# I need a new message board a lot like the Straight Dope **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 24, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-message-board-a-lot-like-the-straight-dope/487285 "2009-02-24T22:32:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-message-board-a-lot-like-the-straight-dope/487285/81 "2009-02-26T07:10:35Z")
> [@neutron\_star](#): > > On many of the subforums on SA, you can get probated or banned if you consistently don’t use proper capitalization/punctuation, or if you use too much AOL-speak. And some slang (e.g. LULZ, FTW) is punishable after only a single use. > > The frowning-on of stuff like that is what reminds me of the SDMB a bit. Yeah, and from what I just read over there, they crack down on empty posts (like quoting someone and just saying “this”). There’s a [forum](http://forums.somethingawful.com/banlist.php) where you can go see all the people who were put on probation and what it’s for. They also have differing amounts of time for probation: 12 hrs, 1 day, 3 days, a week, a month. Seems like much stricter modding than around here, if you ask me. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Quack\_s\_Echo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f0a364/32.png) [@Duck\_Quack\_s\_Echo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Quack_s_Echo)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-message-board-a-lot-like-the-straight-dope/487285/82 "2009-02-26T07:34:59Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > I’ve been thinking the same thing. > > I’m a member of another board that i like, and i think that from now on i’m going to be spending far more time there than here. Here’s a rundown on the good and the bad (or, perhaps, the “same” and the “different”) of that board. > > Here’s the board: [Urban75](http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/index.php) > > Stuff that isn’t very different on Urban75 than on the SDMB: > [ul] > [li] quite a lot of smart people[/li][li] feeling of community[/li][li] good discussions of politics, history, culture, etc., etc.[/li][li] lots of good answers to GQ-type questions[/li][li] decent moderation (although the mods maintain less distinction between their regular posts and their Mod posts than the SDMB)[/li][/ul] > > Stuff where Urban75 is quite different from the SDMB: > [ul] > [li] smaller membership (or at least, it seems that way to me)[/li][li] not as many threads; less thread turnover than SDMB[/li][li] threads tend to run longer, on average, and develop into real extended conversations, more often than on the Dope[/li][li] politics; if you thought the Dope was left/liberal, it often looks conservative compared to Urban. There are a few avowed socialists, communists, and anarchists there; but there are also plenty of mainstream liberal/progressive types, and some conservatives. There’s still no shortage of heated debate and acrimony, but the flavor tends to be somewhat different from the Dope.[/li][li] geographic orientation;Urban is based in the UK, and the discussion tends to be UK-centric in the same way that the Dope tends to be US-centric[/li][li] No BBQ Pit. Insults are allowed in any forum, although if things get out of hand the mods do step in. The lack of restrictions on insults does lead to some thread derailings, but there are plenty of vigorous discussions that don’t descend into name-calling.[/li][li] much more _laissez-faire_ attitude to discussions about illegal topics. There is a forum specifically devoted to Drugs, and there are also frequent discussions about file sharing, bittorrent, etc.[/li][/ul] > > I think that just about does it. I think (and hope) that i’ve given a reasonably fair and accurate description, one that does justice to Urban75 and to the Straight Dope. Anyway, if that sounds interesting, you should check it out. I use the same handle over there. There are a few other former Dopers there (including our old friend **Aldebaran** ), and (i think) a few current ones. I’m another who will suggest Urban. I’m much more active there than I am here. Has a great community feel to it and the humour is more to my style than the humour here, innit :D. And ‘editor’ (the owner of the site) will never allow advertising. Donations are welcome but not at all compulsory. But then I’m an Aussie who used to be a Yank and have a daughter who lives in London. So a foot in several camps is justified. 🙂 I’ve actually met some Urbanites but never met any Dopers. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-message-board-a-lot-like-the-straight-dope/487285/83 "2009-02-26T07:45:38Z")
:smack: I’ve been thinking of PMing a few people who said that they now have places where they go to ask them where those places are. Of course, **featherlou** already has a thread asking for that. Just when you think that you’re the only one feeling a certain way. . . GMTA!\* \*great minds think alike ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-message-board-a-lot-like-the-straight-dope/487285/84 "2009-02-26T08:14:08Z")
**mhendo** , thanks for the suggestion. I’ll have to check it out, especially since I’ve been getting into Democratic Socialism and anarchist practice lately. Hostile Dialect, Hostile Dialect, Narcissist ---
**Author:** ![Aquila\_Be](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a698b9/32.png) [@Aquila\_Be](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquila_Be)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-message-board-a-lot-like-the-straight-dope/487285/85 "2009-02-26T09:59:55Z")
> [@neutron\_star](#): > > That’s because he almost definitely wasn’t serious if he said that in LF. He most definitely was serious. The whole “Death to Israel” thread was totally serious. Everyone on that thread was screaming with rage about Israel’s overreaction to what the armchair Arafat’s there kept referring to as Hamas “bottle rockets”. The worst thing was that his post on p230 pretty much fitted right in with the rest of the posts on the thread which went for about 250 pages (thread now disappeared and I don’t think I’m allowed to link to the post from SDMB). ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-message-board-a-lot-like-the-straight-dope/487285/86 "2009-02-26T15:01:22Z")
The whole point of Laissez-Faire and several other forums is to allow less than serious posting, including what would generally be considered trolling at other boards. So no, it’s not likely that any individual poster in there is being serious when they post a highly controversial opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-message-board-a-lot-like-the-straight-dope/487285/87 "2009-02-26T15:33:40Z")
