# MPSIMS Dopers: We need a new term **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 10, 2000, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-dopers-we-need-a-new-term/19106 "2000-05-10T12:55:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2000, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-dopers-we-need-a-new-term/19106/21 "2000-05-10T22:56:14Z")
Whatever we call them, it has to be catchy & easy to figure out. Otherwise we’ll have a whole bunch of new threads in ATMB titled “what does hit & run mean???” The phrase’s meaning should be self-evident (as much as possible) and I do not think any of the above mentioned suggestions meet these specifications. I therefore move that we call these threads… **Patty O’furniture.** Haha! Just kidding of course. But I _will_ eventually find a good place for that name. Let’s see… I think we should call them “misnomers”, since most of the time the large view count implies that the thread’s topic line gets us to open the thread, and once we are in, we see the topic is really quite different than what the topic line implied. This term has a well understood meaning and, when used in context, should cause very little head scratching among the dimly lit (Hi, Aha!). “Long Distance Looker” is kind of cute, and carrys the right meaning. The problem with this phrase is that it’s tool long and most of us will eventually start saying “LDLs”. This will lead to the problem I brought to light in my 2nd sentence. My 2nd choice is “Troll Bait”. This phrase contains an already popular word among the doper community, furthermore the word _bait_ suggests that somebody was duped into opening the thread because of an attractive or inviting topic line. I hereby further propose the establishment of a **view:post ratio** , called _ **The Opus Number** _- alternately “Opus Value”. We obtain The Opus Number simply by forming a ratio of the number of views to posts. For example, Cecil’s comumn [Greetings to Jezebel, on her birthday](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=23950) currently has 846 views and 64 replies. This gives us an Opus Number (or value) of 13.2 (Opus Numbers may be rounded to one decimal place). This thread was started by The Master himself, and therefore can be only be of the highest quality. Therefore, we must deduce that an Opus Number of 13.2 is perfectly acceptable. I will, however, defer to the resident sages & luminaries to pontificate on the meanings of all resulting Opus Numbers. However, it is clear that the smaller the Opus Number, the better; an Opus Value equal to unity confirms near perfection upon the thread’s author. I wonder of Avagadro started this way? * * * Manual sig line #39 ---
**Author:** ![Catrandom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@Catrandom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catrandom)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2000, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-dopers-we-need-a-new-term/19106/22 "2000-05-11T01:01:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > I vote for drive-by. > > Although “read and run” has a nice ring to it. Maybe we could use “R&R” for short? > \*\* No. Please. No. For deep personal reasons, not R&R! Catrandom, trembling 😉 ---
**Author:** ![lswote](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lswote/32/5737_2.png) [@lswote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lswote)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2000, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-dopers-we-need-a-new-term/19106/23 "2000-05-11T01:22:05Z")
In the vein of moloster (MOst LOw poSTER), how about HIgh ViEw LOw poSTer or HIVELOST? ---
**Author:** ![Suo\_Na](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@Suo\_Na](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suo_Na)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2000, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-dopers-we-need-a-new-term/19106/24 "2000-05-11T01:36:09Z")
I like drive-by and Troll Bait, myself. Should we also have a name for threads that spawn other threads (like Green Bean’s aforementioned thread), or is that too much trouble? ---
**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:** [May 12, 2000, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-dopers-we-need-a-new-term/19106/25 "2000-05-12T04:07:13Z")
Well I’m not sure a high opus value indicates a low quality thread. My pubic hair thread is a good example. It was a real question–one that I’ve been wondering about for years. And I think it was a good thread. Why were there so few posts? Perhaps because nobody knew the answer. The thread title happens to have the words “pubic hair” and “Playboy” in it, so everybody and their brother clicked on the damn thing. Perhaps the high post count was also due to people re-checking the thread to see if someone had answered. Anyway, I don’t care for “drive-by” or “read & run.” They are too fraught with negative connotations. “Sinkers” does not work, because many threads sink, with or without high view counts. I do like “submarines,” though, for a thread that sinks and rises repeatedly. My Premature Babies thread in GQ is currently submarining quite nicely. ---
**Author:** ![aseymayo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@aseymayo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aseymayo)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2000, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-dopers-we-need-a-new-term/19106/26 "2000-05-12T04:51:04Z")
How about “tourist trap”? - it attracts sight-seers. Or, we could opt for a more international flavor and adopt slang from the UK: “recce” (pronounced rekee) meaning “take a look around”, as in _reconnaissance_ or Oz: “dekko” also meaning “take a look” (no idea of the etymology - GuanoLad?) I like “dekko” because it works on more than one level. It brings to mind “deco” so you can think of some of these threads as decorative - people look but don’t touch. ---
**Author:** ![purrplebear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/90ced4/32.png) [@purrplebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purrplebear)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2000, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-dopers-we-need-a-new-term/19106/27 "2000-05-12T07:52:38Z")
I was leaning towards driveby thread, but I like asemayo’s ideas even better. So, I suggest Recon thread. I think that fits the bill quite nicely, and will be easily understood by all. I did like the dekko name, but too many people won’t know what it means. My vote is for Recon Thread. ---
**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2000, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-dopers-we-need-a-new-term/19106/28 "2000-05-12T08:08:07Z")
I like that one. It’s kinda like the gift shop at Niagara Falls. You’ve got scenic wonder all about, but you still poke your head into the kitschy shop filled with freidge magnets, sno-balls and “Cecil went to Niagara Falls and all he bought me was this lousy T-shirt” T-shirts. If you’re one fo the few posters to have hit these tourist trap threads, you probably already own a 4" tall, plastic, simul-bronze replica of the Statue of Liberty. I’ll go with the Tourist Trap Thread… ---
**Author:** ![meek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce73a5/32.png) [@meek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meek)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2000, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-dopers-we-need-a-new-term/19106/29 "2000-05-12T10:40:57Z")
Some really good suggestions listed earlier. The term **“drive-by”** makes me think of many quick, short, one-lined replies, (or shots) by a selected “gang” of posters. A thread with a heavy view count and a low post count, in my view, is more like a **“car wreck”** thread. It’s really nothing to see, but everybody slows down to take a look. ---
**Author:** ![Poto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ab992/32.png) [@Poto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poto)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2000, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-dopers-we-need-a-new-term/19106/30 "2000-05-12T11:04:03Z")
One post, 400 views: a teaser. Only the title seems to work, not the content. ---
**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:** [May 12, 2000, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-dopers-we-need-a-new-term/19106/31 "2000-05-12T14:23:29Z")
Ooh. I like “tourist trap!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-dopers-we-need-a-new-term/19106.md?page=1)