# new SDMB board -- what would it be?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-sdmb-board-what-would-it-be/149602
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [January 19, 2003, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-sdmb-board-what-would-it-be/149602 "2003-01-19T06:38:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)
#### Post date: [January 19, 2003, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-sdmb-board-what-would-it-be/149602/1 "2003-01-19T06:38:10Z")

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If you were going to make a new board on the SDMB, what would it be, and why? The existing ones are:

About This Message Board  
Comments on Cecil’s Columns  
Comments on Staff Reports  
General Questions  
Great Debates  
Cafe Society  
In My Humble Opinion  
MPSIMS  
The BBQ Pit

Personally, I would probably break General Questions into different categories. Something like:

Computers/Internet  
Math/Science/Technology  
Words/Languages  
etc…

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### Author: ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)
#### Post date: [January 19, 2003, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-sdmb-board-what-would-it-be/149602/2 "2003-01-19T06:49:56Z")

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[obvious]  
**Banned Name Forum**  
Forum Description: Here is where you come back as a sockpuppet and act innocent, instead of emailing an admin to find out why you were banned. This is also the place for trolling, and (if you must) calling the mods Nazis.  
Moderator: Lambchop  
[/obvious]

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### Author: ![NightRabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbce88/32.png) [@NightRabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NightRabbit)
#### Post date: [January 19, 2003, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-sdmb-board-what-would-it-be/149602/3 "2003-01-19T06:59:48Z")

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**The TMI forum**  
Forum Description: This is where you’d bring any questions, comments, or rants that others might find “gicky”.  
Moderator: Coldfire 😉

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### Author: ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)
#### Post date: [January 19, 2003, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-sdmb-board-what-would-it-be/149602/4 "2003-01-19T07:04:07Z")

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**Worship Tars Tarkas Forum**  
Forum Description: “On Your knees, peasants!!”  
Moderator: Tars Tarkas

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### Author: ![typhoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed8c4c/32.png) [@typhoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typhoon)
#### Post date: [January 19, 2003, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-sdmb-board-what-would-it-be/149602/5 "2003-01-19T07:21:45Z")

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I want an entire forum with nothing but “Does size matter?” threads.

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### Author: ![SilentSpeak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SilentSpeak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SilentSpeak)
#### Post date: [January 19, 2003, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-sdmb-board-what-would-it-be/149602/6 "2003-01-19T07:37:22Z")

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Newb’s corner  
Are you new? Come and welcome/be welcomed.  
The Zoo  
Only the banned can post in here, so they won’t disturb the perfect intellectual balance of the other forums.  
HOT NAKED LEISBIAN CHICKS PIX XXX XXX XXX  
Self Explainitory.  
The Chat Room  
Posters get banished to this forum if they make the forums they’re personal chat rooms.  
Media-  
Got a game or a movie to show off? Post it here.

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### Author: ![Bad\_Hat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f0a364/32.png) [@Bad\_Hat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_Hat)
#### Post date: [January 19, 2003, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-sdmb-board-what-would-it-be/149602/7 "2003-01-19T08:27:18Z")

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a related idea.

what if, when someone was banned, instead of telling them they were banned- thus inspiring them to come up with workarounds, we just let them continue to post and see thier own posts but no one else would see them at all?

like not even an ignore thing… the posts just woudn’t even be visibe to any other user. and then the banned people would just think they were being ignored…

that could be fun.

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### Author: ![Roadwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@Roadwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadwalker)
#### Post date: [January 19, 2003, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-sdmb-board-what-would-it-be/149602/8 "2003-01-19T21:54:54Z")

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a serious post thread  
where dopers needing good vibes, prayers, or advise on a serious subject would go.

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### Author: ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)
#### Post date: [January 19, 2003, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-sdmb-board-what-would-it-be/149602/9 "2003-01-19T22:07:43Z")

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A forum devoted entirely to _Lord Of The Rings_. Oh wait, we’ve already got one.

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### Author: ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)
#### Post date: [January 19, 2003, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-sdmb-board-what-would-it-be/149602/10 "2003-01-19T22:07:50Z")

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Interesting idea there, **Bad Hat**.

Frankly, I’d not be in favor of splitting the board up anymore than it already is. I think heavy decimation of the board would tend to inhibit activity.

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### Author: ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2003, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-sdmb-board-what-would-it-be/149602/11 "2003-01-20T22:30:14Z")

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Seriously, I would like to see a forum that would keep troubleshooting and misc. questions out of General Questions. I would think that GQ would be more suited for questions similar to what Cecil answers.

