# What Made You Join The Straight Dope? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 26, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-made-you-join-the-straight-dope/537420 "2010-04-26T17:19:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![figure9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@figure9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/figure9)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-made-you-join-the-straight-dope/537420/101 "2010-04-30T02:07:31Z")
I was bored. I got the idea to see if anyone had a joke site where they claimed to be the Smartest Man on Earth. I thought it might be good for some laughs. Imagine how surprised I was to find the website of the real Smartest Man on Earth. I lurked, I liked, I joined. ---
**Author:** ![aaronstevens134](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/278dde/32.png) [@aaronstevens134](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aaronstevens134)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-made-you-join-the-straight-dope/537420/102 "2010-04-30T17:57:54Z")
I yearned to belong. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-made-you-join-the-straight-dope/537420/103 "2010-04-30T18:34:37Z")
I used to read Cecil’s column in one of the free weekly newspapers (always first thing I read). One week I couldn’t find the paper and went online for the column. Discovered the message board after a while; I don’t remember what I read first but I do know it was **Auntie Em** ’s thread about the crazy co-worker that hooked me and made me join. I came in late but _read every single post_. That’s been my habit ever since actually. Wait a minute. There was a show on A&E that’s not on now? No wonder people talk about how the network has gone downhill. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-made-you-join-the-straight-dope/537420/104 "2010-04-30T18:46:03Z")
I ended up here two or three separate times when looking up different topics and during a bout of insomnia spent an entire night reading old threads. Took about a week before I actually posted but I’ve been reading pretty regularly since then. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-made-you-join-the-straight-dope/537420/105 "2010-05-01T16:53:27Z")
Ed Zotti is blackmailing me. I’ve paid up! Now give me the damn negatives! ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-made-you-join-the-straight-dope/537420/106 "2010-05-01T17:46:50Z")
Forget why I started reading [straightdope.com](http://straightdope.com), but since my readings gravitate towards things that will edjumacate and inform me, [straightdope.com](http://straightdope.com) fit the bill perfectly. I later discovered the message board and tried to lurk as long as I could but a thread that (I think it was) asking for cute kid stories got me in, probably why MPSIMS is my usual haunt (I’m sure if it was a thread about, say, Star Trek then CS would be my usual haunt now). (And, for those who were wondering (if there are any, my bet is none) yes I haven’t been posting for a while, my job came to an end last Friday (23rd) - had about 18 months warning, so it wasn’t unexpected), but I found quickly I have more time to surf the Dope at work than at home, have been way too busy here since I’ve been unemployed to Dope than I was at work. What does that say?) ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2010, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-made-you-join-the-straight-dope/537420/107 "2010-05-03T09:02:05Z")
Back in '02 or so, I searched for online information on Eskimos and stumbled on a Cecil Adams column, found the message board and started lurking big time. Having been an information-junkie since age four or so, I found myself spending an inordinate amount of time browsing through the fascinating topics: “Ooh, yet another question I’ve always wondered about”. Left the Dope for a good while as it became pay-per-use, and got back when it opened up again to the poor and cheap populace. There are times when I get an overload of the SDMB and leave for a week or two, but always come back. ---
**Author:** ![may\_be\_ignorant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c5a1d2/32.png) [@may\_be\_ignorant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/may_be_ignorant)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-made-you-join-the-straight-dope/537420/108 "2010-05-03T19:35:13Z")
A feeble old man told me about it, a friend of my father’s actually. I was 15 at the time and didnt care, about two years ago. I started to lurk a bit, and decided I liked some of the stuff on here. People were intelligent and friendly, and some threads are worth a laugh. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-made-you-join-the-straight-dope/537420.md?page=5)