# Is there anything the SDMB could beat every other message board in existence at? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 25, 2006, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-the-sdmb-could-beat-every-other-message-board-in-existence-at/354103 "2006-04-25T04:34:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-the-sdmb-could-beat-every-other-message-board-in-existence-at/354103/21 "2006-04-25T14:08:16Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] If you think about this question seriously it’s actually a very interesting thought experiment. I was thinking baseball. We have a number of people here who really know their baseball. I don’t think we have any genuine scholars of baseball, but as an avid baseball fan I can tell you that there are NO really good baseball discussion boards. The official team forums are a horror. Fanhome has fallen into disuse. The ESPN forums are awful. There are web sites with more baseball knowledge (Baseball Prospectus, etc.) but that’s not a message board. But maybe there’s a terrific baseball board out there I’ve missed. [/QUOTE] If you ever find one please let me know. Everyone I have seen is either juvenile rivalry fighting or strictly fantasy baseball oriented. I have looked, I have not found a good one. I like LHoD’s answer though {whoosh aside}, I have never seen a board or site that can answer so many diverse and odd questions. Jim ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-the-sdmb-could-beat-every-other-message-board-in-existence-at/354103/22 "2006-04-25T15:16:48Z")
I agree with **Angua** - Trivial Pursuit. If everyone was on a team - heck, if we picked just FIVE people for a team - we could beat any other board out there hands-down. I also think we kick ass in the “neatness” category. Every other board I’ve seen, even one-line posts take up half a screen because everyone has long-ass sigs with seven banner graphics and a long list of what little stupid secret clubs they belong to. Some boards even allow for huge 250x250 animated avatars. maaarrrhaaaggghh!! ---
**Author:** ![cactus\_waltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@cactus\_waltz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cactus_waltz)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-the-sdmb-could-beat-every-other-message-board-in-existence-at/354103/23 "2006-04-25T16:22:10Z")
I think this board would be ace in a pop quiz that wasn’t narrowed down to one subject. If it was all topics possible, like Jeopardy! or Trivial Pursuit, we’d have a decent chance. When it comes to single topics we would do well but be narrowed out by individual boards dedicated to that subject. ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-the-sdmb-could-beat-every-other-message-board-in-existence-at/354103/24 "2006-04-25T17:08:44Z")
Deep sea underwater exploration in the 60’s. Also, goat felching. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-the-sdmb-could-beat-every-other-message-board-in-existence-at/354103/25 "2006-04-25T17:37:37Z")
I don’t belong to, or seen many other message boards out there, so it’s just a guess, but I think the SDMB has spawned the most other derivative sites that exist to talk about this board. I don’t know if snopes, fark, or other boards have these little other places for discussing what happens on their boards. My impression may be dead wrong, but I hadn’t seen that particular phenomenom until, and since, I’ve been posting here. ---
**Author:** ![MentalGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/439d5e/32.png) [@MentalGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MentalGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-the-sdmb-could-beat-every-other-message-board-in-existence-at/354103/26 "2006-04-25T17:54:37Z")
[QUOTE=Left Hand of Dorkness] I think we’re the best messageboard at finding speedy answers to random questions. I’ve never seen another place online where you can ask folks the sort of weird questions you get around here and get an answer so quickly. My first post to this board was a question about a woman who claimed to have channelled a novel written posthumously by Mark Twain; I was curious about the copyright status of such a work, and whether Twain’s estate would have a financial interest in the work. I got great, clearly written opinions very quickly. Nowhere else! Daniel [/QUOTE] Which is why I was shocked when [this question](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=365706&highlight=progressive+scan) got absolutely no replies. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-the-sdmb-could-beat-every-other-message-board-in-existence-at/354103/27 "2006-04-25T19:38:54Z")
[QUOTE=cactus waltz] I think this board would be ace in a pop quiz that wasn’t narrowed down to one subject. [/QUOTE] This is similar to my suggestion: I’m thinking we’d come out on top if there were some way to quantify _sheer breadth and variety of expertise._ We have here astrophysicists, long-haul truckers, medical doctors, sports geeks, teachers, jet pilots, computer engineers, media people, veterinarians, poets, political junkies, cops, evolutionary biologists, and on and on and on, not to mention people from dozens and dozens of countries and every age group. There may be message boards that can beat us in any given demographic or specialty, but it’s the broad base of knowledge and experience that keeps me pinned here. Now, how you’d measure that quality and make it competitive, I have no idea. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-the-sdmb-could-beat-every-other-message-board-in-existence-at/354103/28 "2006-04-25T21:01:23Z")