There’s also [domebo](http://domebo.net/forum). ---
**Author:** ![BJMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@BJMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BJMoose)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-message-board-a-lot-like-the-straight-dope/487285/88 "2009-02-26T16:46:01Z")
> [@SoulFrost](#): > > You could try [TalkRational](http://www.talkrational.org). There are a few Dopers, former and current, who post there (but I won’t out them here.) Interesting. For the past ten days the mods there have been discussion an “insult rule.” A thousand times more interesting: the mod discussion is taking place _in the open_. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-message-board-a-lot-like-the-straight-dope/487285/89 "2009-02-26T17:34:22Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I think I’m gonna give “Real Life” a try. What is this " real life" you mention? ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-message-board-a-lot-like-the-straight-dope/487285/90 "2009-02-26T17:54:51Z")
> [@Shirley\_Ujest](#): > > What is this " real life" you mention? I think I’ve heard of it. Something about “going places”, “interacting with people”, and “doing things”. Sounds fishy to me. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-message-board-a-lot-like-the-straight-dope/487285/91 "2009-02-26T18:23:26Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > I think I’ve heard of it. Something about “going places”, “interacting with people”, and “doing things”. Sounds fishy to me. Apparently the interface is called ‘Fresh Air.’ I dunno, it sounds dangerous to me. ---
**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:** [February 26, 2009, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-message-board-a-lot-like-the-straight-dope/487285/92 "2009-02-26T19:37:03Z")
> [@BJMoose](#): > > Interesting. For the past ten days the mods there have been discussion an “insult rule.” > > A thousand times more interesting: the mod discussion is taking place _in the open_. That really is interesting; I suspect that mod discussions are nowhere near as interesting as we might think they are, but things you aren’t allowed to see always seem much more glamourous than they really are. (Thanks, **Capt. Ridley**.) ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-message-board-a-lot-like-the-straight-dope/487285/93 "2009-02-26T20:15:08Z")
> [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](#): > > There’s also [domebo](http://domebo.net/forum). Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-message-board-a-lot-like-the-straight-dope/487285/94 "2009-02-26T20:41:07Z")
You’re welcome 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Greenback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/2bfe46/32.png) [@Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greenback)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-message-board-a-lot-like-the-straight-dope/487285/95 "2009-02-26T21:12:09Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > I think I’ve heard of it. Something about “going places”, “interacting with people”, and “doing things”. Sounds fishy to me. I can do that in SecondLife. Isn’t ‘real life’ a beta test of SL? ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-message-board-a-lot-like-the-straight-dope/487285/96 "2009-02-26T21:45:42Z")
Another suggestion is LiveJournal. It’s not a message board, but it allows for plenty of social interaction, and there are tons of Dopers over there, along with an SDMB community. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-message-board-a-lot-like-the-straight-dope/487285/97 "2009-02-26T22:26:28Z")
> [@Duck\_Quack\_s\_Echo](#): > > I’m another who will suggest Urban. I’m much more active there than I am here. Has a great community feel to it and the humour is more to my style than the humour here, innit :D. And ‘editor’ (the owner of the site) will never allow advertising. Donations are welcome but not at all compulsory. But then I’m an Aussie who used to be a Yank and have a daughter who lives in London. So a foot in several camps is justified. 🙂 I’ve actually met some Urbanites but never met any Dopers. Now I’m wondering what names you and mhendo have over there (I’m the same without the numbers). ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-message-board-a-lot-like-the-straight-dope/487285/98 "2009-02-26T22:28:51Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > Now I’m wondering what names you and mhendo have over there (I’m the same without the numbers). I’m exactly the same. ---
**Author:** ![Aquila\_Be](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a698b9/32.png) [@Aquila\_Be](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquila_Be)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-message-board-a-lot-like-the-straight-dope/487285/99 "2009-02-27T00:47:29Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > The whole point of Laissez-Faire and several other forums is to allow less than serious posting, including what would generally be considered trolling at other boards. So no, it’s not likely that any individual poster in there is being serious when they post a highly controversial opinion. Is this a case of denial? I couldn’t find anything that came close to resembling a joke in that SA/Stormfront style thread. [See for yourself](http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3042155&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=230#post355089347). Please tell me if you succeed. ---
**Author:** ![Aquila\_Be](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a698b9/32.png) [@Aquila\_Be](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquila_Be)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-message-board-a-lot-like-the-straight-dope/487285/100 "2009-02-27T00:56:58Z")
Just by way of explanation, if you see kindergarten terms like “gently caress” or “poo poo” on SA it means you’re not logged as a paid up, registered user. Logged in members of SA see the terms as they were originally submitted. Super tough kindergarten expressions like: “f— you” and “sh–”, etc. etc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-message-board-a-lot-like-the-straight-dope/487285.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-message-board-a-lot-like-the-straight-dope/487285.md?page=6)