# MPSIMS vs IMHO **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 8, 2022, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-vs-imho/962542 "2022-04-08T19:35:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2022, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-vs-imho/962542/1 "2022-04-08T19:35:04Z")
My question may be so mundane and pointless that it should be in another category, however, it is a question about this message board. Am I the only one who has trouble distinguishing between the purposes of MPSIMS and IMHO? In my case I could almost do a coin toss to determine which category I should use. This is more out of curiousity than anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2022, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-vs-imho/962542/2 "2022-04-08T20:46:52Z")
TubaDiva wrote of IMHO just before it opened: > [@"In My Humble Opinion?" NOW OPEN!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-humble-opinion-now-open/20522/7): > > It’s a forum for all those things that are not quite General Questions but more than MPSIMS, maybe leaning towards(Not so)Great Debates. > > It’s also a place where people can have polls, run little contests, vote for what they like and dislike. You can be Prom Queen every day over there if you like (and enough folks vote you in). You see, IMHO spun off from MPSIMS because TPTB decided the latter was getting too cluttered. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2022, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-vs-imho/962542/3 "2022-04-08T21:09:38Z")
IMHO is for asking about opinions. MPSIMS is for breaking news. That doesn’t cover it all, but that’s how I tend to think of them. ---
**Author:** ![TwoCarrotSnowman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twocarrotsnowman/32/15879_2.png) [@TwoCarrotSnowman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoCarrotSnowman)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2022, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-vs-imho/962542/4 "2022-04-08T21:11:34Z")
I think of it as “asking people stuff” and “telling people stuff”. ---
**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 8, 2022, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-vs-imho/962542/5 "2022-04-08T23:49:49Z")
I tend to think of IMHO as GD light. If something is unsuitable for GD it usually goes to either IMHO or The Pit. It is for asking questions and advice. I like the Not so Great Debates line. MPSIMS is our lightest and fluffiest forum but also our place for breaking news and sad events in our own lives. But moving stuff between IMHO, MPSIMS, The Café and The Game Room is mostly just filing. It isn’t actually important. GD & PE are treated differently. Serious and some OPs will be closed or booted out. FQ is meant to be factual and serious at least until the question is answered. The Pit should have some rage or condemnation. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2022, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-vs-imho/962542/6 "2022-04-09T00:33:58Z")
What I don’t understand is the posters, especially long-term ones, who don’t understand the difference between FQ and IMHO. Any post that starts with “What is the Best way to” XYZ is not FQ. It’s seeking advice/opinion, i.e. IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2022, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-vs-imho/962542/7 "2022-04-09T00:39:26Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > What I don’t understand is the posters, especially long-term ones, who don’t understand the difference between FQ and IMHO. My assumption is that someone wants advice, but, “I don’t just want someone’s opinions, I want **solid facts**.” When actually, what they want is an _informed_ opinion, they just get confused about the terminology. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2022, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-vs-imho/962542/8 "2022-04-09T01:55:06Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > What I don’t understand is the posters, especially long-term ones, who don’t understand the difference between FQ and IMHO It’s funny but I have no problem with any of the other categories; just MPSIMS and IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Win\_Place\_Show](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/win_place_show/32/13469_2.png) [@Win\_Place\_Show](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Win_Place_Show)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2022, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-vs-imho/962542/9 "2022-04-09T13:04:04Z")
+1 I’ve often wondered the same thing. Sometime around the software switchover, MPSIMS turned into one gal’s personal blog, so rather than trying to weed through all her threads I just started perusing IMHO instead. I think of the two as being basically interchangeable. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2022, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpsims-vs-imho/962542/10 "2022-04-09T13:36:10Z")
None of the lines are hard-and-fast, either. Given any pair of fora, you could probably come up with some OP or other that could reasonably fit in either. As a moderator, when I encounter such an ambiguous thread, I’ll generally default to leaving it wherever the OP put it. (though of course there are also some less-ambiguous cases that do better with a move)