# I Keep SDMB A Secret From Friends. Am I Bad? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 11, 2003, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-sdmb-a-secret-from-friends-am-i-bad/147937 "2003-01-11T09:07:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-sdmb-a-secret-from-friends-am-i-bad/147937/1 "2003-01-11T09:07:48Z")
I know lots of friends who would probably like this board a lot. But I have never told anyone about it. I am sometimes amazed that people have spouses on the board. I like the fact that I can rant, spout, chat, spill my guts, be honest, be inquisitive, ask really stupid questions and sometimes unintentionally make an ass of myself without someone I personally know reading it. Am I being bad? Does anyone else keep this board (and only this board) a secret from their friends? ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-sdmb-a-secret-from-friends-am-i-bad/147937/2 "2003-01-11T10:18:23Z")
Yes, you are bad! Forty lashes with the wet noodle for you! Or perhaps a turn in the pillow fight thread instead…your pick! Seriously, I tell _my_ friends about it; it’s the only way I can justify my excessive time on the computer. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![kitarak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kitarak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitarak)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-sdmb-a-secret-from-friends-am-i-bad/147937/3 "2003-01-11T10:52:01Z")
I don’t keep it a secret from my friends as such. I casually mention it from time to time, but I never encourage them to take a look at it. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-sdmb-a-secret-from-friends-am-i-bad/147937/4 "2003-01-11T11:59:35Z")
Tell your friends. A friend of mine told me about this board and I’m glad she did. We actually mention it in our conversations from time to time! :eek: And in answer to your question, yes. You are a bad person. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-sdmb-a-secret-from-friends-am-i-bad/147937/5 "2003-01-11T13:57:00Z")
I tell people. They just listen, nod their heads, and then give me one of those expressive looks halfway between “We’re your friends, we know you talk crazy like that,” and “Are you _sure_ you don’t need the meds today?” 🙂 Except for an exception or two. ---
**Author:** ![Alexxandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/278dde/32.png) [@Alexxandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alexxandra)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-sdmb-a-secret-from-friends-am-i-bad/147937/6 "2003-01-11T14:26:40Z")
I’ve told my friends about The Message Board. I love this place. They think I’m vaguely nuts. I’m kind of glad they never come here, though. It let me be more honest. And if I vent about them in the pit, nobody is the wiser.😉 ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-sdmb-a-secret-from-friends-am-i-bad/147937/7 "2003-01-11T14:58:10Z")
My husband is aware of this board and my username, but he doesn’t bother coming here, I don’t think. I would never tell any friends, though. This is MY place to do my thing. Kind of like a favorite coffee shop where you just like to hang with a totally different crowd. ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-sdmb-a-secret-from-friends-am-i-bad/147937/8 "2003-01-11T14:59:27Z")
I admin anther board focusing on the local punk scene, and I’ll be damned if I ever mention the SDMB there. If some of those idiots decided to come over, you people would tan my hide. ---
**Author:** ![Marconi\_Schmeese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@Marconi\_Schmeese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marconi_Schmeese)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-sdmb-a-secret-from-friends-am-i-bad/147937/9 "2003-01-11T16:05:14Z")
I agree with Zette. I don’t tell a soul - if I quote something off the boards, I just say: “I saw something cool on my messageboard the other day. . . . .” ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-sdmb-a-secret-from-friends-am-i-bad/147937/10 "2003-01-11T16:20:59Z")
After finding the SDMB for myself I have encouraged several people to join ( **Palve** , **Jewlz** , and **Kplmonkeypants** , I think those are the right spellings). Only palve had any real time here, the other two kinda stopped posting after a couple weeks. Palve went onto other addictions, but he does post from time to time. I tell many people about the SDMB, mostly in explaining where I learned some fact, where I was on a weekend (explaining what a dopefest is, you have no idea how many times I’ve had to say IT’S JUST A NAME, IT HAS NOTHNING TO DO WITH DRUGS!). I’ve never really had anyone express interest, if anyone had, I would gladly tell them how to join. The few people that I have begged to join (and they have) were people that I knew I could trust, because here on the SDMB I sometimes ask advice on subjects that I would rather not have discussed in rl. ---
**Author:** ![raz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@raz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raz)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-sdmb-a-secret-from-friends-am-i-bad/147937/11 "2003-01-11T16:55:45Z")
I tell my friends about the boards all the time, and everyone thinks I’m retarted. I say, “If you went to the Straightdope every day, you would be hooked”, and the day they finally do go there aren’t any great threads so they lose interest. Oh well, its my little secret! Mr. CelicaFreak (AKA my boyfriend) frequents [Celica.net](http://Celica.net) and crap like that. He doesn’t like Straightdope because he says its not about anything in particular and its just a bunch of random people talking about nothing. Im glad he didn’t stick around. ---
