# Is this place as good since they started charging? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 24, 2005, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-place-as-good-since-they-started-charging/313912 "2005-07-24T10:58:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-place-as-good-since-they-started-charging/313912/61 "2005-07-26T05:08:31Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > The first day the SDMB existed must have been really, really good. I’ve seen people whining about how the board has gone downhill for the entire time I’ve been posting here, almost eight years. Heh. So true. I think there have been a couple of negative consequences of the board going pay-to-play: 1. Less participation overall. This has become really noticeable now that we’re in the yearly summer slump. 2. Less chance of an answer in GQ. IMHO, the negatives of the decreased participation are more than offset by the increased quality of the average post. We just don’t seem to have as many of those posters who weren’t jerky enough to be banned, but who didn’t really contribute positively. We have fewer drive-bys, and also fewer posters who seem to be here only to flirt. In other words, the signal-to-noise ratio is a lot higher. The GQ is more troubling, but you take the bad with the good, I guess. I’ve been here over 5 years now, and I still look at the boards almost every day. I find that there’s always something interesting or entertaining or informative to read. I’ve always gone through periods where I get bored with the boards and stay away for a few days or weeks or months. But I keep coming back. In many ways, I think the boards are really better than ever. As far as the moderators–I just don’t see what there is to complain about. (And they look so cute in their jackboots and little moderator hats.) ---
**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:** [July 26, 2005, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-place-as-good-since-they-started-charging/313912/62 "2005-07-26T14:30:33Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by bordelond > Strangely, I’ve been here going on six years without a mod so much as giving me the time of day. You sure mods are the problem? > [@Lynn Bodoni](#): > > Hello, **bordelond** , how are you? Technically, **Lynn** is an administrator, not a moderator, so you still haven’t had a mod give you the time of day. 😃 (Don’t forget the moderator underoos, **Green Bean**.) ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-place-as-good-since-they-started-charging/313912/63 "2005-07-26T20:59:53Z")
> [@](#): > > Quote: > Originally Posted by Baldwin > “P2P”? Folks, please tell me you’re not using the numeral “2” to represent the word “to”. > > **Posted by Scott Plaid:** > Why not? It is pronounced the same, after all. I hope you’re only joshing me here. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-place-as-good-since-they-started-charging/313912/64 "2005-07-26T21:13:51Z")
P2P should not be used in this context because it’s more commonly used to refer to peer-to-peer, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Adoptamom\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Adoptamom\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adoptamom_II)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-place-as-good-since-they-started-charging/313912/65 "2005-07-27T01:51:04Z")
Although I’m primarily a lurker, I had no problem coughing up my subscription fee both for the ability to use search feature and to ask the occasional question(s) that I’d like answered. Even though a lot of the oldtimer posters that I enjoyed reading have moved on, there are some equally entertaining and informative newcomers. I get my moneys worth. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-place-as-good-since-they-started-charging/313912/66 "2005-07-27T01:56:33Z")
> [@ccwaterback](#): > > I don’t know how tabu this subject is here, but I will take my chances and bring it up anyway. What about that “other SDMB” board that consists of (what seems to be) mostly SDMB posters, but you have to be invited, or find a sponsor, to join? What about it? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-place-as-good-since-they-started-charging/313912/67 "2005-07-27T14:08:15Z")
What’s this about another SDMB-like board you have to be invitied to? I never heard of that before. What’s the URL? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-place-as-good-since-they-started-charging/313912/68 "2005-07-27T14:41:20Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > What’s this about another SDMB-like board you have to be invitied to? I never heard of that before. What’s the URL? _:check’s **Revtim’s** join date:_ You’ve heard of it, I bet – it’s the Unaboard. Another spin-off board would be **OpalCat’s** Fathom board. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-place-as-good-since-they-started-charging/313912/69 "2005-07-27T14:49:06Z")
Yes, but I don’t recall needing to be invited or sponsored to join it. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-place-as-good-since-they-started-charging/313912/70 "2005-07-28T02:11:39Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Yes, but I don’t recall needing to be invited or sponsored to join it. You simply need to try to prove you are not a banned troll or addgoblin returning, or supply a work/registered student or educator/government e-mail for reference sake. Inviting/sponsoring is not technically correct, although if a Member I know vouches personally for another, that usually, but not always, counts. I still don’t know why my place was invoked in this thread. While I will talk about it if someone brings it up, it’s not like I advertise it, and it was not impacted by P2P on the SDMB in any way at all. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-place-as-good-since-they-started-charging/313912/71 "2005-07-28T02:13:17Z")
> [@Una Persson](#): > > You simply need to try to prove you are not a banned troll or addgoblin… Yes, the dread “addgoblin”, so much worse than the “subtractgoblin” or “arctangentgoblin”. I meant “assgoblin”… ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-place-as-good-since-they-started-charging/313912/72 "2005-07-28T02:20:20Z")
Hm, I thought it was a medical term, some kind of hemogoblin or something. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-place-as-good-since-they-started-charging/313912.md?page=3)