# So, the world is watching us (the SDMB), you better watch what you post? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 19, 2003, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-world-is-watching-us-the-sdmb-you-better-watch-what-you-post/149598 "2003-01-19T05:47:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-world-is-watching-us-the-sdmb-you-better-watch-what-you-post/149598/1 "2003-01-19T05:47:13Z")
\*When the Beatles appeared on their historical Ed Sullivan show this conversation occurred: Attendant: Are you nervous? Paul: No, we are felling good. Attendant: You should be, there are 73 million people watching! Paul: (grumpy) Well! Thanks a lot!\* This may be not so pointless, so I put it here. This is something that recently got to me: I realized, before joining this message board, that this was already a worldwide phenomenon. But, it was for practical purposes, small and relatively out of the radar of Internet surfers. IMO this is now beginning to turn into a well-known area throughout the world. I am talking of course of the message boards, not only of Cecil’s column. My point here is: knowing that, will you take into account the worldwide numerical reach of this board when posting? Will the realization that in the near future hundreds of thousands could read your points and opinions, make you modify some of your posts? Your flames? Your grammar? 😉 I remember hearing about microphone or camera fear; you think there could be something like “posting fear” in an environment like that? Personally, I will work more with my grammar; on other issues I will still post as usual. (For the small place flavor I will go to Fathom and the UnaBoard) 🆒 How will you deal with the SDMB getting into “primetime”? ---
**Author:** ![lel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8797f3/32.png) [@lel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lel)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-world-is-watching-us-the-sdmb-you-better-watch-what-you-post/149598/2 "2003-01-19T05:57:55Z")
Okay, on a serious note, I already do take it into account. What you see on this board is my public persona – my private persona, while still the same me, reveals different aspects of myself than does my public persona. (Or at any rate, I like to think it does!) In any thread that is “open to the world,” I try (try being the operative word) to be more calm and rational and more private and observe social customs more than I would in an informal gathering among friends. But really, this is all speculation. I could just be the same everywhere. All this really means is that I’ll annoy **GIGObuster** in front of millions of people instead of thousands. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![happyheathen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@happyheathen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happyheathen)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-world-is-watching-us-the-sdmb-you-better-watch-what-you-post/149598/3 "2003-01-19T05:59:24Z")
Dear world: If you do not like this post, please take a flying f\*ck at a rolling donut. Thank you. You may now move along. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-world-is-watching-us-the-sdmb-you-better-watch-what-you-post/149598/4 "2003-01-19T06:05:16Z")
Much like rock bands, I’m looking forward to more “groupies.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![butter\_pie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aca169/32.png) [@butter\_pie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butter_pie)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-world-is-watching-us-the-sdmb-you-better-watch-what-you-post/149598/5 "2003-01-19T06:14:59Z")
I already monitor my behaviour for consumption by the masses. Why would I be doing anything differently here? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ijustdontcare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c57346/32.png) [@ijustdontcare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ijustdontcare)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-world-is-watching-us-the-sdmb-you-better-watch-what-you-post/149598/6 "2003-01-19T06:15:34Z")
> [@](#): > > - Originally posted by happyheathen:\* > Dear world: > > If you do not like this post, please take a flying f\*ck at a rolling donut. > > Thank you. > > You may now move along. My sentiments exactly.😛 ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-world-is-watching-us-the-sdmb-you-better-watch-what-you-post/149598/7 "2003-01-19T06:24:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lel \* > \*\*But really, this is all speculation. I could just be the same everywhere. All this really means is that I’ll annoy **GIGObuster** in front of millions of people instead of thousands. 😃 \*\* That’s the spirit! 😃 I wish it could be just speculation, but I have seen many examples of other more popular sites pointing at us, I want to clarify that I don’t see that as a bad thing. The hamsters though . . . . ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-world-is-watching-us-the-sdmb-you-better-watch-what-you-post/149598/8 "2003-01-19T07:08:40Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by GIGObuster \* > \*\* > My point here is: knowing that, will you take into account the worldwide numerical reach of this board when posting? Will the realization that in the near future hundreds of thousands could read your points and opinions, make you modify some of your posts? Your flames? Your grammar? 😉_\* First of all, the total number of views for most of the threads is still just a few hundred. But more importantly, I don’t think that there’s any danger of microphone fear or cmera fear taking over here, because most of us post anonymously, without providing any connection between our screen names and our real-life selves. While it’s true that I’d rather not embarrass myself with bad spelling or grammar or other mistakes on the SDMB, the motivation isn’t nearly as strong as it is when I write anything that my real-life friends or coworkers will see. ---
**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:** [January 19, 2003, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-world-is-watching-us-the-sdmb-you-better-watch-what-you-post/149598/9 "2003-01-19T07:28:18Z")
What? We’re on camera? The world is watching? Guess I can’t post nude anymore… ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-world-is-watching-us-the-sdmb-you-better-watch-what-you-post/149598/10 "2003-01-19T08:18:52Z")
I’m still not convinced that ANY of you are anything more than figments of my imagination. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-world-is-watching-us-the-sdmb-you-better-watch-what-you-post/149598/11 "2003-01-19T08:33:44Z")
Did somebody say something? ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-world-is-watching-us-the-sdmb-you-better-watch-what-you-post/149598/12 "2003-01-19T09:08:27Z")
Our 15 minutes of fame will be over soon. Then we can all go back to being the secret cult we really are and say “Hi Opal” to gain entry at those nude DopeFest orgies, but I guess I shouldn’t give all our secrets away. Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung! (And you all know what I mean.) Praise be Cecil. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-world-is-watching-us-the-sdmb-you-better-watch-what-you-post/149598/13 "2003-01-19T12:59:42Z")
I’ll be the same fount of technical and nerdy knowledge I’ve always been, boosting Linux no matter how large or small the crowd. When the mood strikes, I’ll still post utterly incomprehensible ramblings, engage in heated debates, and parbroil my infamous enemies in the Pit. The World never changed for me. Why should I change for the World? ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-world-is-watching-us-the-sdmb-you-better-watch-what-you-post/149598/14 "2003-01-19T13:31:27Z")
OHHHHH!!! MY GOD!!! Will all you people please put some clothes on??! This is embarassing!! :o I wonder whether I should blindfold myself when I post on this board! 😃 Have you people no shame? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-world-is-watching-us-the-sdmb-you-better-watch-what-you-post/149598/15 "2003-01-19T15:06:27Z")
But we don’t want fame. We just want to continue serve Cecil in secrecy as we’ve always done. If people find out we won’t be able to perform our ritual sacrifices of ignorant people… What a mess! ---
**Author:** ![Witch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@Witch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Witch)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-world-is-watching-us-the-sdmb-you-better-watch-what-you-post/149598/16 "2003-01-19T23:07:28Z")
**stuffs writhing hand back down into cauldron** Hi 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-world-is-watching-us-the-sdmb-you-better-watch-what-you-post/149598/17 "2003-01-19T23:14:25Z")
_moons the camera_ ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-world-is-watching-us-the-sdmb-you-better-watch-what-you-post/149598/18 "2003-01-21T15:58:26Z")
(Stands behind other posters, waving and gawking at cameras and mouthing “Hi Mom!”) ---
**Author:** ![Robb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Robb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robb)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-world-is-watching-us-the-sdmb-you-better-watch-what-you-post/149598/19 "2003-01-21T16:39:46Z")
Apparently, I’m not going to get any better at recognizing words. I read this > [@](#): > > **stuffs writhing hand back down into cauldron** as stuffs writing hand back down into cauldron ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-world-is-watching-us-the-sdmb-you-better-watch-what-you-post/149598/20 "2003-01-21T17:46:28Z")
_tap,tap,tap_ Hello. Hello? Is this thing on? _tap, tap, tap, BAMMM!_ Hello? Can you hear me in the back? (Ear-splitting _whistle_ of feedback) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-world-is-watching-us-the-sdmb-you-better-watch-what-you-post/149598.md?page=2)