I don’t regret spending $5 to become a member. I’ve certainly gotten more than $5 worth of enjoyment from the lurking I’ve done. And I don’t begrudge the administration operating expenses.
But (and like PeeWee says, “everybody’s got a big but. . . .”) it seems to me like the quality of threads in the Great Debates has declined. And the decline seems to have been recent. I have frequented (lurked) on the other boards much so I can’t vouch for them.
Now is this just me?
Is it just a natural ebb and flow of the boards? Is there nothing new to debate right now? Am I just being more critical because I have invested money (albeit a mere pittance)?
It’s the “golden years” syndrome. You only remember the highlights. If the boards really were as good as you remember, you’d never get anything done for reading them. Wait…
I haven’t noticed a major difference. If anything, it’s gotten better, cause the board’s more reliable. There’s fewer threads, but the ones here are pretty good. But I don’t go in GD, so maybe I’m missing something.
There’s a certain ebb and flow to the boards, in all the fora. There’ll be a lot of really cool stuff for a while, then there’ll be a spell of same shit, different day. Then there’ll be a spate of more interesting stuff, followed by another lull. It’s just the natural rhythm of the boards. If you still think it’s crappy after a few weeks, then maybe it’s gone downhill, or maybe you’re more critical.
Great Debates is a bit cluttered up with some witnessing by racialists at the moment, but the threads not started by brick walls trying to make a point are as good as ever.
I happened to join right when we were in the middle of our epic battle with the LBMB, and half the threads were from angry teenage creationists posting the latest proof that the Earth was only 4000 years old and that fossils are Satanic forgeries. Compared to that time, the number of wanker trolls right now is actually pretty small, and I imagine it will get smaller once the one-month grace period runs out. It’s true that I don’t post so much in GD, but’s that’s mainly because most of the topics are repeats of stuff that’s I’ve already debated.
Do you folks who are dissatisfied with GD ever wander over to the Comments on Cecil’s Columns or Comments on Staff Reports fora? I notice that those fora get fewer hits than the others, but they often have pretty spirited discussions (about equally divided between differences of opinions among experts and battles against loons).
They even have a separate cast of characters. Some of us overlap, but there are regulars, there, that never venture out into The Pit or GD and would not be caught dead in MPSIMS.
I sometimes feel the same way, untill I realize that its just the the current subjects are of no interest to, or are irritating, to me. Check back in a few days, all will be well again.
I think the SDMB is one of the bestest boards out there, and I have tried a few others. If you think the SDMB lacks quality, try visiting this one…methinks you’ll be back here real fast.
Unless of course, you enjoy nasty, near-worthless banter…in which case, hey - knock yerself out.
The SDMB is the only board on the entire net that’s ever managed to hold my attention for any length of time. I was a lurker from some time near the beginning and finally created my account in January of 2001, if I remember correctly. I wouldn’t give up the SDMB for anything. I’d have paid $5 a month for continued access, so the $5 a year thing was a no-brainer (I hate that term, don’t you?) FWIW, I only ever read GQ, IMHO and MPSIMS. I don’t have much interest in questions without answers (i.e. GD) or flame wars (the Pit) and I’ve just never really checked out “comment on Cecil’s columns” or ATMB (except when major changes to the board happen, like the subscription thing).
On an unrelated note, this will be the first time since the last vBulletin upgrade that I’ve remembered to uncheck the “show your signature” box.
