# Ways To Improve Going Forward: Your thoughts on the matter. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 3, 2018, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049 "2018-08-03T16:29:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![HelenTroy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helentroy/32/86_2.png) [@HelenTroy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenTroy)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/241 "2018-08-08T00:31:13Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Hire **Vinyl Turnip** to portray Cecil on Twitter and other social media. On a lighter note, I would follow the hell out of this idea and RT with impunity because Vinyl Turnip is the level of snarky wit which garners attention on twitter and not just because I virtually stalk him across message boards. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/242 "2018-08-08T00:32:32Z")
> [@HelenTroy](#): > > You’re fooling yourself. You don’t need to sling around slurs to be nakedly racist. The scientific racism, disdain for black culture, and dismissive tone right here shows differently. Sure, but how do you want to stop that and still have some freedom of expression? I am on a coupel other mB and FB, and the level of naked racism is much higher. ---
**Author:** ![HelenTroy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helentroy/32/86_2.png) [@HelenTroy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenTroy)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/243 "2018-08-08T00:41:56Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Sure, but how do you want to stop that and still have some freedom of expression? > > I am on a coupel other mB and FB, and the level of naked racism is much higher. You won’t like my answer, but gratuitous use of a feature like The Box on giraffeboards was already floated and I couldn’t agree more. Freedom of expression sounds great unless you’re the one constantly having to prove your humanity. Label it proudly as a horrible place for horrible people and human nature will make it the most accessed area on the boards. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/244 "2018-08-08T01:12:35Z")
> [@HelenTroy](#): > > You won’t like my answer, but gratuitous use of a feature like The Box on giraffeboards was already floated and I couldn’t agree more. Freedom of expression sounds great unless you’re the one constantly having to prove your humanity. Label it proudly as a horrible place for horrible people and human nature will make it the most accessed area on the boards. There is absolutely nothing from those boards that would help here. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/245 "2018-08-08T01:14:03Z")
> [@HelenTroy](#): > > You’re fooling yourself. You don’t need to sling around slurs to be nakedly racist. The scientific racism, disdain for black culture, and dismissive tone right here shows differently. What is your opinion of black posters who disdain and dismiss white culture? ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/246 "2018-08-08T01:38:01Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > What is your opinion of black posters who disdain and dismiss white culture? Serious question. Have you ever posted in a thread about the actual topic? Instead of mindless nitpicking and ridiculous “gotcha” attempts? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/247 "2018-08-08T02:39:18Z")
The actual topic of this thread is NOT Scientific racism, disdain for black culture, and dismissive tones. Did you call her post mindless? Of course not. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/248 "2018-08-08T02:41:43Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > The actual topic of this thread is NOT > > Scientific racism, disdain for black culture, and dismissive tones. > > Did you call her post mindless? > > Of course not. Do you mind starting another thread, and NOT hijacking this one? Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/249 "2018-08-08T02:44:58Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > I think I suggested what could change in my original post. If long-term members were more self-aware and willing to extend a bit more compassion to new members, it might go a long way to keeping newer members around and posting. It’s the board culture to be hard on newbs. I don’t think that’s something that can much be moderated, except in extreme cases. And I will say that when it was extreme in my own personal experience, mods did step in. Maybe we could add a “newby label” (very nicely) to people with less than, say, a year on the board as a reminder for long-timers to think a little and try to be a help rather than a hindrance. With guests you can see join dates but not post counts so this would be a nice reminder. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/250 "2018-08-08T02:51:46Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > There is absolutely nothing from those boards that would help here. This is exactly why the board is dying and will not attract new posters. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/251 "2018-08-08T02:54:41Z")
Also, I’m sure there are a lot of people who are registered guests or members but don’t come around much or at all anymore. Send out an email to these folks catching them up on things and persuading them to come around more often. Maybe give them a link to a place on the SDMB where they can request some free SDMB swag (if the SDMB merch idea works). ---
**Author:** ![Allecher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a6a055/32.png) [@Allecher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Allecher)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/252 "2018-08-08T02:55:07Z")
The posts above about paid memberships confuse me because I don’t remember seeing anything about paying over the last couple of years. It is probably not necessary to make it required but perhaps mention it more prominently. People are usually willing to spend a little money for a resource they value. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/253 "2018-08-08T03:10:53Z")