[QUOTE=Dante] Deep sea underwater exploration in the 60’s. [/QUOTE] But only for 20 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-the-sdmb-could-beat-every-other-message-board-in-existence-at/354103/29 "2006-04-25T21:56:24Z")
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] Moderating. Which is one of the main reasons I stay here. [/QUOTE] I agree. This board’s moderators have done a remarkable job of keeping the place cleaned up and on target, without the use of an iron fist. I used to be a moderator on a huge messageboard (more than 100,000 members. Yikes). The board was originally a very pleasant place to post, with lots of interesting, well-educated, funny people. It slowly degenerated into a hubbub of bad-tempered nattering teenaged ninnies, with trolls becoming so common that many of them were ignored and permitted to continue their trollish ways. Without good moderators, I think any online paradise will soon become a weed-infested dump. ---
**Author:** ![merrily](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@merrily](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merrily)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-the-sdmb-could-beat-every-other-message-board-in-existence-at/354103/30 "2006-04-25T23:50:07Z")
I’m surprised no one has mention ‘witty.’ I’ve never seen such clever and quick high-brow and low-brow humor posted so frequently. Ergo, there must be boards that match ours out there. Anyone want to share? ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-the-sdmb-could-beat-every-other-message-board-in-existence-at/354103/31 "2006-04-26T02:00:19Z")
[QUOTE=Askia] _Simpsons_ references\* [/QUOTE] I agree. As far as I’m concerned, when it comes to _Simpsons_ references, those other message boards couldn’t outreference their mothers on the referenciest day of the year if they had an electrified reference machine. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-the-sdmb-could-beat-every-other-message-board-in-existence-at/354103/32 "2006-04-26T02:13:47Z")
Maybe it’s covered under trivia, but there’s a deep font of knowledge here about TV and movies, especially The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Monty Python, Princess Bride, The Sopranos, and recently, The Godfather movies. Puts TWOP to shame. And whenever I’ve come here from another board with a description of a book or a short story, someone always knows the title. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-the-sdmb-could-beat-every-other-message-board-in-existence-at/354103/33 "2006-04-26T02:17:11Z")
[QUOTE=BadBadger] Smurf hunting. [/QUOTE] On Great Debates, on one memorable occasion we had a discussion that involved Nazism, Communism and Smurfs. ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-the-sdmb-could-beat-every-other-message-board-in-existence-at/354103/34 "2006-04-26T02:42:06Z")
Aside from the existence of “We’re a board specifically for former Jeopardy contestants” boards, I’m guessing we’re WAY in the lead for general knowledge boards on Jeopardy contestants. What’s the list at now (including international versions)? Something like 70 members? ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-the-sdmb-could-beat-every-other-message-board-in-existence-at/354103/35 "2006-04-26T02:51:02Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] If you think about this question seriously it’s actually a very interesting thought experiment. I was thinking baseball. We have a number of people here who really know their baseball. I don’t think we have any genuine scholars of baseball, but as an avid baseball fan I can tell you that there are NO really good baseball discussion boards. The official team forums are a horror. Fanhome has fallen into disuse. The ESPN forums are awful. There are web sites with more baseball knowledge (Baseball Prospectus, etc.) but that’s not a message board. But maybe there’s a terrific baseball board out there I’ve missed. [/QUOTE] We need us a season-long thread, don’t we? ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-the-sdmb-could-beat-every-other-message-board-in-existence-at/354103/36 "2006-04-26T02:56:03Z")
We need to throw down the gauntlet and start an inter-messageboard quiz game. It could extend to beauty pageants, hair pulling, co-ed softball, knitting, and shooting snot rockets. _audible sigh_…in a perfect world…in a perfect world… ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-the-sdmb-could-beat-every-other-message-board-in-existence-at/354103/37 "2006-04-26T03:22:18Z")
The ability of the average poster to succinctly define “irony,” with pertinant examples not involving lyrics by Alanis Morrisette. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-the-sdmb-could-beat-every-other-message-board-in-existence-at/354103/38 "2006-04-26T03:30:28Z")
[QUOTE=Askia] The ability of the average poster to succinctly define “irony,” with pertinant examples not involving lyrics by Alanis Morrisette. [/QUOTE] It’s a kind of metal, like goldy or bronzy. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-the-sdmb-could-beat-every-other-message-board-in-existence-at/354103/39 "2006-04-26T03:56:32Z")
Huh. And here I thought irony is how you eliminate something wrinkly. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-the-sdmb-could-beat-every-other-message-board-in-existence-at/354103/40 "2006-04-26T04:18:40Z")
[QUOTE=Askia] Huh. And here I thought irony is how you eliminate something wrinkly. [/QUOTE] No, that’s botoxy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-the-sdmb-could-beat-every-other-message-board-in-existence-at/354103.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-the-sdmb-could-beat-every-other-message-board-in-existence-at/354103.md?page=3)