# Have you noticed every other message board is populated by idiots? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 15, 2006, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-every-other-message-board-is-populated-by-idiots/380542 "2006-11-15T16:38:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-every-other-message-board-is-populated-by-idiots/380542/61 "2006-11-16T15:12:08Z")
[QUOTE=Veuve\_ClicquotNJ] I frequent a board for gastric bypass surgery [/QUOTE] Would you be willing to share that URL? My mom’s doctor recently brought this idea up, and she might be interested in at least lurking there a little. ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-every-other-message-board-is-populated-by-idiots/380542/62 "2006-11-16T15:16:33Z")
[QUOTE=Misnomer] Would you be willing to share that URL? My mom’s doctor recently brought this idea up, and she might be interested in at least lurking there a little. [/QUOTE] Absolutely. > **[Bariatric Surgery Support Community](https://www.obesityhelp.com/)** If I can answer any questions, I’d be happy to. VCNJ~ ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-every-other-message-board-is-populated-by-idiots/380542/63 "2006-11-16T15:42:39Z")
My eldest sister, who holds a PhD in education, and two Masters Degrees, one of them in English writes on line like a sixteen year old high school drop out. how r u No punctuation, no caps, no real sentence structure. Just stream of conscious crap with no effort at grammar. She uses every single bad grammar convention you find on the web. When I got the first email from her my reply was, What? You’re a freakin’ English teacher for God’s sake!! She now writes to me in complete sentences, with punctuation and paragraphs. I don’t know why, but the Internet seems to be a pernicious influence on English. Is that true for other languages? Is there fractured Japanese on the web? Do French kids say the equivalent of l33t speak? Tris ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-every-other-message-board-is-populated-by-idiots/380542/64 "2006-11-16T16:14:47Z")
[QUOTE=Barbarian] You should see what people post in some online games. This is one example > [@](#): > > im past crack but no check with my DC about words i have items from sell Your guess is as good as mine… [/QUOTE] That reads like my former boss’ e-mail, except that his would have been two paragraphs of uninterrupted run-on glurgage leaving you wondering whether he was informing you of something, demanding that you perform a task, or spamming nutritional supplements. I’m not saying there aren’t a few people hanging around who could use a brain implant, but generally speaking I don’t think the idiots can keep up. If only the SMDb could start some kind of intramural breeding program I suspect that _Homo sapiens doperis_ would speciate and split off from the rest of humanity in short order. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-every-other-message-board-is-populated-by-idiots/380542/65 "2006-11-16T16:44:30Z")
[QUOTE=Stranger On A Train] If only the SMDb could start some kind of intramural breeding program I suspect that _Homo sapiens doperis_ would speciate and split off from the rest of humanity in short order. [/QUOTE] Ahh, the sweet smell of eugenics in the morning. Signed, OneCentStamp 5’9" eyes brown hair brown blood type O- vision 20/50 without corrective lenses family history of cancer 😉 ---
**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:** [November 16, 2006, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-every-other-message-board-is-populated-by-idiots/380542/66 "2006-11-16T17:08:15Z")
I run a message board focusing on a niche topic – urban planning – and there is a fairly high level of discussion, even in the off-topic areas. I credit it to three things: 1. Demographics. The median age of a member of my board is in the low 30s. 2. Moderation. Moderation is very strict, in the manner of the SDMB and Something Awful. Strict moderation is required to ensure the site is seen as a legitimate resource by other planners. The moderators are also older, and they have less tolerance for AOL-speak. 3. Subject matter. Most people visit the site because they’re professional planners or planning students looking for information. They’re not likely to post a message like “Doodz teh zoning in teh city where i work is totally gay and sucks its old and traditional euclidian what can i do about it???” Even then, the site still isn’t taken seriously by some planners, who associate ALL forums with teenage one-liner posters. Instead, they prefer the seclusion of listservs. Older, more intelligent folks online might have joined a listserv early on, and became entrenched, not having the time or inclination to seek out or start a message board for their favorite topic. ---
**Author:** ![muzzynyc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@muzzynyc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muzzynyc)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-every-other-message-board-is-populated-by-idiots/380542/67 "2006-11-16T17:46:51Z")
[MetaFilter](http://www.metafilter.com) generally has a pretty high level of discussion. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-every-other-message-board-is-populated-by-idiots/380542/68 "2006-11-16T18:33:19Z")