Examples would be:

“How do traffic lights know I am waiting?” = GQ  
“Where can I get a mouse driver?” = Some other forum  
“What holds the moon up?” = GQ  
“Why is my car making this funny noise?” = Some other forum  
“How does a cable modem work?” = GQ  
“Why isn’t my cable modem working?” = SOF

I’m afraid I didn’t do a good job explaining it. I guess I would like to see someone new to the SDMB open GQ, and a few minutes later say, “Ohhhh, THAT’S how that works.”

I guess you could say MPSIMS would be suited for these kinds of things, but people hardly post them there. Also, having a forum dedicated to this kind of thing would make it easier to search and see if someone has had the same issue you are having.

Anyone else think the same way?

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### Author: ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2003, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-sdmb-board-what-would-it-be/149602/12 "2003-01-20T23:38:27Z")

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Sports queries

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### Author: ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2003, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-sdmb-board-what-would-it-be/149602/13 "2003-01-21T00:00:29Z")

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How about a forum dedicated to “Ask the \_\_\_\_”/“bbq-pit”

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### Author: ![Rockford](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac8455/32.png) [@Rockford](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rockford)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2003, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-sdmb-board-what-would-it-be/149602/14 "2003-01-21T00:06:10Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Joey G.  
> Banned Name Forum  
> Forum Description: Here is where you come back as a sockpuppet and act innocent, instead of emailing an admin to find out why you were banned. This is also the place for trolling, and (if you must) calling the mods Nazis.

I think that’s actually called the BBQ pit.

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### Author: ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2003, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-sdmb-board-what-would-it-be/149602/15 "2003-01-21T00:57:39Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by erictelevision \*  
> \*\*Sports queries \*\*

Definitely a sports forum!

Also, IMHO, All Religious qustions / debates should be in a seperate forum outside of GD. Debating faith (something you either have or you don’t) is fruitless & just doesn’t make sense.

Come to think of it, a total overhaul of the forums might make sense. Instead of the user being forced to decide how mundane, opinionated, debateable or flaming their topic is, what if…

The Forums were something like:

Politics  
Current Events  
Art & Literature  
A/V Entertainment  
Sports  
Sex  
History  
Life, Home & Family  
Science & Nature  
et. al  
Hey, that’s Trial Pursuit!

And then the moderators labelled the message as either a:

General Question  
Opinion  
Mundane Discussion  
Debate-able topic  
Flaming Rant  
Along the lines of the Tom Ridge Security threat “color coding” plan.

Ehhh, on second thought, this wouldn’t work either.

All right, I changed my mind again, keep it the way it is & add A sports & sex forum.

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### Author: ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2003, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-sdmb-board-what-would-it-be/149602/16 "2003-01-21T03:09:37Z")

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I don’t know, **John** , I think sports and sex are adequately handled with the current lineup of forums.

**Sports** :

ATMB

Why can’t I take bets on the board?

Comments on Cecil’s Columns

[I think the pitcher’s mound is more of an ego thing.](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_302a.html)

Comments on Staff Reports

[What about the Metal version of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mballgame.html)

GQ

What happens if my field goal attempt is blown back into my own endzone and recovered by fans?

GD

Should there be a 30 second rule?

Cafe Society

How many pro atheletes portrayed the opposite sex in post-athletic career movies?

MPSIMS

Yay! We’re going to the SuperBowl!

The BBQ Pit

When the blind officiate

**Sex** :

ATMB

Mods keep deleting my tekephone number.

Comments on Cecil’s Columns

[But Unca Cece, who discovered the penis?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_212b.html)

Comments on Staff Reports

[Bah! Playboy saw Procter & Gamble being taken down and covered their ass!](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mballgame.html)

GQ

Can you _really_ get pregnant from this?

GD

Should there be a 30 second rule?

Cafe Society

First boob on network TV?

MPSIMS

Yay! I finally got some! Please tell me who you are! And what gender (it was _dark_)!

The BBQ Pit

So I finally learned what “grudge fuck” means.

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### Author: ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2003, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-sdmb-board-what-would-it-be/149602/17 "2003-01-21T03:24:14Z")

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I’ve always thought that MPSIMS could cleaved off into two parts, the second part being “Doper Life,” a forum designed for personal announcements, observations, DopeFest signups, advice, and the like. Some of the personal announcements we’ve had over the years have seemed, well, too important for a forum that’s “mundane and pointless.”

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### Author: ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2003, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-sdmb-board-what-would-it-be/149602/18 "2003-01-21T03:47:47Z")

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Roadwalker, I agree with you.

I would also like to see a forum set aside just for interesting links. A thread on the subject would be fine except that it would scroll away eventually.
