# I Am Here To State (about Ed's treatment in the SDMB Proposal Thread) **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 15, 2021, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-to-state-about-eds-treatment-in-the-sdmb-proposal-thread/944316 "2021-06-15T10:57:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 51
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-to-state-about-eds-treatment-in-the-sdmb-proposal-thread/944316/51 "2021-06-15T17:40:02Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Are you essentially saying that there is nowhere on this board where anyone is allowed to call him [hypothetical expletive] if that’s the way they feel? The rule since 2009 has been that you can only Pit the staff for their actions as posters. I find it unlikely that the people who are complaining about that very rule change have forgotten about that rule, so I doubt reminding them would help. As for the thread itself: it had already been driven hopelessly off-topic, in my opinion. The topic was “What can we do to keep the Straight Dope and the SDMB alive? Here’s one idea.” The second it veered off into “airing grievances about the OP’s past actions,” it was off topic, just like it would be for any other poster. There have already been two spinoff threads that seem to cover the original topic. so I don’t really see any reason for the mods to reopen the old thread after it had been taken so far off topic. > [@How would you prefer to support the SDMB?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-prefer-to-support-the-sdmb/944278): > > [poll](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-prefer-to-support-the-sdmb/944278/1) See here: [A modest proposal for the Straight Dope - #227 by Cecil\_Adams](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-modest-proposal-for-the-straight-dope/944055/227) There is some debate about the best way to support the site. We could have paid membershipa and/or having merchandise like t-shirts, hats and mugs. All things being equal, merchandise would produce less revenue per item than a membership. Using Cafe Press, there are no upfront costs to selling merch. A membership would grant one the ability to post in a special forum (plus, of course, to help keep the place afloat). C… > [@Why is the SDMB membership declining, and what's the best way to add younger members?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208): > > Continuing the discussion from [A modest proposal for the Straight Dope](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-modest-proposal-for-the-straight-dope/944055/164): Cecil\_Adams is proposing a plan to crowd source ideas for a new column. In the proposal, this is the problem he identifies. The current SDMB membership is aging out, and there needs to be new and younger members for the Dope to survive. Perhaps the answer to the issue of declining membership could also be crowd sourced. Maybe there will be other options available to remedy the problem of declining membership that can be… --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-to-state-about-eds-treatment-in-the-sdmb-proposal-thread/944316)._