# 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:** 19
**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 12, 2018, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/361 "2018-08-12T23:12:17Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > I don’t think any point of view–no matter how ridiculous–should be banned. How can we fight ignorance if we ban and erase every ignorant comment? Personally, I much prefer comments like that to be met with actual facts, statistics, logic, etc. We shouldn’t just be deleting all the comments we disagree with simply because they’re offensive. That’s not fighting ignorance, that’s avoiding it. Yeah, but then you have sick fucks like **Cesario**. Better just to nuke some of them from orbit. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2018, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/362 "2018-08-13T01:27:26Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > I disagree. While such a poster may be impervious to facts, readers more generally are not. If we don’t leave such posts intact and don’t post rebuttals then how is someone going to cope when faced with such a nasty argument? If we practice censorship, we’ll just see arguments along the lines of, “They couldn’t argue against me so they just censored me and made sure my posts disappeared.” whereas if the posts are left in place with rebuttals, then not only can they not say that but those with whom they argue can say, “Oh yes, we read your drivel and found it convincingly rebutted.” The Left, with its penchant for no-platforming and censorship, makes a big mistake when it practises the former. We already disallow certain forms of hate and other speech. If you think that’s acceptable, then the only disagreement is where exactly the line should be drawn. Like many other posters, I think the board is at least a bit too permissive of outright racism. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2018, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/363 "2018-08-13T09:48:41Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > There was a racist rant (post 80)[https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=860037&page=2](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=860037&page=2) > > And that’s the kind of thing we need to get rid of. Not warnings, just bannings. We dont need that kind of racism around here. There wasn’t _even_ a warning. I made [a thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=860330) about that. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2018, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/364 "2018-08-15T00:58:05Z")
So I clicked the link which says “advertise on the Straight Dope”, below, and two business days later have still yet to receive a response. Just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/365 "2018-08-17T21:21:49Z")
Borrow good ideas from successful websites. For example, study boing-boing’s twitter feed, as well as that of founder Cory Doctorow. Take note of the time stamps between posts promoting current material. Figure out whether 4/6/8/24 hours or 20 minutes is better (my take: 20 minutes is too short). Take note of their habit of showcasing old articles. Don’t post manually on twitter. Use an automated device. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/366 "2018-08-17T21:52:09Z")
Five business days later, no response to my ad enquiry. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/367 "2018-08-17T22:13:10Z")
This will by no means make the SD awash in money, but may I suggest changing the “User cp” to “Subscribe”? I joined as a guest because I didn’t want to commit to subscribing without a test drive. After that, I couldn’t figure out how to subscribe. Also, seeing “subscribe” up there would be a constant reminder. ---
**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 17, 2018, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/368 "2018-08-17T22:31:06Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > This will by no means make the SD awash in money, but may I suggest changing the “User cp” to “Subscribe”? I joined as a guest because I didn’t want to commit to subscribing without a test drive. After that, I couldn’t figure out how to subscribe. Also, seeing “subscribe” up there would be a constant reminder. Adding a Subscribe link makes sense, but why remove User CP? It serves a purpose. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/369 "2018-08-18T04:46:13Z")
You’re right. I assumed the reason "User Control Panel was abbreviated to “User CP” was a lack of space, but obviously, that one can’t go, and I don’t know which others could, really. But “Subscribe” doesn’t belong under “User CP.” It needs a prominent place of its own. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/370 "2018-08-18T12:44:18Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > You’re right. I assumed the reason "User Control Panel was abbreviated to “User CP” was a lack of space, but obviously, that one can’t go, and I don’t know which others could, really. But “Subscribe” doesn’t belong under “User CP.” It needs a prominent place of its own. I fooled a user for about five seconds when I asked if everyone had a user button with their name on it. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/371 "2018-08-18T14:05:51Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > You’re right. I assumed the reason "User Control Panel was abbreviated to “User CP” was a lack of space, but obviously, that one can’t go, and I don’t know which others could, really. But “Subscribe” doesn’t belong under “User CP.” It needs a prominent place of its own. It took me an embarrassing amount of time to realize that the threads I had posted in could be found in “User CP”. I didn’t realize what that was. I used to scroll the thread listing to find the threads I had posted in. Maybe a better term can be used (“User Dashboard”)? To a newbie, it’s not obvious that “CP” means control panel. When I first joined, I realized I could go there to change settings because it had “User” in the name, but I didn’t think to go there afterwards to find subscribed threads. But I think that button is from the message board software and I’m not sure the SDMB can change it. The problem with the word “Subscribe” is that it can be confused with subscribing to a thread. And subscribing implies that you are paying for a periodic service. For what we are wanting to do here, it seems a better thing to say is “Become a supporting member”. That’s similar to what you hear on public radio during their pledge drives. And like public radio, there could be options for a 1-time donation and also recurring donations. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/372 "2018-08-18T14:49:53Z")