**Author:** ![Eli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@Eli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eli)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-sdmb-a-secret-from-friends-am-i-bad/147937/12 "2003-01-11T17:07:37Z")
> [@](#): > > I agree with Zette. I don’t tell a soul - if I quote something off the boards, I just say: “I saw something cool on my messageboard the other day. . . . .” I do the same. Not about SDMB though since it’s not my “home forum”. “This is MY place to do my thing. Kind of like a favorite coffee shop where you just like to hang with a totally different crowd.” Pretty much sums it up. ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-sdmb-a-secret-from-friends-am-i-bad/147937/13 "2003-01-11T17:53:34Z")
Well, if I _had_ any friends I’m sure I’d tell them, but … ::sigh:: I did tell my husband, though. He registered last week and has only participated in one thread. I guess you’ve got to have a sort of addictive personality to truly appreciate the SDMB in all its splendor. ---
**Author:** ![JessEnigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cdc98d/32.png) [@JessEnigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JessEnigma)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-sdmb-a-secret-from-friends-am-i-bad/147937/14 "2003-01-11T18:32:48Z")
Only one of my friends knows about this board. I’ll give her links to some of the threads that I think she would like. I keep telling her that she ought to consider registering, if only to participate in Cafe Society, but she hasn’t yet (as far as I know…) My other friends aren’t quite addicted to the internet and I rarely recommend websites of any kind to them. My best friend would be a fantastic fit here, but she doesn’t get online very often. A bit pointless to get her to register. It would be quite different, however, if my friends were here. My personality emerges differently here. I keep this mostly to myself for now. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-sdmb-a-secret-from-friends-am-i-bad/147937/15 "2003-01-11T18:43:19Z")
I don’t tell 'em. It’s best for me to keep these things separate. My wife knows about it but has little interest. Haj ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-sdmb-a-secret-from-friends-am-i-bad/147937/16 "2003-01-11T18:51:17Z")
I mentioned it to one group - even gave them a link. No response. No biggie. I’ve shared threads with my husband but he’s not interested in being a member. My daughter joined, but was lost in the great crash last year, and she’s never rejoined. Again, no biggie. It’s my playground. And there are some folks I refuse to mention it to. I don’t want them here - one idiot in particular. No, only the truly worthy will be directed here by me. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-sdmb-a-secret-from-friends-am-i-bad/147937/17 "2003-01-11T19:13:53Z")
I told my roommate–my only one last year and my only sane one this year, she’s ( **Shadez** ), btw–and most of my friends are aware of its existence. However, most of them don’t know my username, and I won’t tell them what it is. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-sdmb-a-secret-from-friends-am-i-bad/147937/18 "2003-01-11T20:04:54Z")
I agree that it is better to keep it to yourself. I tell people about things from the “message board”, but not by name. Most people are so _internet naive_ that they think anything like this means you’re having **cybersex**. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-sdmb-a-secret-from-friends-am-i-bad/147937/19 "2003-01-11T20:30:55Z")
I sometimes worry that people I know are on this board and I am not aware of it… but I’d say 99% of the people I know are aware of my positions on everything I talk about, so no biggie. I send my mom links all the time, she loves lurking and I think she even signed up (I seem to recall her mentioning that she posted to a thread, but I never asked what her name was). But I never say anything I wouldn’t mind her hearing anyway (hell, she knows what I’m like). I’ve yet to hold back on the dope, but I still wonder, sometimes. There are some people from work that I don’t think I’d appreciate reading what I say… that could make some things… difficult. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-sdmb-a-secret-from-friends-am-i-bad/147937/20 "2003-01-11T21:16:00Z")
When I see something of interest here I will tell family members, friends and co-workers, “I read about it on the Internet” but I don’t specify this board as my source and none of them has ever asked me for more information. Even if I did mention this place they wouldn’t know my username, though some of them may figure out who I am if they were to see my username and “decipher” it (my initials followed by the year in which I was born). For all they know I may just be a lurker here. Like most people, I’d rather not reveal to my closest acquaintences the things I have posted here since I have ranted on friends and co-workers, I’ve posted facts about myself and opinions that I wouldn’t want friends, family or co-workers to know. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-keep-sdmb-a-secret-from-friends-am-i-bad/147937.md?page=2)