I’ve been reading these boards for awhile now and have decided to go on the 30 day test drive. Hopefully I can contribute something useful, but I doubt it (unless you are looking for some more self-deprecating humor).
Let me start by saying that you are all the most incredibly beautiful and intelligent people whose posts I have read online.
Let me end by saying that this is the only message board I have ever accessed.
One of the great things about the Straight Dope is that our contributors have such a diversity of knowledge to offer. You almost certainly have some obscure field of interest, hobby or obsession that will allow you, from time to time, to shine out as the SDMB’s Greatest Expert.
Flattery will get you . . . well, pretty much anything you want, actually. But seriously, it sounds to me like you are here for All the Right Reasons.
And the only one you will ever need. Probably. Be forewarned, after 30 days you will have no choice but to cough up your membership fee, especially if you look around and see what else is out there. This is, bar none, the smartest, best moderated, all-around greatest general-purpose message board on the internet.
But if you stay here, then any other message board you read in the future will seem pale and flaccid by comparison – uninteresting, unenlightening, unconvincing, underpants, and unworthy of your time. Do you really want to chance that? Really?
Hmmm, maybe we should take a cue from this newcomer’s screen name and add rancid yak butter to the goats, calamari, and other trappings of our initiatio … er, welcoming ceremonies. Hal Briston, twickster, Kythereia, Sunspace, and the rest of the committee should be straggling in any time now…
I have a thing for memorizing world capitals and the locations of countries. I also know more than any human being would ever need to know about ice cream.
Thanks to everyone for the “warm welcomage speech”. I am a little nervous about this goat, I will have to admit.
Welcome aboard RancidYakButterTeaParty, the Welcoming Cake[sup]TM[/sup] should be ready shortly. BTW, what abbreviation of your name would you like us to use ?
How 'bout initials T.P ? the rest just confuses me. Welcome. The goats, you know, are disguised as wolves, this week, I have it on good authority, so watch the wolves. what do you mean, “that was last week?!?”