# Titles personally addressing another poster for participation in a thread **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 26, 2005, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-personally-addressing-another-poster-for-participation-in-a-thread/314293 "2005-07-26T20:35:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Greathouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greathouse/32/2992_2.png) [@Greathouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greathouse)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-personally-addressing-another-poster-for-participation-in-a-thread/314293/1 "2005-07-26T20:35:50Z")
Does anyone ever start a thread primarily to ask another specific poster a question? Other posters may join in, of course. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen a thread created specicially adress to another poster (outside of the pit). I’m asking because I was think about starting a thread to ask some questions of another poster. They are the expert on my subject of interest (as are others on the board, but this person I specifically know is in the field). It’s not a Great Debate. It’s not a flame. It’s not a poll. It’s not a game or joke thread. So I’m not sure if posters have ever done this and if they did which forum they used would put it in. ---
**Author:** ![Liz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/liz/32/17737_2.png) [@Liz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liz)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-personally-addressing-another-poster-for-participation-in-a-thread/314293/2 "2005-07-26T21:00:22Z")
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen threads paging QtM, MD for his assistance. I think it’s fine if not done too much, and I’d wager a guess you’d place the question in the same forum you’d place it in if you were looking for random answers versus those from a specific doper, i.e. factual questions in GQ, artsy stuff in CS, etc. Like I said, the only sticky spot I would see is overdoing it – QtM, for example, would quickly get sick of “YO, QTM, OVER HERE” in all of the medical threads. Course, I’m not a mod, so hang out for the official word. ---
**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:** [July 26, 2005, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-personally-addressing-another-poster-for-participation-in-a-thread/314293/3 "2005-07-26T21:51:07Z")
Here’s an example: [Energy question for Anthracite](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=61842). And another: [Baryonic matter? (Chronos?)](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=267538). I’m sure I’ve seen more, but they’re hard to search for without remembering specific names. That said, if your interest is in a particular topic, and not in something specific to the person, I would just leave the name out of the title. Most folks will notice a thread on a topic which interests them even if their name isn’t in the title, and most of the discussion in the thread will probably be by other folks anyway. (Fixed coding–Veb) ---
**Author:** ![Liz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/liz/32/17737_2.png) [@Liz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liz)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-personally-addressing-another-poster-for-participation-in-a-thread/314293/4 "2005-07-26T22:10:42Z")
Here we are – the threads paging **QtM** : [Qagdop the Mercotan, your expertise is needed.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=285183&highlight=qagdop) [So I sucked on a pancreas and a liver. (Paging Dr. Qadgop!)](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=136251&highlight=paging) [Blotches on chest - paging Q. T. Mercotan, MD](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=130929&highlight=paging) For more fun, here’s **astro** telling people to STFU and RTFM instead of paging poor **QtM**! [Re the paging of QtM, I’m beginning to understand why doctors dread cocktail parties](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=285185&highlight=paging) If I’m not mistaken, **Polycarp** used to get paged semi-frequently for theological questions. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-personally-addressing-another-poster-for-participation-in-a-thread/314293/5 "2005-07-26T23:11:08Z")
I know in my case I recall a thread started by **Ahunter3** to compliment the MacBu on our latest release, and another one in which a poster asked me about Huatulco, having found an earlier thread in which I mentioedn I was going there for vacation. Of course, in both instances I didn’t find them timely enough, since I don’t really do vanity searches. I just happened to come across them. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-personally-addressing-another-poster-for-participation-in-a-thread/314293/6 "2005-07-27T00:00:46Z")
I think I’ve done this once. I think I addressed Coldfire directly outside the pit. But it’s quite possible it was someone else. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-personally-addressing-another-poster-for-participation-in-a-thread/314293/7 "2005-07-27T00:11:48Z")
It really might be better to mail them if their mail is listed. For example, I love to answer questions on things I know something about, but I sometimes am absent for a week or more at a time nowadays. I try vanity searches but “Una” is too short so I miss out on some 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:** [July 27, 2005, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-personally-addressing-another-poster-for-participation-in-a-thread/314293/8 "2005-07-27T04:25:33Z")
I’ve been paged a couple times on the subject of hummingbirds, but somebody else has usually ended up answering the question first. I don’t have a problem with being paged, as long as I get to the thread first! ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-personally-addressing-another-poster-for-participation-in-a-thread/314293/9 "2005-07-27T13:56:42Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > as long as I get to the thread first! Hah! 😃