[QUOTE=Stranger On A Train] …intramural breeding… [/QUOTE] What high school did **you** go to? ---
**Author:** ![kung\_fu\_lola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f4b2a3/32.png) [@kung\_fu\_lola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kung_fu_lola)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-every-other-message-board-is-populated-by-idiots/380542/69 "2006-11-16T18:37:47Z")
The Madonna boards are pretty good, actually. Better than you’d think. I’ve only seen two posters who consistently posted in all caps, and thread titles are pretty descriptive. Examples: \*\* \* [DL] RIT Rehearsals HQ REMASTERED(320 kbps) - New Madonna pictures in London - “Jump” jumps to #1 on the US chart - Mirwais Dug His Own Grave\*\* It’s all pretty gramatically correct. My biggest peeve is that people will inter-inter-inter-inter-inter-quote, so you get posts that look like this: > [@MadOnHer](#): > > > [@CTKatwalkK\*nt](#): > > > > > [@KeyboardPervy](#): > > > > > > > [@LustyStuartGurrl](#): > > > > > > > > Stuart is teh hotness > > > > > > Yeah, I love skinny British men who play keyboard, they make me horny > > > > In the pit at CT I kept waving to him and blowing him kisses - he winked at me during Music Inferno and I just melted! > > Stuart is so cheeky onstage, he didn’t have his own mic but you could tell because M was always sassing him when she went over to his board for her water - you’d catch her side of the convo cause she’d have the mic stuck down her top. This, combined with the HUGE showy signatures some people have, makes it very hard to scroll through and parse threads efficiently. I wish they would take away the quote button so you’d have to quote manually by typing in the code and c & ping the other person’s text. I think inter-quoting happens because people just press the “quote this post” button and don’t bother to modify the code to excise any quotes used by the post they are quoting. Also, I wish they would have a rule about only posting your sig ONCE per page, if not per thread. But I’m not a mod, what do I know. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-every-other-message-board-is-populated-by-idiots/380542/70 "2006-11-16T18:41:23Z")
Talking Broadway’s All That Chat is recognized as the best of the theatre forums. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-every-other-message-board-is-populated-by-idiots/380542/71 "2006-11-16T20:22:23Z")
Hmm… I’ve noticed a certain pattern in the message boards I frequent. The more technical or education-related the subject matter is, the better the writing (duh!) I regularly read [Tanknet.com](http://Tanknet.com), [Bobistheoilguy.com](http://Bobistheoilguy.com), [BrewBoard.com](http://BrewBoard.com), [Dodgeforum.com](http://Dodgeforum.com), [durango-dakota.com](http://durango-dakota.com) and this one. Tanknet is generally pretty good, although you get a lot of common misspellings and occasional sketchy grammar. I get the impression that most of the people there are either military history buffs and/or former officers and NCOs from english-speaking militaries. Bobistheoilguy is kind of perplexing. There are some really well-thought out posts (dope-esque, even!), interspersed with some nigh-on illiterate ones. I guess that’s what you get when you mix tribologists (lubrication engineers) with gearheads. You also get some pretty stunning ignorance of many concepts and facts that I consider pretty basic. BrewBoard is not too far from the Dope. Something about homebrewing or homebrewers makes them pretty articulate when it comes to message boards. The last two, the DodgeForum & Durango-Dakota boards, are pretty much bastions of meaty gear-headedness. Lots of moronic guys going on in length about how they tricked out their Dakota truck and lowered it, or how Quaker State is made of paraffin wax, or other idiotic stuff. And, while they’re doing this, they’re using worse grammar and spelling that I did in 3rd grade. It’s hard to read, but I wade through certain particular forums for technical info posts(I found the factory shop manuals for my truck in PDF there), and the occasional nugget of wisdom left by one of the non-apish posters. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-every-other-message-board-is-populated-by-idiots/380542/72 "2006-11-16T20:29:15Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] So’s this one, but we try harder to not let it show. 😃 [/QUOTE] Damn but you’re on form! Maybe it’s self-selecting, but the other message boards I frequent seem to be pretty good too. Enworld is the only other message board to which I post frequently, but I browse Avforums and SFFtech regularly. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-every-other-message-board-is-populated-by-idiots/380542/73 "2006-11-16T23:55:29Z")
