# trials of a 3 day old newbie... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 11, 2001, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trials-of-a-3-day-old-newbie/61549 "2001-04-11T02:42:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![upperdeckfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/65b543/32.png) [@upperdeckfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/upperdeckfan)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trials-of-a-3-day-old-newbie/61549/1 "2001-04-11T02:42:24Z")
I just discovered that in 4 out of my 7 replies, I am the last reply. My witticisms and thoughty thoughts seem to go without response. Am I the unofficial “wet blanket” of the message boards? Or, the “singing fat lady(fellow)” in the operatic sense? Is this the trial by fire of all newbies? When do you all teach me the secret handshake? Oh, and how do I make a smiley? Or a frowney, as the case may be? ---
**Author:** ![Medea\_s\_Child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Medea\_s\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Medea_s_Child)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trials-of-a-3-day-old-newbie/61549/2 "2001-04-11T02:49:51Z")
Threadkiller! AHHH! RUN! Its okay. We’ll love you for your wit and intellect. And debauchery and chocolate never hurts. ---
**Author:** ![upperdeckfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/65b543/32.png) [@upperdeckfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/upperdeckfan)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trials-of-a-3-day-old-newbie/61549/3 "2001-04-11T02:50:54Z")
…I rest my case. ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trials-of-a-3-day-old-newbie/61549/4 "2001-04-11T02:54:48Z")
In the Reply window under the Straight Dope banner where it says Forum Rules are links for smilies and vB code. > [@](#): > > Forum Rules: > Who Can Read The Forum? Any registered user or guest. > Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered user. > Who Can Post Replies? Any registered user. > Changes: Messages CANNOT be edited by their author. Messages CANNOT be deleted by their author. > Posts: HTML code is Off. Smilies are On. vB code is On. [IMG] code is Off. and don’t worry. Even old hands have been Treadkillers. ---
**Author:** ![dublos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f08c70/32.png) [@dublos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dublos)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trials-of-a-3-day-old-newbie/61549/5 "2001-04-11T02:55:02Z")
It’s all in what time you’re posting… if you end up frequenly coming to the board at the changing of the guard… (when work poster’s are on their way home and home poster’s haven’t gotten home yet) you can end up doing that. Go read _every_ thread in about this message board. that’ll teach you smileys, some history, and all you ever wanted to know about quoting. -Doug ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trials-of-a-3-day-old-newbie/61549/6 "2001-04-11T02:58:09Z")
First off, welcome aboard. 🙂 Now, to make a smiley face, you need simply make the equivalent symbol for it when you type your post. Want to know what the symbols you type in are? Go to this link. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/index.php?action=showsmilies](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/index.php?action=showsmilies) If you want to bring that link up at any time, just look at the top of the screen when you type your reply. There is a line that says “Smilies are On”. Click the word Smilies. Proceed. You can also learn the vB code by clicking that. This allows you to do all sorts of things, like **bold** or underline. It’s easy. I don’t really know why you have been the last post in several threads. Probably just bad luck. Either that or the threads are older and people have had their fill of them already. Or you are to smart for us. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Myrnalene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Myrnalene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrnalene)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trials-of-a-3-day-old-newbie/61549/7 "2001-04-11T03:00:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by upperdeckfan \* > **Am I the unofficial “wet blanket” of the message boards?** How dare you steal my title! Begone, pretender to the throne! Well, ummmmm…if it helps, the threads that I have blessed with my presence have generally either [List=A][li] whithered under my toxifying touch or [_] gone merrily on their way oblivious to my existence, with my hopelessly naive post sticking out like a sore thumb [_]Hi Opal![/list=A]And my witticisms are never as cute an hour after I post them as they were when I dreamt them up. I wouldn’t worry about it, though, it’s probably just growing pains. You and I both know that we’re brilliant, right? It can’t be too long before everyone else catches on.[/li]P.S. Welcome! And today’s my birthday! I’m a week old! P.P.S. Don’t hate me if I kill this thread too, 'kay? ---
**Author:** ![upperdeckfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/65b543/32.png) [@upperdeckfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/upperdeckfan)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trials-of-a-3-day-old-newbie/61549/8 "2001-04-11T03:05:22Z")
Thanks for the welcome and the tips! Of course I’m now at risk again of being the last reply. It’s a vicious circle. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![blur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dbc845/32.png) [@blur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blur)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trials-of-a-3-day-old-newbie/61549/9 "2001-04-11T03:07:17Z")
**upperdeckfan** , I think all newbies feel like that (I know I did). Once people get used to seeing you around, you’ll get some more response. ---
**Author:** ![Turbo\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@Turbo\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turbo_Dog)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trials-of-a-3-day-old-newbie/61549/10 "2001-04-11T03:24:08Z")
Welcome upperdeckfan and Myrnalene. I’m a newbie too, by general definition. From my observations, it is basically the “new kid in school” thing. Generally you get ignored a lot until people figure out if you are okay or a moron. Eventually, you can sit at the end of the lunch table instead of under the tree. But then, you start to get beat up now and then. One day, instead of being the thread killer, you’ll post and then get gang banged in the shower to see if you are tough or spineless. That’s when things get touchy. There is a fine line between wimping out and coming across as a butthole. Hang in there, be yourself, don’t be stupid, and have fun 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trials-of-a-3-day-old-newbie/61549/11 "2001-04-11T03:41:48Z")
Isn’t Jester official Mega-Threadkiller o’ Doom? UDF, you’ll want to see him about a challenge to his title. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trials-of-a-3-day-old-newbie/61549/12 "2001-04-11T05:35:15Z")
This is nothing! When I get home from work, it’s 7.30pm. That is the precise time the boards go down for 15 minutes for so called ‘maintenance’ (but it does it at this time EVERY DAY!). That means anything I was about to reply to at 7.29 probably won’t get added. If it does, this is actually something like 2.30am America time, so I have to wait until midnight my time before America wakes up and the boards reawaken. Then I sleep, hugely important world events occur while I am snoozing, and the boards go crazy with new posts. I get back to them (if I’m lucky) soon after waking, or I have to wait until after work, which starts the cycle over again. My point being, if I post to a thread at this time, it’s almost a guarantee of killing it. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trials-of-a-3-day-old-newbie/61549/13 "2001-04-11T13:27:03Z")
Welcome to the SDMB, **Upperdeckfan**. I’m still a newbie myself, so I feel your pain. Well, that is, I _felt_ your pain until I thought to myself, “aaar stuff it”. I also felt that I was a Straight Dope wallflower, but I don’t give a toss now whether I am or not. There are some way cool people here who will like you for the person you are. Give it time. There is also a small minority of elitist dickheads who would love you to think there is a secret handshake. Don’t waste your time with them. Be yourself. Whether or not you get into the more esoteric branches of the subculture of this board is up to you. I’m sure you’ll like it here regardless. And don’t worry about your post count. A post count in the thousands doesn’t give any indication of the quality of the posts. Not much other advice to give except… well, I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you. 😃