**Moderator Note** > [@D\_Anconia](#): > > What is your opinion of black posters who disdain and dismiss white culture? Let’s not hijack this thread. If you want to discuss this topic, please do so in another thread. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/254 "2018-08-08T03:14:32Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Indeed, that is totally wrong. Either you put your money where your mouth is, or you’re just a drain. But the board isn’t just finances; it’s also content. And _some_ people manage to pay for a subscription and _still_ be a net drain on the board. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/255 "2018-08-08T03:17:39Z")
There is a significant amount of quality content being posted here by Guests but I wonder if new people wonder why there are so many serious, long-time posters who haven’t joined. Does that deliver the message that at this site it’s customary to not pay and just be a guest because that’s the nature and history of this place. It’s not a good vibe to give off when you want new paying members. We should attempt, by various means, to make a good number of those posters Members. Some might join themselves–and that’s their business. Perhaps especially valuable\* posters could “earn” free memberships because they add so much value in attracting new posters and maintaining the general quality standards of the Board. ETA: just read **mhendos** post above mine. That’s what I’m talking about. Some people add more value to this Board as quality content producing Guests then paying Charter Members do. \*Valuable because the quality and quantity of their content keeps people interested and coming back. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/256 "2018-08-08T03:27:03Z")
> [@HelenTroy](#): > > You won’t like my answer, but gratuitous use of a feature like The Box on giraffeboards was already floated and I couldn’t agree more. I disagree. The box works well on giraffeboards because their board culture is different. Here, our prime rule is Don’t Be A Jerk. There, being a jerk is not only tolerated, it is often encouraged. While many over there seem to think that they are just like the SDMB, only better, the truth is that they are fundamentally different in very important ways, and those that don’t agree with their philosophy don’t see it as better. I personally don’t want to see that type of culture here, and I think that what works there will not work here. I don’t think that the box is a solution for us. (the above is speaking as a poster, not a moderator, in case that isn’t clear) [putting Mod hat on] I generally ask that folks not mention giraffeboards here since it tends to hijack threads (the recent avatar thread is a good example of that - the avatar discussion almost got buried). However, this was brought up in the context of how we want to operate the SDMB going forward, and comparison with another message board that many people here are also members of is valid in the context of this discussion. So, within the limits of this thread, feel free to discuss how giraffeboards does things, and why. Maybe we can learn something from them. Maybe we can incorporate some of the things they do here. Maybe not. Either way, it’s a valid discussion within the context of this thread. If it leads to a hijack of this thread though I may have to rein it in . Don’t go overboard. This is also not an open invitation for those who don’t like the rules here to just bitch about those rules. If you want to discuss, then by all means, discuss. But don’t just bitch. That’s not productive to this discussion. (this part is speaking as a moderator) [mod hat off] ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/257 "2018-08-08T03:31:11Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > I disagree. The box works well on giraffeboards because their board culture is different. Here, our prime rule is Don’t Be A Jerk. There, being a jerk is not only tolerated, it is often encouraged… This is rule #1 over there > [@](#): > > 1. Don’t be an asshole. If we feel your primary goal here is to be obnoxious and/or make the board less fun for others, we reserve the right to punish or ban you at will. While I guess asshole and jerk are different, I don’t see how they are THAT much different to mean that acting like a jerk is in any way tolerated or encouraged. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/258 "2018-08-08T03:35:30Z")
> [@Allecher](#): > > People are usually willing to spend a little money for a resource they value. You would think so. But, no. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/259 "2018-08-08T04:52:34Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > Maybe we could add a “newby label” (very nicely) to people with less than, say, a year on the board as a reminder for long-timers to think a little and try to be a help rather than a hindrance. > > With guests you can see join dates but not post counts so this would be a nice reminder. I like this. Maybe it could say something like “New User - Handle With Care” or “New User - Please be Kind”, something like that. Also, some boards have a forum called “New Users” or “Newbies” or some-such. When someone registers they could automatically be sent to that forum and encouraged to start a thread introducing themselves. The rest of us can post friendly greetings in response. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/260 "2018-08-08T07:00:44Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > There, being a jerk is not only tolerated, it is often encouraged. > > > [@](#): > > > > This is where you are wrong. > > > > Lighthearted stupidity and dumbitude are tolerated. > > > > Obnoxiousness and annoyance is not, and gets boxed. > > > > Outright Jerkitude is boxed. > > > > Outright meaness towards other members is banninated. > > > > Quickly. > > > > Unlike here. > > > > > [@](#): > > > > > > While many over there seem to think that they are just like the SDMB, only better > > > > They allow the community to determine who is annoying and trolling. And who should be boxed. > > > > > [@](#): > > > > > > the truth is that they are fundamentally different in very important ways, > > > > Yes. > > > > Which is why all of the members over there are past members of this place. They found your tolerance of pedophilias and racists too annoying. > > > > > [@](#): > > > > > > and those that don’t agree with their philosophy don’t see it as better. > > > > Of course these people don’t see it as better because these people want to hear the voices of wanna-be pedophiles and scientific racists. > > > > > [@](#): > > > > > > I personally don’t want to see that type of culture here, > > > > Of course not, because free speech is above all, especially for the wanna-be-pedophiles and racists. > > > > > [@](#): > > > > > > and I think that what works there will not work here. > > > > Of course it will not work here because of the rules that have been set up here. A wanna-be pedophile and a racist can spew all the things they want as long as they stay with in the “rules”. > > > > And so they do. > > > > And so you keep allowing them to spew it. > > > > At the gweeb if they dare do that the populace quickly shouts them down and tells them how wrong they are and reports them to the mods to send them to the box. > > > > But here. > > > > That vile voice is allowed to culminate. > > > > The mods allow it, and encourage it, "For the sake of freedom of expression’’ > > > > > [@](#): > > > > > > I don’t think that the box is a solution for us. > > > > > > (the above is speaking as a poster, not a moderator, in case that isn’t clear) > > > > [putting Mod hat on] > > > > I generally ask that folks not mention giraffeboards here since it tends to hijack threads > > [quot]Maybe we can learn something from them. M et [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049.md?page=14)