# Pre Poll Prep - What are your biggest specific SDMB annoyances? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 25, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-prep-what-are-your-biggest-specific-sdmb-annoyances/590281 "2011-07-25T17:27:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-prep-what-are-your-biggest-specific-sdmb-annoyances/590281/81 "2011-07-25T21:53:54Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > [Moderator Note]Just a gentle reminder that naming specific posters as annoyances will not be tolerated.[/Moderator Note] My apologies, it was not my intent to single anyone out- rather it was to call attention to false civility and the use of signatures. Why even have signatures, especially since so many are just repetition of the user name? You do have the taste not to allow avatars. I think some of us will have to agree to disagree about the clique. My opinion is that it is real and that I personally am destined to forever be an “outie” on this board. Not to worry, I’ve found another outlet for my political thoughts. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-prep-what-are-your-biggest-specific-sdmb-annoyances/590281/82 "2011-07-25T22:00:32Z")
I’m glad(?) I’m not the only one who feels like I’m invisible sometimes 😃 One thing that often irks me is when someone starts a rant or mini-rant, and posters jump in with advice or admonishments. Sometimes people just want to vent, you know? They may know what they need to do to change the situation, but they come here to blow off steam, and when other posters get all “omg yer so stupid to get annoyed by that why don’t you just X” it gets up my nose sometimes. Sometimes you just gotta yell for a while. After the yelling is done, then people can ask for advice. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-prep-what-are-your-biggest-specific-sdmb-annoyances/590281/83 "2011-07-25T22:05:22Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Pretty sure **Der Trihs** ’s post was entirely a good-natured joke… That’s the way I took it. I laughed. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-prep-what-are-your-biggest-specific-sdmb-annoyances/590281/84 "2011-07-25T22:22:33Z")
1. Thread titles that are questions, but lack a question mark e.g. “Does acupuncture work”; sometimes they even end it with a period e.g. “Does acupuncture work.” 2. Smilies in general, but most of all the 😃 smilie. It’s nearly impossible to use that one without coming across as an asshole. The :p, :rolleyes:, and 😉 smilies are nearly as bad. I truly believe that if the admins were to disable smilies in GD for month or so, the quality of discourse would increase. > [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > The fact that the SDMB is 90% liberal certainly makes the political discussions less interesting than they might be. I agree. Some days it seems like three quarters of the board’s traffic is conservatives complaining about how outnumbered they are. It really brings down what could otherwise be interesting debates. ---
**Author:** ![Mewl\_Dear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mewl\_Dear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mewl_Dear)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-prep-what-are-your-biggest-specific-sdmb-annoyances/590281/85 "2011-07-25T22:26:41Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > You do have the taste not to allow avatars. I’m kind of annoyed there are no avatars. I am fairly new is there a reason for this. ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-prep-what-are-your-biggest-specific-sdmb-annoyances/590281/86 "2011-07-25T22:29:06Z")
Sigining off your name in the body of your post as if an online message board is a telegram or letter or whatever they had before the internet. Obscure abbreviations ---
**Author:** ![Elysian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c77e96/32.png) [@Elysian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elysian)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-prep-what-are-your-biggest-specific-sdmb-annoyances/590281/87 "2011-07-25T22:29:59Z")
There was a thread three years ago on this very subject. Why didn’t you search for it? Oh, and I LOVE (let’s say) engineer\_comp\_geek. I’ll follow him from thread to thread and tell him how much I ADORE everything he says and how WONDERFUL he’s phrased things and I could NEVER say it better than him. Hi Opal. Oh, and have I mentioned the Republicans yet? I think the entire rest of the thread should be about the budget, because the original subject was way too boring. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-prep-what-are-your-biggest-specific-sdmb-annoyances/590281/88 "2011-07-25T22:36:05Z")
> [@Elysian](#): > > There was a thread three years ago on this very subject. Why didn’t you search for it? But for God’s sake, if you find it, don’t bump it! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mewl\_Dear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mewl\_Dear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mewl_Dear)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-prep-what-are-your-biggest-specific-sdmb-annoyances/590281/89 "2011-07-25T22:37:55Z")
Posts that don’t specify to whom they are replying. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-prep-what-are-your-biggest-specific-sdmb-annoyances/590281/90 "2011-07-25T22:38:08Z")
