# Quoting Manhattan (re: Private Message Budget) **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 11, 2000, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quoting-manhattan-re-private-message-budget/28930 "2000-08-11T04:14:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/90ced4/32.png) [@jally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jally)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quoting-manhattan-re-private-message-budget/28930/1 "2000-08-11T04:14:19Z")
> [@](#): > > You ask whether the Straight Dope could offer private mail. Yes, probably, but we don’t. And we aren’t going to. For one thing, we ain’t making any money off this enterprise as it is, and we just don’t have the monetary or manpower resources to set it up and run it. I’m confused about this statement because I know of a forum which uses EZboards’ free script and its administrator _certainly_ doesn’t have resources. So the resources must be EZboards’ (which probably has a huge system that maintains subscribers’ boards for free.) The point is, that it may be possible for SDMB to use EZboards and get free private-mail thrown into the bargain. At least I’m pretty sure about this. Correct me if I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@Lord\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quoting-manhattan-re-private-message-budget/28930/2 "2000-08-11T04:31:51Z")
A word of advice, take it or leave it. This board runs the way the administrators and moderators and members want it to. It doesn’t need to be overhauled. We are glad to be here and have the board for our enjoyment. The moderators and administrators post their email addresses and you have to have an email address to become a member. That allows private communications between members and the administration. Why are you trying to fix something that isn’t broken? Jim ---
**Author:** ![That\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e79b87/32.png) [@That\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Girl)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quoting-manhattan-re-private-message-budget/28930/3 "2000-08-11T05:25:05Z")
There’s already so many free mail sites now. Search on a couple of keywords for the threads, and you will find everyone and his kid brother is offering free email, so why does the world need another one? The only advantage is if they added one of those tagline links like Yahoo and Hotmail, but since the board doesn’t make money, why advertise? ---
**Author:** ![jally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/90ced4/32.png) [@jally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jally)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quoting-manhattan-re-private-message-budget/28930/4 "2000-08-11T06:30:13Z")
Read the OP again, you’ll see I mentioned about a budget issue. That was my question. Which wasn’t yet answered. However, if I can expect to get any more inappropriate answers to this thread, I’d rather not get any at all. OK? OFF-TOPIC SOLILOQY: since getting on to the www, I’m becoming ever more sunk in disillusion by the depths of cruelty people are capable of. And unlike what many of the SDMB members (of this forum particularly) RASHLY assume, i don’t stay because i’m a masochist, but rather because i have valid questions or issues, just like the next guy, and i’m curious about certain other questions people have (though certainly not the perverted ones). ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2000, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quoting-manhattan-re-private-message-budget/28930/5 "2000-08-12T00:36:02Z")
Hi Jally. I’d like you to consider this story. A rabbi was sitting by the side of the road when a traveller walked past him. The traveller asked the rabbi what the people in the next village were like. The rabbi said, “Well, first tell me what the people in your home village were like.” The man said, “Oh, they were the most wonderful friendly people you could imagine…we used to have great times together!” And the rabbi said, “Well, you’re lucky because the people in the next village are exactly the same way.” And the man went on his way to the village happily. An hour later another man came by, and asked the rabbi the same question. And the rabbi again asked, “What were the people in your home village like?” The man answered, “Oh, they were a bunch selfish, mean-spirited old hags who never had a kind word for anyone!” “Well, I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but you will find that the people in the next village are exactly the same way,” replied the rabbi. ---
**Author:** ![Et\_tu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df788c/32.png) [@Et\_tu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Et_tu)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2000, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quoting-manhattan-re-private-message-budget/28930/6 "2000-08-12T01:03:40Z")
I gotta go with Piano. If there’s no need for Yet Another Free Webmail, then any amount is too much. She didn’t digress, you did. And the Rabbi will confirm this. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2000, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quoting-manhattan-re-private-message-budget/28930/7 "2000-08-12T02:25:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jally \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > You ask whether the Straight Dope could offer private mail. Yes, probably, but we don’t. And we aren’t going to. For one thing, we ain’t making any money off this enterprise as it is, and we just don’t have the monetary or manpower resources to set it up and run it. > > I’m confused about this statement because I know of a forum which uses EZboards’ free script and its administrator _certainly_ doesn’t have resources. > > So the resources must be EZboards’ (which probably has a huge system that maintains subscribers’ boards for free.) > > The point is, that it may be possible for SDMB to use EZboards and get free private-mail thrown into the bargain. At least I’m pretty sure about this. Correct me if I’m wrong. > \*\* 1. Why should we offer you email? Why is that our responsibility? With all the free email deals out there, why should be even get into it? 2. EZboards might be fine for some small system that doesn’t have a lot of users, but expecting it to work for us, with over 8000 users and thousands of posts a day is preposterous. We need a freight train and you want us to ge a Yugo? And a further note to Jally: We try to be open and encouraging to everybody that comes to visit us, but it’s not always a good fit. Doubtless there’s another board out there more to your liking. your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2000, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quoting-manhattan-re-private-message-budget/28930/8 "2000-08-12T03:39:21Z")
**Lemur866** , love the rabbi story. In the context of this post, the laugh-factor doubles. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2000, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quoting-manhattan-re-private-message-budget/28930/9 "2000-08-12T13:12:27Z")
It’s even funnier if you’ve been up half the night with a kids’ slumber party, haven’t had any coffee yet, and got partway through the joke before you realized it wasn’t about a rabbit.