Hello All … I’m new here, but not new to online forums.
I have been without a comfortable forum for a long time.
The “Truth Zone” has way too many nazis for this old communist.
Do I know any members here?
Welcome to the Straight Dope!
Fresh meat! Fresh meat! Someone get the squid!
That is, welcome to our merry band of adventurers. May you not regret choosing the red pill.
Regards,
Shodan
Interesting site name. I hope it wasn’t about conspiracy theories or anything, as those aren’t really tolerated here. Then again, communism won’t get a free pass, either, but this board does lean left. Even our biggest right wingers are anti-Trump.
I checked out the site itself, and I couldn’t really figure out a real mission statement for it. But I hope that, even if this site is different, you’ll enjoy hanging out here. Some of us have a hard edge, but it’s a pretty neat place to be.
If it weren’t, I would have left a long time ago.
Welcome! Have a squid. Or shall I say… let the squid have you.
My best advice as a long-term member of this board is to ignore the haters. There are a handful of people who are frothing-at-the-mouth ignorant but when you feel like you’re gonna pop 'em one, step back, take a deep breath, and recognize that most of us are thoughtful, reasonable people 90% of the time, and the other 10% of the time we are just being human. The more open-minded you are, the more you will get out of the experience. We are a kind of family, and you know how that goes.
Definitely don’t post a thread in the Pit until you understand how the Pit works.
For that matter, make some effort to understand how all of the forums here work. We have different forums for different sorts of discussions, and what’s fine in one is likely to be out of place in others. Don’t stress too much about it, because we mods can move threads if they’re in the wrong place, but do get to know the different environments.
Also, it’s useful for getting the feel of the place to mostly start out by participating in existing threads, rather than just starting new threads of your own. You probably already know that, though, if you’re a veteran of other boards.
Moderator Action
Welcome to the SDMB, bikerdruid.
Introductory threads belong in our Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS) forum (which often ends up with things that are neither mundane nor pointless). I will move this thread for you.
Moving thread from ATMB to MPSIMS.
If he’s a new biker, he might be a squid himself.
More squid! Squid for everyone!
Hey, bikerdruid! Welcome!
I could pretend we have a lot in common (Well, I’m a bicycler… and in college we dressed up and faked druid rituals to scare girls who cut through the cemetery)… but I’ll just say hi.
My advice is to do what I did. Just lurk for a long time (read, but don’t post). I found that I learned more if I didn’t have to debate/correct/question/challenge anyone. And I got a good feel for the culture here… and, bonus, my IQ went up ten points!
Seriously, the haters and the willfully ignorant here make up about .001%.
This is by far the largest concentration of Smart Peeps anywhere.
I remember being terrified of this place when I first started posting here. Not having all the answers can be humbling. But it made me a more critical thinker, by far.
Forget squids … how do you feel about goats?
I like goats … We raise them here on our farm.
Squids? Not so much.
You could build the most beautiful cathedral in the world, and you’re not known as “The Cathedral Builder”. But you like one goat…
I’m going to repeat the advice above;
LURK LURK LURK!
You should probably read a lot of threads without posting, just to get the flow of the board and what is acceptable.
Insulting people outside of the Pit will get you warned, then banned. Don’t be that guy, we get a lot of them already.
Please lurk in the pit for at least a month before diving in. It is a vicious place full of insults, logic, sarcasm, anger and… satire. You can insult people to your heart’s content there (within the rules - and there are some), but you will have your ass handed to you if you’re posting something stupid there.
I have a hunch that only the bikers on the board will get this.
Welcome to the Dope!
I love the Pit. You get those really raw, real moments of visceral emotion and then people sometimes get past it and will reach an understanding. I live for those moments.
[QUOTE=bikerdruid]
I like goats … We raise them here on our farm.
Squids? Not so much.
[/QUOTE]
You should talk to Hal Briston. (sorry, Hal.)
Ha… just noticed this… twickster was there making a markedly prescient prediction.
A biker druid? Doesn’t your cloak get caught in the chain?
Shaft drive.
