My girlfriend and I were talking about something (can’t honestly remember what) and I mentioned something that I learned from the Straight Dope Message Board[sup]TM[/sup]. Of course, not being a doper, or really any kind of internet surfer for that matter, I had to explain to her what exactly the SDMB is. It occurred to me: What is the best way to do this?
Some thoughts:
Referring to it only as “an internet message board” makes it sound, well rather trivial. Definitely not the desired effect when using the SDMB as a cite in your arguement.
I’d like to somehow include Father Cecil in this. After all, it was created in His image. But if I got my info from the SDMB its not really correct to attribute it to The World’s Smartest Human.
Well, um, as you know, it really is quite an intelligent crew here. There are plenty of doctors, lawyers, soldiers, writers, techno geeks, Best Buy employees, postal workers, and I’d say an expert on just about any/everything.
So anyway, what you do when you need to reference the SDMB? How can you compress all the above into 2 sentences or less? <----$10[sup]6[/sup] question…
BTW, being put on the spot, I believe I settled for “Oh, its like a gathering point for intelectuals…” but I’m not to satisfied with that
This probably won’t help, but reflecting on how I’ve described it over time (ha ha, new as of last weekend):
I called it a think tank of Cecil disciples, composed of writers, arm-chair philosophers, twisted intellectuals and slayingly humorous types, who find nothing too trivial or complex to ponder.
I simply refer to this place as “the international messageboard I’m a member of”. In New Zealand, the great Cecil doesn’t have that high a profile, more’s th’ pity.
I’m with kniz. I just usually say “this message board site I go to.”
Not out of disrespect for the SDMB, but because if many of the people I talk to were to join, it would really drag down the average intelligence and respectability level around here. I give out limited information, because I don’t want them to end up joining.
Agreed, about the potential limitations on freedom of speech if many people you know joined. I pretty much tacked on the “disciples of Cecil” part for Jayrot’s stated purposes. Myself, I have to stop thinking no one I know will ever figure it out when I’m making allusions to it, and shut up!
But I still say “Think Tank” is pretty good, if I do say so myself, for someone like Jayrot who wants to imply brain power with just a few descriptive words.
This is interesting. Now that you mention it, I guess I’d have to agree with you. Most people I know probably wouldn’t fit in well here. (Although I’d love for my GF to become a regular poster/reader) It’s just that sometimes it’s handy to be able to describe this board as more than just an “international message board”. I mean, after all, we are fighting ignorance, aren’t we? And, alas, even here in California, Cecil has received the acclaim and notoriety he deserves.
I call it “the message board”. And I don’t want a lot of people I know joining either, because what if I wanted to start a Pit rant about them and call them a bunch of fartpuppies? My father surfs the net sometimes, and I hope and pray he never comes across this place.
To my friends and family I say the SDMB as they all know about it. Actually some of my closest friends post here because of me banging on about the board all the time. I’ve no problem with them being here as there’s nothing I could say here that I wouldn’t say to them. In fact if anything it’s the opposite. I hold back a lot here as I don’t know my audience whereas when I’m with my friends I do.
When I’m talking to somebody I don’t know that well I generally say something "somebody was telling me the other day that … " or “I read the other day that …”
Some people think you’re weird if you talk about a internet message board that you post too and every now and then meet up with people who you’ve never met before etc. Hell, I used to be one of those sorts of people
I tell people that it’s a message board where you can get the answer to any question on any topic from a variety of experts on issues ranging anywhere from “Is this a good movie?” and “dating advice” to “Why is the sky blue?” and “the theory of relativity” and everything in between.
“No, it’s not about drugs… it’s this message board on the Internet… yes, online. People go on there and post stuff… you know, talk about stuff… okay, bye.”
I just call this “my boards” or “the board I post at”, though if I were to quote a bit of information, I would just say that I read it somewhere. The only people who hear me refer to the SDMB in conversation already know what it is…they use message boards themselves and understand quite well.
