I had never heard of the publication “The Straight Dope”. I saw a message on another forum point to a waterboarding thread on this forum. It peaked my curiosities.
Then I wanted to register–then I start reading about requiring payment to post after 30 days. What’s so special about this place besides not allowing avatars or signatures or images in posts that makes it something that people should pay for? (okay, there was some sarcasm there–I’m basically saying you have LESS to offer than other boards from what I can IMMEDIATELY see) I’m not seeing it.
Is there some sort of publication that I’ll be mailed every month or something, if I pay money, or is it just for the “special privilege” of posting here? Why is it worth the money when there are hundreds of other FREE forums that have good debates on them?
Why should I want to pay money for something that doesn’t even let me have an avatar or a signature, or post images
Some of the positives you’ll find here include folks who speak (write) clearly, with proper grammar, intelligence, factual answers, with citation. There’s more, some intangible. Hang around for your 30 days, and see for yourself.
For every one person who wants to post a relevant, insightful picture that backs up whatever point they are trying to make there would be 10 frat boys from the dregs of the internet that would think it funny to post pics of Goatse or other lovely images.
Images+avatars+flashing sig lines=MySpace. I’ll pass, thanks.
One of the many reasons images are disallowed is that the board’s hardware is a little… er… fragile. The nominal charge is largely firefighting, trying to keep it up and running.
That said, it’s also in keeping with an ethos that concentrates on the verbal and factual content of posts, rather than distractions via bells and whistles. I even hate word-based sigs, myself, and have them turned off in my control panel.
It’s cool if you don’t want to pay, but you might find that after 30 days’ trial, you enjoy the intelligent debate, wit ,and verbal dexterity on display, and are prepared to overlook - or even find advantageous, as I do - the lack of those things that currently you think of as necessary to a forum.
Plus, you’ll find that folks who can write well-reasoned and coherent presentations of ideas – like, say, jjimm – can also be responsible for massive worldwide outbreaks of people sticking their wedding rings up their noses.
Kizzume: I’m posting this twice, in the two different threads you seem to have read (or at least posted in) in hopes that you’ll see it.
This forum, “ABOUT THIS MESSAGE BOARD” is not what we’re about, but it appears to be all you’ve read. My suggestion is that, before you make up your mind, you take a look at some threads in “General Questions” (where people can find answers to whatever bugs them), or in “Cafe Society” (for discussion about arts/entertainment) or in “Great Debates” (for comments on the unanswerable) or “Mundane Pointless Stuff…” also known as MPSIMS (for generally getting to know people here and their concerns.)
Anyone can post a picture in an attempt to convey an opinion, a thought, a response. More importantly, a picture is often open to a thousand interpretations that have nothing to do with the poster’s intent. It take a bit more effort to post the same opinion, a thought, a response in a thousand words, or less. Picture words can convey much more directly, more accurately, than a thousand pictures.