My only semi-related observation is, and sadly I see it sometimes apply here as well, that question marks seem to be in short supply. Why is that? Why do people type out a query and then turn it into a declarative statement? It drives me batshit. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-every-other-message-board-is-populated-by-idiots/380542/74 "2006-11-17T00:11:15Z")
TalkBass - not many idiots here. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-every-other-message-board-is-populated-by-idiots/380542/75 "2006-11-17T00:35:23Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] TalkBass - not many idiots here. [/QUOTE] That’s because bass players tend to be the more intelligent musicians. We need good communication skills so that we’re able to translate the keyboard player’s complex jargon into simple, one-syllable words that the drummer can understand. We also need to be able to mediate the ego conflicts between the guitarist and lead singer, which calls for clear communication. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-every-other-message-board-is-populated-by-idiots/380542/76 "2006-11-17T01:34:01Z")
[QUOTE=Triskadecamus] I don’t know why, but the Internet seems to be a pernicious influence on English. Is that true for other languages? Is there fractured Japanese on the web? Do French kids say the equivalent of l33t speak? Tris [/QUOTE] Oh, you better believe it. Korean l33tspeak makes my brain hurt. Plus, they think it’s cute to use little animated GIFs when chatting on MSN. For example, the word “mal” means both “horse” and “to speak” in Korean. One of my friends set up her MSN chat so every time she types in “mal” a little animated horse pops up instead. So when she types: Her: You know what I’m saying? the message I get is: Her: You know what I’m \? It drives me CRAZY. She is a freakin’ certified accountant with a degree from one of the best universities in Korea. And she communicates, not only with pictures, but with PUNNING pictures. God save us all. ---
**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:** [November 17, 2006, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-every-other-message-board-is-populated-by-idiots/380542/77 "2006-11-17T01:50:38Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] TalkBass - not many idiots here. [/QUOTE] For just a moment I thought there was a board devoted strictly to my favorite Ale. But No! 😃 I wonder if my Nephew knows that board, he plays base for a local metal band. I’ll have to ask him. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-every-other-message-board-is-populated-by-idiots/380542/78 "2006-11-17T02:45:35Z")
[QUOTE=Phase42] That’s because bass players tend to be the more intelligent musicians. We need good communication skills so that we’re able to translate the keyboard player’s complex jargon into simple, one-syllable words that the drummer can understand. We also need to be able to mediate the ego conflicts between the guitarist and lead singer, which calls for clear communication. 😃 [/QUOTE] Thanks - I always knew there must be a reason to have bass players in bands! (ducks, runs, etc.) My husband and I are on a message board that split off from the poker boards when the U.S. government shoved its head firmly up its ass, and I’m so frustrated with the political/debate threads over there that I’m starting to bait people. Arrgh. Most of them wouldn’t recognize an original thought if it crept up on them and bite them in the ass (even the paranoid conspiracy nuts). It is a shocking contrast to read this board and that one at the same time. Of course, in all fairness, that board is mostly a poker board with a side order of sex talk. I’m just totally spoiled by The Dope. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-every-other-message-board-is-populated-by-idiots/380542/79 "2006-11-17T02:53:52Z")
I think what I like about this place is that “my post is my cite” is actually used as a form of ridicule by posters on every side of the issues. The idea of actually having to back up what you say with some hard evidence is completely alien to many boards. I used to post in the news forums at JapanToday (now CrissCross), but at some point the owners concluded that flamewars -\> more posts -\> more pageviews -\> more ad revenue, and began steering the place straight into the sewer. When it became clear that the newspaper’s own editors were trolls trying to provoke one screaming match after another by framing their articles to be as outrage-inspiring as possible, I gave up. ---
**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:** [November 17, 2006, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-every-other-message-board-is-populated-by-idiots/380542/80 "2006-11-17T02:57:41Z")
[QUOTE=Sublight] I think what I like about this place is that “ **my post is my cite** ” is actually used as a form of ridicule by posters on every side of the issues. [/QUOTE] I miss **Aldeberon**. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-every-other-message-board-is-populated-by-idiots/380542.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-every-other-message-board-is-populated-by-idiots/380542.md?page=5)