# So what's with this \*bump\* thing? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [February 25, 2001, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-with-this-bump-thing/55815 "2001-02-25T08:59:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Redboss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8baadc/32.png) [@Redboss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redboss)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-with-this-bump-thing/55815/1 "2001-02-25T08:59:45Z")
My current hypothesis: When someone posts to a thread with the word _bump_ as the opening or sole word in their post, they are trying to revive interest in the thread by having it go to the list of new postings. Or they may be wanting to attract the moderator’s attention to the thread because they think it’s bending the rules of the board too far, and someone needs to be bumped OFF the board, or the thread bumped DOWN to the Pit? 'Zat right? It’s the result of a month of puzzling. Redboss ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-with-this-bump-thing/55815/2 "2001-02-25T10:38:47Z")
Your first hypothesis was correct. Every time a thread is posted to, it’s “bumped” to the top. When people post to a thread with the sole purpose of “bumping” it, they simply say “bump”… well, the uncreative ones do, anyway. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Morrison\_s\_Lament](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Morrison\_s\_Lament](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morrison_s_Lament)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-with-this-bump-thing/55815/3 "2001-02-25T10:45:08Z")
Dang! Spoof beat me to the answer, and it was a simple one too… ☹ The least I can do is _BUMP_ ya up though — Raven 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Redboss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8baadc/32.png) [@Redboss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redboss)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-with-this-bump-thing/55815/4 "2001-02-25T11:22:34Z")
Thanks to both of you. Redbump **hehehehe** ---
**Author:** ![Redboss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8baadc/32.png) [@Redboss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redboss)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-with-this-bump-thing/55815/5 "2001-02-25T22:35:14Z")
I feel I understand it now. RB ---
**Author:** ![Redboss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8baadc/32.png) [@Redboss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redboss)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2001, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-with-this-bump-thing/55815/6 "2001-02-26T03:48:34Z")
By jove, yes, I’ve got the gist of it, as it were. ---
**Author:** ![Redboss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8baadc/32.png) [@Redboss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redboss)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2001, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-with-this-bump-thing/55815/7 "2001-02-26T07:31:23Z")
Undeniably got the hang of this “_bump_” phenomenon. Thanks everybody. ---
**Author:** ![Redboss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8baadc/32.png) [@Redboss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redboss)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2001, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-with-this-bump-thing/55815/8 "2001-02-26T07:45:50Z")
at [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=61237) **MysterEcks** says > [@](#): > > **An educational note for newbies** > > It is considered bad form at the SDMB to bump your own threads without something worthwhile to say. So unless it’s a matter of great importance–information that somebody needs, something about disaster relief, a piece of fine literature–don’t do it. And I though I was being so cute and funny. I was planning to spell out BUMP with the initial letters of each post and everything. Now I feel like a naughty nine-year old boy who’s just been caught stealing money from his mum’s purse. SORRY. I’ll just go to my room for a few days. [sub]bye. see you Thursday.[/sub] Redboob ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2001, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-with-this-bump-thing/55815/9 "2001-02-26T18:21:05Z")
It should also be noted, by the way, that if you do think that a poster needs to be “bumped off the board” or a thread needs to be “bumped down to the Pit”, the proper procedure is not to post anything in the thread at all, but rather, to e-mail one or more of the mods or admins. This way, if it turns out that the person is innocent, they don’t have to deal with excrement being flung all over the boards at them. Don’t worry, by the way, about the breach in etiquette there… We all have to learn these things some time, and it’s better to learn it now, while you’re still somewhat new, than to screw up when you’ve got a few thousand posts and everyone thinks you should know better. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2001, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-with-this-bump-thing/55815/10 "2001-03-05T14:25:08Z")
_grind_ 😃 ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2001, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-with-this-bump-thing/55815/11 "2001-03-05T15:43:38Z")
test the screen says I’m not logged in. I was trying to e mail this page to someone. testing… ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2001, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-with-this-bump-thing/55815/12 "2001-03-05T16:12:23Z")
The “e-mail this page to a friend” option has been turned off because of abuse. We’ll see if we can get rid of the button as well, as it only creates confusion, apparently.