An improvement to “User CP” would be to put the number of updated subscribed threads with it like this “User CP(4)”. That would make it much easier for newbies to realize there are notifications for them to click on. And the benefit to the board is that it will increase the time people interact with the board and see ads. Facebook does this with their notifications as well to make sure you don’t miss anything. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/373 "2018-08-18T16:05:57Z")
If we’re going to improve things, that bar at the top would be a great place to start. Delete the FAQ, Community and Calendar links, they’re useless. Replace them with a Forum Rules link (where you put all the rules scattered across various stickies or that are just collectively known), a My Posts link (shortcut to a recent vanity search) and a link to any monetizing options you add, e.g. Custom Title, Subscribe, etc. These are all simple style edits, I’d be happy to write out a detailed guide. I think they’d make that navigation bar a lot more useful and make it easier for people to follow the rules and support the site whenever the mood strikes them. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/374 "2018-08-18T20:45:24Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > You may not have been familiar with it, but SEO is a fairly common internet acronym these days. I haven’t seen it written out as a full term in a very long time. SEO is miles away from a household term — not yet close to DVD or ATM. I was glad to have the acronym explained. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/375 "2018-08-18T23:59:49Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > SEO is miles away from a household term — not yet close to DVD or ATM. I was glad to have the acronym explained. What does it mean, “SEO”? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2018, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/376 "2018-08-19T00:31:39Z")
Search Engine Optimization ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/377 "2018-08-20T01:33:43Z")
I can’t believe nobody’s said it; it’s so obvious. **Mod for a Day** ($99.99 USD) Got scores to settle? Have you always known you know it all? Aching to slip into a luxuriant pair of jackboots still fragrant with aerosol disinfectant? Today is literally your day. For 24 hours, you can edit posts, note and warn to your steely heart’s delight. Blow the whistle! Clear your throat! Ignore threads entirely! It’s your special day, princess (or prince/non-binary royal rank). Don’t be a dupe, join the loop! Explore the pulse-pounding world of _ **EXTREME MODERATION** _! _New, from the makers of **Mod for a Day** :_ **Admin for a Day** (Market Price)\* For a limited time only, discerning members can enjoy the ultimate in upscale authoritarianism with our deluxe administrative VIP package. For one full day and night, you get free rein to swing the banhammer like a vindictive meth freak with a croquet mallet. Rescind and reinstate board rules on a whim, every ten minutes, just for shits 'n giggles! Transform the visual theme - black text on black background, Comic Sans, Zapf Dingbats - the sky’s the limit! Why play God when you can BE God? Get your kicks now, before the whole shithouse goes up in flames! - Package not available to some members. You know who you are. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/378 "2018-08-20T02:11:48Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I can’t believe nobody’s said it; it’s so obvious. > > **Mod for a Day** ($99.99 USD) > Got scores to settle? Have you always known you know it all? Aching to slip into a luxuriant pair of jackboots still fragrant with aerosol disinfectant? Today is literally your day. For 24 hours, you can edit posts, note and warn to your steely heart’s delight. Blow the whistle! Clear your throat! Ignore threads entirely! It’s your special day, princess (or prince/non-binary royal rank). Don’t be a dupe, join the loop! Explore the pulse-pounding world of _ **EXTREME MODERATION** _! > > _New, from the makers of **Mod for a Day** :_ > > **Admin for a Day** (Market Price)\* > For a limited time only, discerning members can enjoy the ultimate in upscale authoritarianism with our deluxe administrative VIP package. For one full day and night, you get free rein to swing the banhammer like a vindictive meth freak with a croquet mallet. Rescind and reinstate board rules on a whim, every ten minutes, just for shits 'n giggles! Transform the visual theme - black text on black background, Comic Sans, Zapf Dingbats - the sky’s the limit! Why play God when you can BE God? Get your kicks now, before the whole shithouse goes up in flames! > > - Package not available to some members. You know who you are. This one gets _my_ vote. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/379 "2018-08-20T02:23:54Z")
Swear jar, by Thor’s hammer! ---
**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 20, 2018, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049/380 "2018-08-20T03:09:14Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I can’t believe nobody’s said it; it’s so obvious. > > **Mod for a Day** ($99.99 USD) > Got scores to settle? Have you always known you know it all? Aching to slip into a luxuriant pair of jackboots still fragrant with aerosol disinfectant? Today is literally your day. For 24 hours, you can edit posts, note and warn to your steely heart’s delight. Blow the whistle! Clear your throat! Ignore threads entirely! It’s your special day, princess (or prince/non-binary royal rank). Don’t be a dupe, join the loop! Explore the pulse-pounding world of _ **EXTREME MODERATION** _! > > _New, from the makers of **Mod for a Day** :_ > > **Admin for a Day** (Market Price)\* > For a limited time only, discerning members can enjoy the ultimate in upscale authoritarianism with our deluxe administrative VIP package. For one full day and night, you get free rein to swing the banhammer like a vindictive meth freak with a croquet mallet. Rescind and reinstate board rules on a whim, every ten minutes, just for shits 'n giggles! Transform the visual theme - black text on black background, Comic Sans, Zapf Dingbats - the sky’s the limit! Why play God when you can BE God? Get your kicks now, before the whole shithouse goes up in flames! > > - Package not available to some members. You know who you are. Well I’m sold! 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ways-to-improve-going-forward-your-thoughts-on-the-matter/819049.md?page=20)