# I've been gone from the SDMB for 20 years. What's happened? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 25, 2024, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-gone-from-the-sdmb-for-20-years-whats-happened/996625 "2024-01-25T14:31:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Poldana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/839c29/32.png) [@Poldana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poldana)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-gone-from-the-sdmb-for-20-years-whats-happened/996625/1 "2024-01-25T14:31:10Z")
I was doing some cleaning and found one of Uncle Cecil’s books and decided to visit. I can’t even remember my original nickname from back then but mostly lurked. I’m registered under my Fark name now; I wandered over there 20 years ago and got lost. LOL I’ve already doom scrolled the In Memoriam list and cried my eyes out. Any important things I should know? Think I might stick around, I see a lot of familiar faces. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-gone-from-the-sdmb-for-20-years-whats-happened/996625/2 "2024-01-25T14:39:14Z")
We changed board software a couple of years ago, to a new platform called Discourse. The Dope is now owned by the same parent company that owns Chicago’s NPR radio station, and the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper. More sub-forums now than we used to have. A reduced tolerance for sexist, racist, and mean-spirited comments, which has angered those who miss the “freewheeling” old days, but hopefully has made the place more inviting. Message boards, on the whole, are becoming an endangered species, and most of our active users are older; we do attract some newer (and younger) users, but the population here is noticeably gray-haired. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-gone-from-the-sdmb-for-20-years-whats-happened/996625/3 "2024-01-25T14:45:50Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > but the population here is noticeably gray-haired. [![](https://img.memegenerator.net/instances/85807389.jpg) ](https://img.memegenerator.net/instances/85807389.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-gone-from-the-sdmb-for-20-years-whats-happened/996625/4 "2024-01-25T14:48:53Z")
Oh yeah, and we can post images. 🙂 Welcome, @Poldana! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-gone-from-the-sdmb-for-20-years-whats-happened/996625/5 "2024-01-25T14:50:32Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > but the population here is noticeably gray-haired. - And some are unable to determine hair color due to lack thereof. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-gone-from-the-sdmb-for-20-years-whats-happened/996625/6 "2024-01-25T14:58:32Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Oh yeah, and we can post images [![](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/58/9d/91/589d91a4ded67d743e9e8fff3ae3b95d.gif) ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/58/9d/91/589d91a4ded67d743e9e8fff3ae3b95d.gif) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-gone-from-the-sdmb-for-20-years-whats-happened/996625/7 "2024-01-25T15:00:26Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Oh yeah, and we can post images. 🙂 Just to be clear: we can now include, in our posts, links to images that are out on the Internet, and the board software will show them as images, rather than links. What we still can’t do is upload images directly to the board as part of a post. We can also include links to Youtube videos, and have them show up as videos – sometimes. 😃 (Discourse has been flaky about how it handles video links for a while now.) ---
**Author:** ![Poldana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/839c29/32.png) [@Poldana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poldana)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-gone-from-the-sdmb-for-20-years-whats-happened/996625/8 "2024-01-25T15:22:51Z")
Gonna have to learn to link. Check. I see the humor hasn’t changed much. I’m guessing the Dad jokes have increased, though. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-gone-from-the-sdmb-for-20-years-whats-happened/996625/9 "2024-01-25T15:26:43Z")
The humor has changed in one pretty important way: it’s a lot less tolerant of leering sexist jokes than it used to be. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-gone-from-the-sdmb-for-20-years-whats-happened/996625/10 "2024-01-25T15:39:31Z")
> [@Poldana](#): > > I see the humor hasn’t changed much. Six or seven years ago I made a really funny reply to a comment. I’ll try to find it. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-gone-from-the-sdmb-for-20-years-whats-happened/996625/11 "2024-01-25T15:41:08Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > A reduced tolerance for sexist, racist, and mean-spirited comments, which has angered those who miss the “freewheeling” old days, but hopefully has made the place more inviting. It’s not just the offensive stuff (which is gone with good reason), it’s pretty much anything with _any_ level of controversy/impropriety that’s gone as well. I haven’t seen a good sex thread, poop/farts/shit your pants thread, or anything remotely off-color in a long, long time. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-gone-from-the-sdmb-for-20-years-whats-happened/996625/12 "2024-01-25T15:43:46Z")
On behalf of those with failing eyesight, I note the lack of inclusivity. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Poldana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/839c29/32.png) [@Poldana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poldana)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-gone-from-the-sdmb-for-20-years-whats-happened/996625/13 "2024-01-25T15:53:52Z")
This has always been a forward thinking group here. Fighting ignorance and all that… ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-gone-from-the-sdmb-for-20-years-whats-happened/996625/14 "2024-01-25T15:56:12Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > On behalf of those with failing eyesight, I note the lack of inclusivity. - > > 😉 Maybe you should open the other eye. :flees: ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-gone-from-the-sdmb-for-20-years-whats-happened/996625/15 "2024-01-25T15:56:14Z")
Hey, I had gray hair even back in the day! It’s a much larger percentage of my hair now, though. I like the more sensitive Dope. I fled Twitter before I rediscovered this place, and it’s nice not to have to wade through toxic garbage to engage in online socializing. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-gone-from-the-sdmb-for-20-years-whats-happened/996625/16 "2024-01-25T16:03:30Z")
> [@Poldana](#): > > Think I might stick around, I see a lot of familiar faces. Do! We have some amazingly intelligent people here. I consider myself very intelligent and very well educated, but I learn new things here every day. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-gone-from-the-sdmb-for-20-years-whats-happened/996625/17 "2024-01-25T16:03:30Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > he population here is noticeably gray-haired. When I started lurking (early 2001) and posting (September 2001) I had a lot of hair, now not so much, evidently posting in the SDMB causes hair loss… ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-gone-from-the-sdmb-for-20-years-whats-happened/996625/18 "2024-01-25T16:25:50Z")
We’re all older now. So the site no longer has that atmosphere of being in a group of friends sharing a joint in a college dorm room, telling in-jokes, etc. Instead, we’re more like a bunch of old farts sharing a table in Starbucks with some newfound friends joining in. (For example: There used to be lots of threads here on the theme of “help me polish my resume”, or “should I report this coworker to HR?”, or “vacation tips for hiking the Appalachian Trail”. Nowadays you’re more likely to see threads about retirement, or vacations on a cruise ship.) Do you remember old memes (before they were called memes) such as: 1920’s death rays, “Hi Opal”, “bring pie”, rules about kitty pics… Well. they’re all gone now, like a faded poster of Simon and Garfunkel that was tacked to the back of a door. Also…Uncle Cecil is no longer the bedrock of the site. His wit and wisdom were essential to defining this place.(and why I fell in love with it). But, alas, Google (which did not exist when the site began) has made it possible to fight ignorance without waiting for Cecil to publish a new article. So the boards continue with the inspiration from, but not the participation of, the world’s smartest human being. That leaves us oldtimers with greying hair trying hard to keep the momentum going. 'Cause we are still, hands-down, the best site on the entire internet. Welcome Back!!! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-gone-from-the-sdmb-for-20-years-whats-happened/996625/19 "2024-01-25T16:36:36Z")
I recently reread old threads on where you lost your virginity and where is the weir place you’ve ever had sex. Good times! But I don’t think they would get much traction now. “Is that a leg?” Welcome back, whoever you once were! ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-gone-from-the-sdmb-for-20-years-whats-happened/996625/20 "2024-01-25T16:38:29Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > leering sexist jokes What if I made a joke about a leering sexist? “So this leering sexist walks into a bar…” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-gone-from-the-sdmb-for-20-years-whats-happened/996625.md?page=2)