Non U.S. Dopers: How'd ya get here?

In My Humble Opinion
1

That is to say, what brought you to these boards? This board seems to have quite the range of folks from all over the globe, which I find curious given the roots of this site - a Q & A column from a small Chicago newspaper. Is the Cecil column available in any way overseas? (aside from this site) Did ya ever see the TV show? Did ya pick up a copy of the book? Recommended by a friend? Surfed on in by accident?

Although in the US, I’ll start it: I first started hanging around in the AOL days after a friend loaned me a copy of the book. Been hooked ever since. Grew up in Chicago, although I never heard of the Straight Dope until I lived in Wisconsin.

So, how’d ya get here?

(US dopers are certainly welcome to respond as well)

2

By running a web search to find out how flies land on the ceiling. How else? :smiley:

I was linked to one of Cecil’s columns. I explored the SD main site, and would return there every now and then, but it took me a couple of years to click on the “forums” link.

3

Last year I Googled for ‘decimate’. This got me to the Word detective. One of his columns refered to Cecil. I read a few of his columns. On a fateful day I decided to see what that message board thingy was. And presto!

4

Web search for … something … can’t remember what, exactly. It was a few years ago, after all (I lurked for a while before registering.)

5

I never heard of anything related to Cecil´s column, the TV show, the books, the Chicago Reeder or whatever till I found this site. I think I was looking for something about Don McLean 8don´t ask why) and I stumbled upon Cecil´s column about the lyrics of “American Pie”. I took a look at the site and said “whow!” and I´ve been aorund here since.
This site is quite instructive and entertaining, every time I pay a visit i learn something and I laugh into tears, what more could I ask for?

6

Fark. Not much of a plot and lacking in any dramatic tension, but it pretty much sums it up.

7

If it’s not in your “location” column under your name, would you mind tellin’ where you’re at? I know that most non-merkin dopers seem to be from CA, UK and AU. I also know we have dopers in Saudi Arabia, Israel, Brazil, New Guinea, Chile ( I believe). Where else?

8

Neil Gaiman. He liked the Lord of the Rings thread and wrote about it in his blog.

9

I´m from Spain… I should specify my location, wait a sec…

10

I’m from Amsterdam, Netherlands. Yay me!

11

My unquenchable thirst for knowledge and dick jokes brought me here.

I’m from Norway, by the way.

12

Google. I was looking for something and landed here. Read most of the columns in a week (hey, I gotta work) then read the faqs, then the newsw and finally clicked on the forums. Turns out it’s the most enjoyable part of the site.

I’m from Mexico by the way.

13

I’m pretty certain it was bored.com. I only bothered checking out the MB about a month later; signed up and then lurked for a further 8-9 months.

Expat in Hong Kong.

14

The Straight Dope was used as a cite on a dutch forum and something in Cecil’s style hooked me, hooked me bad. After my initial five-hour archive extravaganza I started reading every single column, then threadspotting and after too much lurking I really, really needed the search function.

Location: 52° 21’N, 4° 52’E : Amsterdam, Netherlands

15

I saw David Blaine on TV… xash decided to look up how he went about his levitation trick. And he ended up here. And then I followed.

16

I arrived via the Slashdotting of the infamous LOTR thread, myself.

17

Link off Fark, read through the columns, wound up on the message board at some point. Nothing too dramatic. And I’m from Melbourne, Aust.

18

I was at a friends house and she was in hysterics reading one of the replies to a thread and told to read it, she left me to my own devices to look around it then i signed up myself. not quite sure where she heard about it but she’s an ex chicago goin gal.

19

US pal in Alabama e-mailed me and said I would like the site…he wasn’t wrong.

20

Another Australian – who was e-mailed a link to the report on whether the same agent is responsible for the process of whitening in chocolote and dog turds. That was it for me.