> [@Mewl\_Dear](#): > > I’m kind of annoyed there are no avatars. I am fairly new is there a reason for this. The whole bare-bones look is tradition and local culture mainly, as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-prep-what-are-your-biggest-specific-sdmb-annoyances/590281/91 "2011-07-25T22:41:32Z")
Paraphrased: “Your token has expired. Please hit the back button on your browser and click Reload in order to post to this thread.” Then you hit the back button and reload and you get the SAME damn thing! FUCK TOKENS!! _\_ ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-prep-what-are-your-biggest-specific-sdmb-annoyances/590281/92 "2011-07-25T23:12:45Z")
> [@Crawlspace](#): > > \certainly not something you need to apologize for ahead of time in order to appease the mods. Don’t appease the mods at your own peril. > [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > \ > > 1. Smilies in general, but most of all the 😃 smilie. It’s nearly impossible to use that one without coming across as an asshole. The :p, :rolleyes:, and 😉 smilies are nearly as bad. I truly believe that if the admins were to disable smilies in GD for month or so, the quality of discourse would increase.\ Sorry. You’ll pry my smilies from my cold, dead fingers. 🙂 > [@Mewl\_Dear](#): > > I’m kind of annoyed there are no avatars. I am fairly new is there a reason for this. Because the Powers That Be here are moldy old poopyheads. ETA: Nothing personal, mind you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-prep-what-are-your-biggest-specific-sdmb-annoyances/590281/93 "2011-07-25T23:18:44Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > _\_ > It was a joke, thus the link. ModWhoosh, indeed. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-prep-what-are-your-biggest-specific-sdmb-annoyances/590281/94 "2011-07-25T23:42:15Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Also, if I were emperor of the boards, I’d ban all political talk as being too utterly tediously mind-numbing to be allowed to exist. It’s not that I don’t have political opinions, it’s just that I’d rather gouge out my own gall bladder than debate them. But that’s just me. Good point, but on a board that banned politics, it got clumsy trying to discuss our oil supply. How about a discussion of education and nothing about NCLB and Bush? The government is so well embedded in almost ever aspect of our life. Even a religious thread touches on the limits of the government. One of the nice things about any board is the ability to skip threads you find tiresome. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-prep-what-are-your-biggest-specific-sdmb-annoyances/590281/95 "2011-07-26T00:01:22Z")
Threads that are not clearly written: **OMG! Look At This!** (_and then post just a link with no explaination_) Of course it is some stupid-ass YouTube clip of a cat playing with yarn or equally asinine kitty porn crap. At least warn the rest of us this is diabetes-inducing cutesy catshit. (We really do need a new forum section just for these people to gush over their pussys without bothering the rest of us!) ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-prep-what-are-your-biggest-specific-sdmb-annoyances/590281/96 "2011-07-26T00:02:33Z")
Requested this thread be closed. Please post your thoughts in the [thread with the poll](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=617729). mmm ---
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-prep-what-are-your-biggest-specific-sdmb-annoyances/590281/97 "2011-07-26T00:16:44Z")
1. I hate: “In before the people who think X\* get here and say Y.” I think it bugs me because it is essentially strawmanning. Maybe they will say Y, or maybe they agree with you about the case at hand. Guessing someone’s position for them precisely means that you are not willing to listen. Plus it means that _you_ are the one who brought up Y. SMUG! SMUG! SMUG! - or “The Usual Suspects” 1. I appreciate the zombie jokes because it alerts me to the fact that the thread is a zombie. Would the posters who are annoyed by them mind a post that said “Just so everyone knows, this thread is 10 years old”? 2. I will join the chorus about quoting the whole OP. I don’t know why it’s so annoying, but it is. > [@spark240](#): > > You know you can mouseover those links and see the address without clicking, right? You can at least know if it _is_ a Youtube link or whatever. You weren’t replying to me, but: I think that in general more links need explanation. Especially blind IMDB links that just say “[this movie.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087425/)” I think instead of “[I love this youtube video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUqk5hZOUqg&feature=player_embedded),” that it would be nice if the poster said “[I love this youtube video about owls](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUqk5hZOUqg&feature=player_embedded).” ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-prep-what-are-your-biggest-specific-sdmb-annoyances/590281/98 "2011-07-26T00:29:53Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Requested this thread be closed. > > Please post your thoughts in the [thread with the poll](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=617729). > mmm Request granted. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-poll-prep-what-are-your-biggest-specific-sdmb-annoyances/590281.md?page=4)