# Increase private message storage MASSIVELY **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 3, 2012, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-private-message-storage-massively/614608 "2012-03-03T01:17:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-private-message-storage-massively/614608/122 "2012-03-06T17:10:55Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > You, and all other members – 500 is now the limit for members. The new limit for guests is 250. > > You’re welcome. Interesting. **spankthecrumpet** is now BANNED, but the complaint he made has been acted upon. A martyr for the cause? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-private-message-storage-massively/614608/123 "2012-03-06T17:16:41Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Interesting. **spankthecrumpet** is now BANNED, but the complaint he made has been acted upon. A martyr for the cause? Unrelated issues. Although I guess that’d be one way to keep people from making suggestions. 😉 ---
**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:** [March 6, 2012, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-private-message-storage-massively/614608/124 "2012-03-06T17:18:21Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Unrelated issues. Although I guess that’d be one way to keep people from making suggestions. 😉 A 8-year old sock account? Maybe we should be rewarding him for forethought. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-private-message-storage-massively/614608/125 "2012-03-06T17:24:37Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > There are Dopers I want to communicate with without giving access to my RL info. PMs let me do that. So so disposable gmail and yahoo accounts. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-private-message-storage-massively/614608/126 "2012-03-06T18:36:22Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > So so disposable gmail and yahoo accounts. Sure. But the PM feature works for my needs better than multiple email accounts do. ETA: Maybe we can call the new PM limits The Crumpet Constants. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-private-message-storage-massively/614608/127 "2012-03-06T19:15:17Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Maybe we can call the new PM limits The Crumpet Constants. Maybe “spank the crumpet” will become the new term that means “PM me.” ---
**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:** [March 6, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-private-message-storage-massively/614608/128 "2012-03-06T20:12:25Z")
The takeaway here is that if you have a sock account, don’t bring attention to yourself in ATMB. 😃 Seriously, thanks to the Staff for considering and implementing this. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-private-message-storage-massively/614608/129 "2012-03-06T21:41:50Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Whoa! When that’d happen? Yeah, I assumed it was a sock account. Really, I know that if someone’s banned and there’s no thread, it’s just a sock account. What I always want to know is whose sock it is. That seems like an indelicate thing to ask, though, so I’m left with my nosiness unrequited. > [@twickster](#): > > You, and all other members – 500 is now the limit for members. The new limit for guests is 250. > > You’re welcome. Wow. Thank you very much. Especially for the guest raise. (It’s why I never bothered to say anything of my own volition. I figured the response would have been to subscribe and I actually think that’s a valid response to guests when it comes to this sort of thing.) This is a generous action that I genuinely appreciate. I tip my hat to you and the rest of the administration. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-private-message-storage-massively/614608/130 "2012-03-07T01:46:00Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Wow. Thank you very much. Especially for the guest raise. (It’s why I never bothered to say anything of my own volition. I figured the response would have been to subscribe and I actually think that’s a valid response to guests when it comes to this sort of thing.) This is a generous action that I genuinely appreciate. I tip my hat to you and the rest of the administration. Yeah, I was kinda hoping for 500/50 in order to encourage subscription. But given that there were around 2 requests for upping the limit, I guess the additional incentive would have been _de minimus_. Do you appreciate the change on general grounds or did you actually butt against the 50 message limit? If so, is the high usage due to Game Room mostly? > [@Giraffe](#): > > The only difference between private messages and posts is that they are stored in different tables in the database. While TPTB are welcome to set whatever limits they like (and setting a small PM limit on guests isn’t a bad strategy to encourage membership purchases, although they should really vastly increase the limit for members for that to be effective), there isn’t any justification for it from a technical perspective. We’ve got 14 million posts. A few more PMs aren’t going to hurt anything. > > Note: I don’t personally care at all about the PM limits. But there’s no need for mystical voodoo to justify whatever setting is chosen. So… when _does_ the mystical voodoo kick in? Googling, it seems that upgrading to a new version of vBulletin can cause crashes. Anything else? It was my understanding that this board was unusually large as vBulletin installations went and was therefore correspondingly unpredictable and erratic. Is that the case? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-private-message-storage-massively/614608/131 "2012-03-07T01:56:28Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Interesting. **spankthecrumpet** is now BANNED, but the complaint he made has been acted upon. A martyr for the cause? > [@Musicat](#): > > Maybe “spank the crumpet” will become the new term that means “PM me.” I thought being a crumpet was illegal. Or is that strumpet? “Spank the strumpet” makes more since anyway, plus usually more fun to boot. I didn’t think the OP’s request was all that unreasonable. I’m near the old 200 limit myself and am pleased it was just raised. Thank you, powers that be. ---
**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:** [March 7, 2012, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-private-message-storage-massively/614608/132 "2012-03-07T02:19:18Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > Googling, it seems that upgrading to a new version of vBulletin can cause crashes. Kind of. Version 4 is a major upgrade and last I looked it was still kinda buggy. Upgrading to 3.8.4 (the last Version 3) is virtually no risk but I don’t think that it would buy a whole lot either. > [@](#): > > It was my understanding that this board was unusually large as vBulletin installations went and was therefore correspondingly unpredictable and erratic. Is that the case? Not even close. ---
**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:** [March 7, 2012, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-private-message-storage-massively/614608/133 "2012-03-07T02:34:30Z")
We have fewer than 15 million posts. Gaia Online has over 2 billion posts. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-private-message-storage-massively/614608/134 "2012-03-07T02:42:47Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > We have fewer than 15 million posts. Gaia Online has over 2 billion posts. Shit. We need to get busy, then. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-private-message-storage-massively/614608/135 "2012-03-07T02:49:38Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > Do you appreciate the change on general grounds or did you actually butt against the 50 message limit? If so, is the high usage due to Game Room mostly? Oh absolutely, I butted against it quite often. Mostly due to game room antics. There have been a couple of times where I’d be at 48 or 49 PMs and have to judiciously delete them as they no longer were useful. One of the problems is that both sent and received PMs count so if it’s a particularly complex setup, I can easily send 25 pms over the course of the game and get as many responses. Since I do not always use the same computer to access the internet, downloading older pms as xml files or whatever adds an extra wrinkle that’s a pain to deal with. It probably sounds pathetic but with the exception of the end of P2P, this is probably the most exciting change in the board for me. ---
**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:** [March 7, 2012, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-private-message-storage-massively/614608/136 "2012-03-07T03:05:57Z")
Hot diggety! This is the first time in ages that I’ve logged in and not seen big bold letters at the top telling me my inbox was full, or 96% full or something else. Yay! ---
**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:** [March 7, 2012, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-private-message-storage-massively/614608/137 "2012-03-07T03:43:12Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Shit. We need to get busy, then. I _know_ that you’re not suggesting post count padding. ---
**Author:** ![Apex\_Rogers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@Apex\_Rogers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apex_Rogers)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-private-message-storage-massively/614608/138 "2012-03-07T03:53:54Z")
Credit where credit’s due, the administration stepped up and made the change people requested. Good work and thanks for listening. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-private-message-storage-massively/614608/139 "2012-03-07T03:54:22Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I _know_ that you’re not suggesting post count padding. That would be against the rules. And, incidentally, would take us about 20 light years to catch up. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-private-message-storage-massively/614608/140 "2012-03-07T03:59:54Z")
Just how long a post are you planning on writing? ---
**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:** [March 7, 2012, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-private-message-storage-massively/614608/141 "2012-03-07T04:13:30Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Not even close. They are pretty large for a vBulletin installation that doesn’t have a dedicated tech person, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-private-message-storage-massively/614608.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-private-message-storage-massively/614608.md?page=8)