# How is the SDMB supposed to stay in business... **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 10, 2006, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-sdmb-supposed-to-stay-in-business/379917 "2006-11-10T20:08:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [November 10, 2006, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-sdmb-supposed-to-stay-in-business/379917/1 "2006-11-10T20:08:54Z")
…if you ban people like **[ted\_baskerville@yahoo.com](mailto:ted_baskerville@yahoo.com)** BEFORE they pay their dues? He had just a few days left to his guest membership and he was a shoe in for joining. I mean, where else could he both proselytize AND talk about hot monkey sex? The philosophy that there is no room on the SDMB for annoying nutcases and f\*ckwits is fine, but we should wait until we get their $14.95 before banning them. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-sdmb-supposed-to-stay-in-business/379917/2 "2006-11-10T20:15:10Z")
Volume. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-sdmb-supposed-to-stay-in-business/379917/3 "2006-11-10T20:15:16Z")
I suspect it would be more lucrative to have an anti-membership drive. I’d be good for $5 to not let him get a membership. I got another ten to ban a few more recent f\*ckwits. Who else is in? ---
**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:** [November 10, 2006, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-sdmb-supposed-to-stay-in-business/379917/4 "2006-11-10T20:23:53Z")
Well, it’s a bit like belonging to an exclusive club. You don’t just pay for the comfy armchairs, and the paintings on the wall: you pay because they keep the riff-raff out. ---
**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 10, 2006, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-sdmb-supposed-to-stay-in-business/379917/5 "2006-11-10T20:32:43Z")
He had eight more days and was ratcheting up his stupidity. I am glad his plans were stopped earlier rather than later. His three latest threads were pretty obvious it seems. **WhyNot** , as we get so many nutters lately, I would go a dollar towards each of them. There is still one roaming around that will hopefully be handled soon. Jim ---
**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:** [November 10, 2006, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-sdmb-supposed-to-stay-in-business/379917/6 "2006-11-10T20:46:12Z")
[QUOTE=Giles] …you pay because they keep the riff-raff out. [/QUOTE] Yet they keep me. 😕 I like that “pay so they can’t play” plan. As soon as it got implemented I’d do my part by going off to $t0rmfr0nt for a while. We’d have new servers and Jerry would have a new car in no time! ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-sdmb-supposed-to-stay-in-business/379917/7 "2006-11-10T21:02:28Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] I suspect it would be more lucrative to have an anti-membership drive. [/QUOTE] I’m in. I think we should be able to sponsor some people to go away. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-sdmb-supposed-to-stay-in-business/379917/8 "2006-11-10T21:07:04Z")
If anyone wishes to pay **me** to go away, bidding starts at $250,000. ---
**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 10, 2006, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-sdmb-supposed-to-stay-in-business/379917/9 "2006-11-10T21:12:44Z")
[QUOTE=D\_Odds] If anyone wishes to pay **me** to go away, bidding starts at $250,000. [/QUOTE] No hope from me, I would pay for you to stay. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-sdmb-supposed-to-stay-in-business/379917/10 "2006-11-10T21:19:37Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] No hope from me, I would pay for you to stay. [/QUOTE] So you’re willing to counterbid? Fantastic! My Friday has been crappy so far - a good bidding war to start the weekend would be a great pick-me-up. ---
**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 10, 2006, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-sdmb-supposed-to-stay-in-business/379917/11 "2006-11-10T21:22:52Z")
[QUOTE=D\_Odds] So you’re willing to counterbid? Fantastic! My Friday has been crappy so far - a good bidding war to start the weekend would be a great pick-me-up. [/QUOTE] Yeah, but I have a set limit. I think $7.99 buys a year for a charter member. This is not going to make you or the dope rich. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-sdmb-supposed-to-stay-in-business/379917/12 "2006-11-10T22:18:37Z")
[QUOTE=dropzone] …if you ban people like **[ted\_baskerville@yahoo.com](mailto:ted_baskerville@yahoo.com)** BEFORE they pay their dues? [/QUOTE] Believe me. If we let people like that hang around just to take their money, it wouldn’t be worth the subscription for the rest of us. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2006, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-sdmb-supposed-to-stay-in-business/379917/13 "2006-11-10T22:23:26Z")
[QUOTE=D\_Odds] If anyone wishes to pay **me** to go away, bidding starts at $250,000. [/QUOTE] There won’t be much more of you left than a greasy spot after Wednesday the 22nd anyway. A dimes worth 409 will get rid of you then. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2006, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-sdmb-supposed-to-stay-in-business/379917/14 "2006-11-11T19:25:47Z")
[QUOTE=dropzone] The philosophy that there is no room on the SDMB for annoying nutcases and f\*ckwits is fine, but we should wait until we get their $14.95 before banning them. [/QUOTE] The guest period is not only for the newbies to try us out, it’s also for us to try them out. Taking their money and immediately banning them seems dishonest to me. If you know a guest isn’t going to fit in with our happy little family, get rid of them early and avoid the pain. I admit, **Ted** was good for entertainment value, but he was heading for a bad fall. Best we found that out now rather than later. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2006, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-sdmb-supposed-to-stay-in-business/379917/15 "2006-11-11T19:36:22Z")
I agree with **ivylass** , taking their money with the intention of then banning them is unethical. (However satisfying it would feel!) ---
**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:** [November 12, 2006, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-sdmb-supposed-to-stay-in-business/379917/16 "2006-11-12T05:42:41Z")
You angels take your ethics off to Great Debates or MPSIMS. We’re talking business here. (BIG 😉 !) ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2006, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-sdmb-supposed-to-stay-in-business/379917/17 "2006-11-12T12:55:38Z")
[QUOTE=dropzone] You angels take your ethics off to Great Debates or MPSIMS. We’re talking business here. (BIG 😉 !) [/QUOTE] And how many Pit threads have there been about Such and Such Business took my money wrongly and now they’re telling me to take a long walk off a short pier? Where is the demand for honesty in business, whether it’s the big conglomerates or little bitty message boards? If **Ted** had hid his light under a barrel and not revealed himself to be a jerk until after he signed up, then TPTB would have been justified in banning him. Indeed, he probably would have had been given more chances to poop all over the board because he _had_ paid, and the admins would want to give him a chance to redeem himself, because after all, he’d paid. But since he took off the trenchcoat during the guest period, we could see what he was and refused to let him stay. Think of the guest membership as an application/interview process. How hard is it to just not hire someone vs hiring them and then having to fire them later? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2006, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-sdmb-supposed-to-stay-in-business/379917/18 "2006-11-12T13:12:46Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] I suspect it would be more lucrative to have an anti-membership drive. I’d be good for $5 to not let him get a membership. I got another ten to ban a few more recent f\*ckwits. Who else is in? [/QUOTE] Even better - use the Ebay model and have bidding. I’ll bid $20 to have an exclusionist like **WhyNot** banned. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2006, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-sdmb-supposed-to-stay-in-business/379917/19 "2006-11-12T13:14:07Z")
Also, please, since he started trolling, we’d prefer that he not get attention or be discussed further. People who are looking for negative attention are delighted when they’re being talked about; silence will (one hopes) eventually drive them away. There’s been enough discussion at this point, I think. If you have further need for info, contact a moderator. If you want to start a general discussion about policies on banning guests, that’d be fine, but let’s keep individual names out of such a thread. OK?