# MPSIMS has gotten a minor rename to “Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share” **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 31, 2023, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-has-gotten-a-minor-rename-to-miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/981943 "2023-03-31T16:57:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2023, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-has-gotten-a-minor-rename-to-miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/981943/121 "2023-04-06T19:51:36Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > It’s a mistake to stop promoting this place as a fun, not-so-serious place. The reason people care to hear about these life events is because of the community and culture that was built around shared silliness. > > The SDMB is a place built on semi-serious topics. Cecil’s columns, GQ and GD are places where snark is common but the spirit of the forum is fairly heavy, serous stuff. MPSiMS was explicitly created as a reprieve from that seriousness. Now it’s just appears to be a place for semi-serious topics that aren’t otherwise easily categorized. > > The Dope is losing something important because of this change. I think your historical description is very perceptive. But IMO your conclusion is wrong. We didn’t build this city on Rock’n’Roll. We built it on Silly’n’Snark. The world is in a more sensitive less snarky phase just now and so are we. Which is good. Nobody really knows how newbies find this place or decide to start posting. And everybody agrees that we need more & younger if the place is to last another decade, much less two. I hardly think changing the M&P in MPSIMS constitutes a fatal brick in that wall. “Stuff I must share” is already irreverent. The actual category description reads: > (MPSIMS) For general discussion: from frivolous chatter to deep thoughts; from harmless diversions to life-changing announcements. Frivolous chatter? Check. Harmless diversions? Check. I really cannot see somebody deciding to go to the trouble of poking into the category descriptions enough to discover this nugget and deciding their intended OP about [whatever] doesn’t fit any category so they disappear back into the murk of the rest of the internet forever, never to be seen again. You can articulate that theoretical threat. I just don’t see it as an actual threat ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2023, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-has-gotten-a-minor-rename-to-miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/981943/122 "2023-04-06T20:34:38Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > They only know what it says on the tin. I had never heard this British expression until today and now I’ve seen it twice by two people in two threads in five minutes. That’s as mundane and pointless as the world gets, but I wouldn’t open a thread about it. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-has-gotten-a-minor-rename-to-miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/981943/123 "2023-04-07T00:19:14Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > The suggestion came from Irishman. > > > [@](#): > > > > We don’t need a new category, just rename the existing one. Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share. > > The Mods and Ed agreed it was an excellent change and we like the fact the acronym remains the same. I’m just being silly, but I wanted to point this out: > [@We should re-name the MPSIMS forum to just "Stuff I must share"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-should-re-name-the-mpsims-forum-to-just-stuff-i-must-share/963268/76): > > Miscellaneous or Personal Stuff I must Share? > > Still makes it a catchall, and we keep the acronym FTW? From the PREVIOUS “we should rename this category” thread. Admittedly, I went with ‘or’ rather than ‘and’. And I seriously doubt I was the first to suggest it, one of you old timers probably did further back, but I wanted to point out that great minds think alike, and so does mine! (the quoted source by Irishman appears to be March 2023, and my quote was May 2022 if anyone is confused) ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-has-gotten-a-minor-rename-to-miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/981943/124 "2023-04-07T05:24:54Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > If i thought the old title worked well for newbies, i would have lobbied to keep it. In fact, i found it off-putting as a newby. Different strokes, I’m sure. It’s been a LONG time since I was a newbie, but my Midwestern sensibilities cringe at the idea of proactively engaging with a place that highlights “Personal” stories. I got off Facebook for a reason. Yeah, “mundane and pointless” can read as inane and boring depending on your mindset, but I think the powers that be originally decided that MPSIMSs was a more attractive title than “General Discussion” for a reason. It was irreverent and tongue-in-cheek and it fit the tone of the place. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > The world is in a more sensitive less snarky phase just now and so are we. I think we’re just older and more persnickety. In the age of TikTok and viral memes, this place is like a Motorola brick phone. We only recently enabled embedded pictures. People fretting over the idea of posting a serious topic in a forum titled “mundane and pointless” isn’t a sign of the times, it’s the sign of a stick-in-the-mud population of posters from a different time. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Nobody really knows how newbies find this place or decide to start posting. And everybody agrees that we need more & younger if the place is to last another decade, much less two. > > I hardly think changing the M&P in MPSIMS constitutes a fatal brick in that wall. “Stuff I must share” is already irreverent. The actual category description reads: Is it the kiss of death? Of course not. But I think it’s a symptom. Things have changed around here, and this is another symbolic one. If we want some new blood, we need to change in a less conservative (small c) direction, this isn’t that. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Frivolous chatter? Check. Harmless diversions? Check. I really cannot see somebody deciding to go to the trouble of poking into the category descriptions enough to discover this nugget and deciding their intended OP about [whatever] doesn’t fit any category so they disappear back into the murk of the rest of the internet forever, never to be seen again. Information is hierarchal. There’s the title and the subtitle. The subtitle has long included room for both the inane and the profound. That part’s not new. We added the “life-changing” thing about a decade ago to allow for this, now a decade later the “personal” stuff is promoted higher. If you now want to argue that the “mundane and pointless” is still fully captured in the charter of the forum, you will also have to concede that the old forum name fully incorporated room for those tragic posts. When the bold-face title replaces “mundane and pointless” with “personal” it is a material difference in how people will understand a thing. Names do have power, and top billing is top billing. ---
**Author:** ![TruePisces](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/truepisces/32/13628_2.png) [@TruePisces](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruePisces)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-has-gotten-a-minor-rename-to-miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/981943/125 "2023-04-07T10:45:46Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > People aren’t joining to share their shower thoughts. That comes after they’ve been here a while. Not necessarily or, at least not so historically. I came in thanks to a friend specifically for MPSIMS. I would take occasional dips into the other forums but for me, MPSIMS has always been the heart of the boards. It’s where I’ve grieved over loss, both personal and in our community. It’s where I celebrated all the positive things people shared. I participated in silly games, back when they were still a part of MPSIMS. I flirted and taught others to flirt. I shared my experiences at various DopeFests and live vicariously through those at Fests I couldn’t attend. MPSIMS opened It’s arms to me letting me take my time getting to know people before exposing my vulnerability in posting somewhere more serious. I suspect that, while I’m not in the majority, I’m also not alone. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-has-gotten-a-minor-rename-to-miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/981943/126 "2023-04-07T10:58:34Z")
You are not alone. Many Dopers share personal stories or their reactions to IRL events in MPSIMS. I shared once about a long-time friend whose wife was initially diagnosed with ALS. Within a few short months she was gone. Upthread I said that many posters have started threads with ‘this is neither mundane nor pointless’, or words to that effect. IIRC, I said that in that ALS OP. Whether explicitly stated or not, that has effectively been included in the predominance of thoughts shared in MPSIMS. Miscellaneous and Personal is much more accurate than Mundane and Pointless has been, and it will continue to be. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-has-gotten-a-minor-rename-to-miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/981943/127 "2023-04-07T13:30:24Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > If you now want to argue that the “mundane and pointless” is still fully captured in the charter of the forum, you will also have to concede that the old forum name fully incorporated room for those tragic posts. Nope. “Mundane and pointless” appears to exclude everything that isn’t mundane and pointless. I know it hasn’t been the practice among those used to the boards; but that’s what it says. I’m not the only one here bothered by major discrepancies between the title and the actual use. “Miscellaneous and personal” clearly includes both the mundane and pointless, and the serious. It makes no judgement about importance, levity, or seriousness. If people weren’t hung up on the initials, we could just call it “miscellaneous.” But enough people are hung up on the initials to make that not a good solution. I joined these boards relatively recently. I was looking for a combination of serious discussion and community. Community includes levity; but it’s not possible to have a community with only levity. And the advantage message boards have over other forms of social media – the only thing, I think, which stands a chance of keeping them alive – is exactly that combination of serious discussion (including the capability of continuing one discussion in coherent form over months or even years if it’s applicable to the topic) and a sense of community that’s far broader than any specific topic. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-has-gotten-a-minor-rename-to-miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/981943/128 "2023-04-07T14:02:22Z")
Maybe it should be called M2P2SIMS. i’ll get my coat … ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-has-gotten-a-minor-rename-to-miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/981943/129 "2023-04-07T15:17:11Z")
Somebody get a rope! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-has-gotten-a-minor-rename-to-miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/981943/130 "2023-04-07T18:24:22Z")
When I first joined, I had difficulty distinguishing between the MPSIMS and IMHO. ---
**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 7, 2023, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-has-gotten-a-minor-rename-to-miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/981943/131 "2023-04-07T18:50:38Z")
There is some overlap for sure. Biggest difference is MPSIMS has the laxest rules and IMHO is like a small notch up and not for completely pointless, breaking news or death. Honestly I tend to think of IMHO as GD & FQ-lite. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-has-gotten-a-minor-rename-to-miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/981943/132 "2023-04-07T19:19:04Z")
That is pretty much exactly how I came to think of it, though you’ve expressed it better than my vague understanding. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-has-gotten-a-minor-rename-to-miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/981943/133 "2023-04-07T21:52:51Z")
I think of MPSIMS: musing, stuff you care about IMHO: advice, friendly debates and discussions GD: unfriendly debates (that don’t belong in P&E) FQ: extremely narrowly defined factual questions You can see why I hang out in MPSIMS and IMHO. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-has-gotten-a-minor-rename-to-miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/981943/134 "2023-04-07T21:55:53Z")
IMHO: should I do this? MPSIMS: this is what I did FQ: how do I do this / why did it do this? GD: I think this and the rest of you are wrong GR: if I do this and you do that, who wins? Pit: fuck you for doing this Marketplace: who wants to buy this? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-has-gotten-a-minor-rename-to-miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/981943/135 "2023-04-07T22:04:13Z")
CS: How do I cook this? TG: I do this. Now _you_ do this but a little differently. Go! GR: Who’s the world champion at doing this? ---
**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:** [April 7, 2023, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-has-gotten-a-minor-rename-to-miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/981943/136 "2023-04-07T22:27:01Z")
Now that that’s settled, can we change IMHO to Information, Motivations, How-tos and Opinions? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-has-gotten-a-minor-rename-to-miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/981943/137 "2023-04-07T23:27:57Z")
😀 Plus letters for discourse ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-has-gotten-a-minor-rename-to-miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/981943/138 "2023-04-08T00:05:33Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > People fretting over the idea of posting a serious topic in a forum titled “mundane and pointless” isn’t a sign of the times, it’s the sign of a stick-in-the-mud population of posters from a different time. There is a picture of this quote in the dictionary next to the entry for “irony.” 😂 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-has-gotten-a-minor-rename-to-miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/981943/139 "2023-04-08T03:19:38Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Now that that’s settled, can we change IMHO to Information, Motivations, How-tos and Opinions? In my opinion … No. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2023, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-has-gotten-a-minor-rename-to-miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/981943/140 "2023-04-08T13:08:51Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > You can see why I hang out in MPSIMS and IMHO. 😉 For me, MPSIMS = emm pee sims Sorry, but what’s stuck in my faulty brain for IMHO is that I’m a hoe. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-has-gotten-a-minor-rename-to-miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/981943.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-has-gotten-a-minor-rename-to-miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/981943.md?page=8)