# What is a Child Forum? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 5, 2004, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-child-forum/278198 "2004-12-05T08:46:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![START](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@START](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/START)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2004, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-child-forum/278198/1 "2004-12-05T08:46:17Z")
What is a Child Forum? ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2004, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-child-forum/278198/2 "2004-12-05T09:00:11Z")
It’s a subforum. For example, if they so desired, the administration could have RD (Religious Debates) and PD (Poilical Debates) under the umbrella of GD, where all the non-religious and apolitical debates would go. Would make the forum much more appealing to me, but that’s neither here nor there. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2004, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-child-forum/278198/3 "2004-12-05T09:00:24Z")
[Mommy, where do “Child Forums” come from?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=251189&highlight=child+forum) (Plus a few more threads here.) ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2004, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-child-forum/278198/4 "2004-12-05T10:08:54Z")
When two forums really love each other, and they choose to express that love in a physical way… ---
**Author:** ![TVeblen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@TVeblen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVeblen)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2004, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-child-forum/278198/5 "2004-12-05T10:19:19Z")
Damn. It the old fora and fauna question again. We _like_ fauna. Ahem. The Child thing is one of those board tweaks we don’t use. The stray goat and traumatized ferret have never complained. Doubtless TubaDiva or somebody responsible will be along shortly with a more cogent answer. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2004, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-child-forum/278198/6 "2004-12-05T13:02:11Z")
We reeeeeeeeeeally need a stick that’s an intro to vBulletin, typing in code, and what is and is not implemented on this board ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2004, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-child-forum/278198/7 "2004-12-05T13:11:36Z")
How do you categorize files? Some people set up a few main directories/folders into which they put all their files, broken down under general categories. Others get complex substructures of folders inside other folders inside other folders. So the budget for Phase 3 of some Project X is in the first example inside the Project X folder, and in the second example inside Project X/Phase 3/Fiscal, those being descending rankings of folders. Message board administrators are no different. **Jdavis** the Reader tech crew, and the SDMB volunteer staff, like a very sparse structure, with all possible threads going into eight forums defined by nature of discussion (specific answer, comment on column, debate, opinion poll, rant) rather than content. Erwin Loh, M.D., who runs Christian Forums, goes to the other extreme; every forum into which you can post messages on his board is at least three layers down: All Members or Christians Only, followed by General Area of Interest, followed by forums on particular topics – which in turn may have subordinate forums focusing on a particular aspect of a topic. Neither is “right” – they’re just expressions of different philosophies of how to organize a message board for greater use and value to members. A child forum is a forum inside another forum, the way My Pictures is a subfolder of My Documents in the shipped versions of Windows. SDMB doesn’t use child forums, unless the Burial Ground of Hidden Threads is a subforum of the Moderators’ Clubhouse, or something else of that sort accessible only to staff. But if, for example, **Lynn** decided to have a subarea of the BBQ Pit specifically for pitting other members, and made it a separate forum inside the Pit, it would be a child forum. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2004, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-child-forum/278198/8 "2004-12-05T23:16:38Z")
> [@scotandrsn](#): > > We reeeeeeeeeeally need a stick that’s an intro to vBulletin, typing in code, and what is and is not implemented on this board We’re working on the FAQ. Stay tuned. your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2004, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-child-forum/278198/9 "2004-12-06T02:40:45Z")
[Here’s what a vBulletin parent-child forum looks like](http://www.cyburbia.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=12). I use them sparingly. I prefer fewer active forums as opposed to many less active forums. Makes the board seem more vibrant.