# So what are Forums 8 to 11? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 14, 2007, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-forums-8-to-11/387949 "2007-01-14T16:37:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-forums-8-to-11/387949/1 "2007-01-14T16:37:59Z")
List of Forums by Forum numbers. **Comments on Cecil’s Columns** = …/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=\*\*1 \*\* **About This Message Board** = …/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f= **2** **General Questions** = …/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f= **3** **Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS)** = …/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f= **4** **The BBQ Pit** = …/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f= **5** **Comments on Staff Reports** = …/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f= **6** **Great Debates** = …/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f= **7** _you do not have permission to access this page_ = …/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=\*\*8 to 11 & 14 & 16 \*\* **In My Humble Opinion** = …/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f= **12** **Cafe Society** = …/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f= **13** **Main** = …/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f= **15** _No Forum specified._ = …/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f= **17+** I am disappointed that forum 42 was not set up as a joke. It should be: **The Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything** = …/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f= **42** Jim ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-forums-8-to-11/387949/2 "2007-01-14T16:45:47Z")
Forum 8 is a Shrine to Me. I don’t post there. It would be immodest. Forum 9 is for The Cool Posters™. Since you can’t access it…I’m **so** sorry to break the news… ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-forums-8-to-11/387949/3 "2007-01-14T16:58:22Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] Forum 8 is a Shrine to Me. I don’t post there. It would be immodest. [/QUOTE] So the archive of strange and exotic signatures? > [@](#): > > Forum 9 is for The Cool Posters™. Since you can’t access it…I’m **so** sorry to break the news… Sniff, Sniff. Actually this was a serious question, I am curious. I imagine one is the secret Mod forum for discussing board matters. I imagine another is for spam. I am curious what the others are. Jim ---
**Author:** ![BJMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@BJMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BJMoose)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-forums-8-to-11/387949/4 "2007-01-14T17:00:33Z")
Okay, I give up. Why should forum 42 be the Meaning of Life forum? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-forums-8-to-11/387949/5 "2007-01-14T17:08:10Z")
[QUOTE=BJMoose] Okay, I give up. Why should forum 42 be the Meaning of Life forum? [/QUOTE] Google 42 and you will know the answer. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-forums-8-to-11/387949/6 "2007-01-14T17:09:22Z")
I know there’s a Straight Dope Limbo where controversial or suspected but not confirmed trolling, sock or spam threads are sometimes put while the moderators discuss whether or not they should be closed, deleted, or put back where they were. ---
**Author:** ![BJMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@BJMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BJMoose)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-forums-8-to-11/387949/7 "2007-01-14T17:49:02Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] Google 42 and you will know the answer. [/QUOTE] Hmmmm. Google gives me about 1.68 million answers. But if Wiki says it, that settles it! ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-forums-8-to-11/387949/8 "2007-01-14T23:49:48Z")
[QUOTE=BJMoose] Hmmmm. Google gives me about 1.68 million answers. But if Wiki says it, that settles it! [/QUOTE] Yep, it is all related to Douglas Adams. Any Mods or Admins willing to tell us about the secret forums or should I stop asking? Jim ---
**Author:** ![According\_to\_Pliny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2007, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-forums-8-to-11/387949/9 "2007-01-15T00:05:49Z")
I seem to recall some archive forums for old threads, which may not be in use after disk upgrades made them unnecessary. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2007, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-forums-8-to-11/387949/10 "2007-01-15T03:46:59Z")
We do have a rather boring “secret” forum for mods only. It’s where we document warnings, bannings, and such, and also where we move the spam and troll threads to. For instance, looking at a few of the thread titles, we have “Check This Out”, “Cam Captured Links”, and “Secret Credit Repair Guide”. In other words, we on the moderating staff act sort of like a spam filter on the SDMB as part of our duties. We don’t do much gossiping and fun stuff there, that’s reserved for the mod email loop. ---
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2007, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-forums-8-to-11/387949/11 "2007-01-15T03:52:12Z")
Personally I think forum 14 is where\*\* Mittu \*\* hides his secret answer. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2007, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-forums-8-to-11/387949/12 "2007-01-15T03:52:50Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] I am disappointed that forum 42 was not set up as a joke. It should be: **The Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything** = …/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f= **42** Jim [/QUOTE] The [Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy](http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/) site has four forums, which are called Life, The Universe, Everything, and All about h2g2. Some of the entries are quite interesting. I recommend it to everyone who enjoyed the idea of H2G2, as it embodies this spirit. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2007, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-forums-8-to-11/387949/13 "2007-01-15T03:54:03Z")
[QUOTE=Lynn Bodoni] We do have a rather boring “secret” forum for mods only. It’s where we document warnings, bannings, and such, and also where we move the spam and troll threads to. For instance, looking at a few of the thread titles, we have “Check This Out”, “Cam Captured Links”, and “Secret Credit Repair Guide”. In other words, we on the moderating staff act sort of like a spam filter on the SDMB as part of our duties. We don’t do much gossiping and fun stuff there, that’s reserved for the mod email loop. [/QUOTE] Yeah sure, that is the company line, but then why are there 6 hidden forums? 😃 Ok, I was just wondering if there was any story to the multiple restricted forums. Thank you for the answer, Jim ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2007, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-forums-8-to-11/387949/14 "2007-01-15T08:36:05Z")
:dubious: Well, when _I_ tried to access forums 8 through 11, I get the “…you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons: 1. Your user account may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else’s post, access administrative features or some other privileged system? 2. If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation” message. I can only assume those are where the Admins keep their secret “Gossip About the Mere Moderators and Frolic with Cecil Himself” forums. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2007, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-forums-8-to-11/387949/15 "2007-01-15T11:36:23Z")
[QUOTE=MEBuckner] :dubious: Well, when _I_ tried to access forums 8 through 11, I get the “…you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons: 1. Your user account may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else’s post, access administrative features or some other privileged system? 2. If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation” message. I can only assume those are where the Admins keep their secret “Gossip About the Mere Moderators and Frolic with Cecil Himself” forums. [/QUOTE] It’s where we play Strip Air Hockey, and plan the next Admin Meets. ---
**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:** [January 15, 2007, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-forums-8-to-11/387949/16 "2007-01-15T15:05:48Z")
Oh great, now everybody will want to play and I’ll never get table time. Dang. ---
**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:** [January 15, 2007, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-forums-8-to-11/387949/17 "2007-01-15T15:10:40Z")
[QUOTE=bigbabysweets2000] Personally I think forum 14 is where\*\* Mittu \*\* hides his secret answer. [/QUOTE] If that’s the case, please let me in… Brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2007, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-forums-8-to-11/387949/18 "2007-01-15T17:02:58Z")
[QUOTE=TubaDiva] Oh great, now everybody will want to play and I’ll never get table time. Dang. [/QUOTE] Well, after winning EVERY SINGLE GAME, don’t you think it’s time you retired? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2007, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-forums-8-to-11/387949/19 "2007-01-15T18:50:33Z")
IIRC at least one of the missing forums was the planned Archive of Really Great Posts That We Want to Keep Accessible – which was eaten by the hamsters when the board first moved to VBB. Ask **Tubadiva** about it – but bring along a box of facial tissues. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2007, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-forums-8-to-11/387949/20 "2007-01-15T23:37:18Z")
Some of them are inaccessible mod/admin-only areas where they discuss things and/or move troublesome posts (moving is less demanding than deletion to the board software, as I understand it), but I think at least one of them doesn’t exist at all on this installation - the current forum numbering is inherited from previous installations. Forum 19 is where they keep the Ark Of The Covenant. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-forums-8-to-11/387949.md?page=2)