When we’re discussing some topic, the wife generally likes it if I invoke a cite from a Doper – but sometimes, if it’s something we disagree about, and I mention that “many Dopers agree with me”, that’s when she’ll roll her eyes.
I’m not currently in a relationship, but my last GF totally didn’t get it. She doesn’t understand the concept of friends who aren’t flesh and blood. I pretty much introduced her to the concept of e-mail, which up to that point she never thought of as a social medium, just a utilitarian one.
She went to one Dopefest/graduation party and kind of liked it. If I went to any others without inviting her, she got really mad.
Though he’s never said so, sometimes I feel like my husband probably thinks I should be doing something else instead of spending time on the Dope; however, he finds most of the threads interesting and will even sometimes ask me to post a thread if he wants to know more about something, would like opinions from more people than our immediate circle and doesn’t really know where to start. For example, I posted a thread on financial planning and affording our kids’ college and retirement because we’re both becoming more focused about meeting our future financial goals and I brought the Straight Dope up as one place where we could get lots of opinions and suggestions. He was all for it and glad that I had.
I don’t think he’s interested in joining himself, but he does appreciate it to a certain extent and finds some of the threads helpful or hilarious.
My wife loves the books and website but she thinks all message boards are basically silly; not just this one.
I’ve referred to it occasionally as “that message board I read/post to,” when I want to mention a particular topic that was discussed. My wife doesn’t know the name of the board or my identity as Vinyl Turnip. She might be mildly surprised to learn that I’ve been a member since 2002 and have made almost 6,000 posts. (Frankly, so am I.)
I haven’t intentionally concealed it; English isn’t her first language so the board probably wouldn’t appeal to her much.
I have occasionally made my husband read certain posts (the blimp in the closet one nearly made him lose control… and he’s a Methodist AND an IT guy) and I’ll refer to things I learned on it. He’s mildly amused.
My hubby is not a computer person and doesn’t spend any more time on one than he has to.
He and I are kind of an odd couple in that we don’t spend much time doing things together, so most of the time I’m posting on the computer, he is out bushhogging or working on cars or gone off to deer camp with his buddy. He really doesn’t have any idea how much time I spend on the 'net but at the same time he doesn’t mind it because he’s got his own stuff he enjoys doing.
Occasionally I’ll ask him if he wants me to “start a thread” requesting opinions or trying to find out about something. He’s been to one Dopefest with me and had a great time. He still asks about Quasimodem. 
Wow VT I didn’t realize we’d been here that long. And I’m up to almost 8k posts. :eek:
My husband is totally cool with however much time I spend on the boards. He’s open to stuff I’ve learned here and bummed when I can debunk some nonsense that his idiot friend’s have put in his head. On the other hand, he’s very interested in physics and I often print threads out that I think he’ll be into. I doubt he’d ever consider joining or participating, though he has, on occasion, asked me to pose questions for him, rarely, but on occasion.
(I was a member for several years before his Mom was paralyzed, by a stroke, and we bought our house and brought her to live with us. I quit working to become a full time caregiver, she was completely bedridden, incontinent, it was incredibly challenging for us all. It was 6 yrs before it was over, and there were many times we struggled with the pressures on us. I doubt it was lost on him that this resource was a lifesaver for me. I was living a somewhat home bound life, often in unfamiliar territory, sometimes even in over my head. I came here to stay connected to a larger world, sometimes for support, and many times for information and answers. And when she passed, and I was shattered, I came here to express it, as the painful days inched by. The truth is that this board carried me through one of my life’s greatest challenges. There was always someone willing to listen, offer wisdom, encouragement, whenever I needed it most, even the middle of the most difficult nights. I will never forget.)
My SO posts on message boards too; his are all bicycle or bicycle shop business related. I don’t know if he has any “internet friends” from those boards, but he knows what this board’s name is, and what my screenname is. We’ll often be sitting in bed on our respective laptops, him looking at bike porn, me laughing about something I’ve read here. (We got a good laugh out of the thread that I think jsgoddess? started about her cat who sleeps in the dirty litterbox, and how when she put the new, clean one there, the OTHER cat started doing it too!)
So yeah, he knows I Dope, but he has his own thing.
My husband is all about computers, but he thinks they ought to be used for work, not play. He knows that I post here and what my name is, but I can tell he doesn’t check up on me. I mention the boards from time to time, but I try to keep it to a minimum so he won’t realize just how much time I’m farting away here…
Don’t have a Significant Other but I’ve related here the story of a guy I used to interact with from the gym and around, who I found to be fairly well-read, interested in the world and topical subjects, and who I thought might enjoy the Dope.
I kept recommending he check it out, even sent him the link by email one time. He apparently never did and, finally, based on some clues he couldn’t but help reveal (he never came out and said it directly), it finally dawned on me he thought the Straight Dope was gay dating cite (using “Straight” in the name as a clever disguise!) and must have thought I was trying to recruit him to Teh Gay (cue ominous music, crashing thunder and Lon-ette Lurleen Chaney with the wide eyes).
I do find myself referring a lot to the conversations and threads I’ve read and participated in; some people show interest but none have reported back that they’ve ever actually checked us out. I do remind myself, after the second or third reference in a day, “Des, you have to get a life. Not, not that kind, a real life.”
Mrs Magill will occasionally read posts I send her. (Shodan frightening poor Wal-Mart employees for one.) But for the most part the message board thing isn’t her bag. She also didn’t get why I liked Usenet many, many moons ago.
He has met (and taken blackmail photos of [sup]1[/sup]) dopers before, and she likes them. I think she is just trying to let me have my thing.
[1] You know who you are.
Not nearly as shocked as we are to hear you’re married.
14 years. Sorry, ladies.
Bah! You’re too young for me anyway. 
This place is my dirty secret.
I Dope from work and with the exception of a vague reference about 10 years ago, have never mentioned this place to her. It’s not that I intentionally keep it from her, it’s just that when I go home there are other things to do and talk about, kids to monitor, homework to help with, projects to finish, etc. I’ve never posted from home and it’s never occurred to me to bring up something I’ve read about here.
How surprising it would be to learn that she’s one of the posters I’ve been reading about all these years, and neither of us realized it!
Ditto for my spousal unit. He’s met some dopers and in small groups, he likes them just fine. But he’s uncomfortable in big gatherings and he doesn’t find this entertaining. He will on occasion ask me to ask a question, tho.
He’s got his TV, which bores me. I have my Dope which bores him. Win-win!
He doesn’t get why I’d want to hang around a message board (any message board), but he doesn’t seem to care. I’ll tell him about some of the stranger things I come across, like the pan-friend semen thread, but we don’t really talk about it much… now he’s reading over my shoulder, like a creepy thing. Now he’s being more creepy. Quit it.
I showed mrs.kidneyfailure this thread (“boring,” she said) and we spent some time looking through others together. She said her favorite Dope personality is MeanOldLady.