# Should the SBMB have a (hopefully) temporary Coronavirus forum? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 15, 2020, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-sbmb-have-a-hopefully-temporary-coronavirus-forum/849578 "2020-03-15T23:23:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-sbmb-have-a-hopefully-temporary-coronavirus-forum/849578/41 "2020-03-17T18:56:31Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Just subscribe to the threads you want to follow. No “checking all around.” VERY SIMPLE. > > [ol] > [li]In any thread, go to “thread tools” and in the drop-down menu, you will see “subscribe to this thread.”[/li][li]Another window will open and click on “add subscription.” (Don’t skip this step.)[/li][li]Then when you check into the Dope, go to “Quick Links,” and in that drop down menu, you will see (near the bottom), “subscribed threads.” Click on that and Voila! A new window will open with all of your subscribed threads.[/li][/ol] USER CP also pulls up all subscribed threads ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-sbmb-have-a-hopefully-temporary-coronavirus-forum/849578/42 "2020-03-17T19:05:32Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > The announcement says “make it what you will” > > The forum description says “NO POLITICS” > > … so which is it? [Forum rules are here.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=891893) Basically GQ rules apply, although there is room for IMHO type threads on speculation. Politics and debates related to the virus should go in GD or P&E. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-sbmb-have-a-hopefully-temporary-coronavirus-forum/849578/43 "2020-03-17T19:33:24Z")
So what happens in a couple of [del]weeks[/del] months when this thing dies down. Are we keeping this new forum around in legacy? Losing those posts? Trying to unwind it & move threads back to the proper forum? Just dumping them all into one random forum? Horrible fucking idea! ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-sbmb-have-a-hopefully-temporary-coronavirus-forum/849578/44 "2020-03-17T20:07:24Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > So what happens in a couple of [del]weeks[/del] months when this thing dies down. Are we keeping this new forum around in legacy? Losing those posts? Trying to unwind it & move threads back to the proper forum? Just dumping them all into one random forum? > > Horrible fucking idea! C’mon **Spidey**. You’ve been around long enough to remember The Barn House and SD-Chicago forums. I’ve come around to the idea that sometimes there’s a reason to have a special forum for a one-of-a-kind event. Then we can lock the forum and have it available for posterity. “Hey, remember in 2020 when the entire world responded to a virus? Compared to the cat revolt of 2088, that seems tame now.” ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-sbmb-have-a-hopefully-temporary-coronavirus-forum/849578/45 "2020-03-17T21:15:01Z")
Time to bring back the Halloween forum. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-sbmb-have-a-hopefully-temporary-coronavirus-forum/849578/46 "2020-03-17T21:44:32Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > C’mon **Spidey**. You’ve been around long enough to remember The Barn House and SD-Chicago forums. > > I’ve come around to the idea that sometimes there’s a reason to have a special forum for a one-of-a-kind event. Then we can lock the forum and have it available for posterity. > > “Hey, remember in 2020 when the entire world responded to a virus? Compared to the cat revolt of 2088, that seems tame now.” I got SD-Chicago forum based on the history of where this place comes from; however, living \> 750 miles away you could count the number of posts I made there on one hand, & still be able to snap your fingers. That forum was of limited interest to those not from the area & anything that was a national news story could easily have been housed in another appropriate forum. I have no clue what you’re talking about with The Barn House, don’t remember that one at all. However, we have forums based upon logical lines for the most part. Factual info (GQ), opinions (IMHO), random assorted stuff & breaking news (defined as fast moving stories) (MPSIMS), now anything on a specific topic gets dumped into a new place, whether it’s factual, opinion, or other…except for if it’s that topic & political, then it goes somewhere else. Our mods usually do a good job of moving stuff if it needs to be but this new _temporary_\* category turns that logic on it’s ear. Nope, bad idea. I’m pretty sure they’re not going to undo this decision but I’m allowed to vent my frustration about it. - Granted we’re in new territory in this country & the world with this; possibly the Spanish Flu over 100 years ago??? However, it will pass by the summer or the fall & then what? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-sbmb-have-a-hopefully-temporary-coronavirus-forum/849578/47 "2020-03-17T22:45:42Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > So what happens in a couple of [del]weeks[/del] months when this thing dies down. Are we keeping this new forum around in legacy? Losing those posts? Trying to unwind it & move threads back to the proper forum? Just dumping them all into one random forum? > > Horrible fucking idea! Not a _horrible_ idea. But not a great one either IMHO. I would have vetoed it if the administration had wised up and given me that universal veto power a decade ago like I never asked them to. Just seems superfluous. But I also think it is not a big deal either way, so everything’s fine :). ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-sbmb-have-a-hopefully-temporary-coronavirus-forum/849578/48 "2020-03-18T00:24:55Z")
When Covid-19 is over, the admins could just lock all these threads and move them to MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-sbmb-have-a-hopefully-temporary-coronavirus-forum/849578/49 "2020-03-18T05:02:53Z")
Just do like they did with the Chicago forum and move them to appropriate threads and lock anything that’s a dead horse or already been answered. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-sbmb-have-a-hopefully-temporary-coronavirus-forum/849578/50 "2020-03-18T10:19:25Z")
Thanks mods. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-sbmb-have-a-hopefully-temporary-coronavirus-forum/849578/51 "2020-03-18T10:55:44Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > When Covid-19 is over, the admins could just lock all these threads and move them to MPSIMS. …or, I assume, lock the forum to new threads and let all the existing threads die a natural death… or not. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-sbmb-have-a-hopefully-temporary-coronavirus-forum/849578/52 "2020-03-18T12:18:54Z")
> [@what the .... ?!?!](#): > > …or, i assume, lock the forum to new threads and let all the existing threads die a natural death… Or not. iswydt. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-sbmb-have-a-hopefully-temporary-coronavirus-forum/849578/53 "2020-03-19T00:20:01Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Just do like they did with the Chicago forum and move them to appropriate threads and lock anything that’s a dead horse… COVID-19 is killing horses now, too?!? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-sbmb-have-a-hopefully-temporary-coronavirus-forum/849578.md?page=2)