
> [@Lazlo Hapsburg](#): > > You are correct. > > I did not understand the term “Guest” properly and I did not understand that bad language is allowed in other forums just so it is not directed at other posters. > > I apologize for any inconvenience and thank you all for educating me about that. We do expect more civility in other forum areas not called The Pit. You don’t have to use profanity, though at times a well-placed curse is salutory and maybe even necessary. But not every other fucking word, goddammit. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-and-the-pit/621038/33 "2012-05-07T17:54:11Z")
Tuba, you replied in the wrong thread, dear. > [@Sister\_Vigilante](#): > > I do believe, however, that the titles are a bit misleading especially to new members who might not notice the date some of us signed up. I was even a Charter Member once but let mine lapse so now I’m just a “guest”. The titles mean exactly what they mean. Just because it might not be explicitly clear to newbies doesn’t make it necessary to change. > [@John\_Mace](#): > > No need for such a 3-tierd system, but I like your idea of changing “guest” to “member”. Anyone registered is a member. Well, there is a reason for at least 3 tiers - people who aren’t paying, people who pay the standard rate, and people who pay the special rate. What labels you choose to differentiate those groups may be a personal choice, but that is three distinctions to keep. I personally have no animosity toward being called a “guest” even though I’ve been an active poster since 1999. (There was a hiatus when the board went P2P.) I see no real need to differentiate those with less than 10 or less than 100 posts or whatever. “Newbies” show themselves by what they post, and if they hang around and fit in, they become accepted regardless of what label they carry. If not, well, there’s a fourth category we have reserved for them. (There’s also at least two other categories that haven’t been mentioned.) ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-and-the-pit/621038/34 "2012-05-07T23:44:22Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > (There’s also at least two other categories that haven’t been mentioned.) Yeah. What’s a **Registered User**? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-and-the-pit/621038/35 "2012-05-07T23:52:19Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > Yeah. What’s a **Registered User**? They haven’t finished the registration process. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2012, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-and-the-pit/621038/36 "2012-05-08T01:50:47Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > At 43K posts, you get eggroll. I’ve always wanted a goal in life… ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-and-the-pit/621038/37 "2012-05-08T19:41:12Z")
> [@Lazlo Hapsburg](#): > > Mostly by “adult”, I mean people here (for the most part) seem to treat each other in a civilized or dignified fashion. I know there is a lot of joking around that doesn’t seem too dignified. But when it comes down to it, most interactions on these boards seems to me to be more considerate and caring of other members. > > I really admire that and I take my hat off to all of you. > > In this thread, it would have been so easy for many people to criticize me for not having taken the time to learn the meaning of “Guest” or to read through the rules to properly understand the use of bad language as it applies to The Pit. > > Yet no one replied to me by implying the problem I described was all my fault - even though it was. > > I’m really impressed with the level of maturity here. And I will try to be more careful in the future. I have tried to be careful. I have only made a very small number of posts in the time I have been a Guest here. But I will try to be even more careful in the future. > > Thank you all. So what you are saying is that I read this thread too late to make fun of you with a clear conscience? And I can’t even make an Austro-Hungarian Empire jab? First **GermanicPride** gets banned before he even made the Pit and now the rest of you have made us seem adult and tolerant? :mad: 😉 ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-and-the-pit/621038/38 "2012-05-08T19:43:23Z")
> [@Lazlo Hapsburg](#): > > Why allow “guests” to be able to post anything they like in The Pit? If they are going to indulge in abusive conduct towards members, is it not reasonable to at least insist they provide an email address and make themselves vulnerable to the responses of other members? I am a “guest”. I used to be a member, but I let my subscription lapse. The “guest” title means nuthin’. Just so you know. EDIT: Aack! I see my point was already made. Nevermind me. Ooooh look! Shiny! ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-and-the-pit/621038/39 "2012-05-08T20:02:06Z")
> [@Jeez, can't we just save ourselves some trouble and just Ban Hitler apologists/deniers?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeez-cant-we-just-save-ourselves-some-trouble-and-just-ban-hitler-apologists-deniers/621238/55): > > Edit: Posting before finishing the thread. Still in the middle of page 1! > [@mlees](#): > > EDIT: Aack! I see my point was already made. Nevermind me. Ooooh look! Shiny! Maybe now you’ll actually read through the whole thread before posting? ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2012, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-and-the-pit/621038/40 "2012-05-08T20:14:43Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Maybe now you’ll actually read through the whole thread before posting? Nope. Can’t make me. _stick tongue out_ nyaaah! Basically, I post as soon as the thought hits me, otherwise I’ll forget what I was going to say. (I’m old, and easilly distracted.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-and-the-pit/621038.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guests-and-the-pit/621038.md?page=3)