# What other message boards do you like? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 5, 2019, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-message-boards-do-you-like/838196 "2019-08-05T22:49:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-message-boards-do-you-like/838196/21 "2019-08-06T15:52:40Z")
> [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > Yes, I mentioned them in passing in my OP. The big problem with GB for me is that, other than the Snark thread, they fail with the “critical mass”. Take their Cafe Society equivalent. There’s been 4 active threads, (i.e more than zero posts), in August, one of which is a long running thread about a kids show that only the OP seems to have any interest in. Only 12 active threads since June. Cafe Society is my favourite forum so I used it as the example, but it’s pretty much the same for everywhere there. This becomes self fulfilling. I like GBB because it has a different vibe from the SDMB. It’s more personal a little looser. The main area I hang out is the Ultimate Megapoll Forum where we talk about stupid stuff and have fake arguments over who is a better villain, Gladys Kravitz or Freddy Kruger (Freddy is winning but Gladys is getting support.) and does the Grinch count as a villain (I say no). It’s fun and it’s silly and it just wouldn’t work here. Back in the hey day there was a lot more churn but like all boards its slowly dying off in favor of Facebook. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-message-boards-do-you-like/838196/22 "2019-08-06T16:43:36Z")
I know OP said no Reddit, but Reddit. There is a vast amount of content there. Multiple subreddits for just about every topic you can think of; [cats](https://www.reddit.com/r/cats/), [art](https://www.reddit.com/r/Art/), [science](https://www.reddit.com/r/science/), [video games](https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/), [politics](https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/), [car repair](https://www.reddit.com/r/Cartalk/), [literature](https://www.reddit.com/r/literature/), or even [eating oranges in the shower](https://www.reddit.com/r/ShowerOrange/). It can get as specific or as silly as you want. If you don’t see a subreddit for a topic you want, you can start your own instantly. Moderation ranges from extreme to nonexistent depending on the subreddit, it’s like the wild west. But the good stuff is really good. A good starting subreddit to browse for a cross-section of popular posts on all sorts of topics is [popular](https://www.reddit.com/r/popular/). You’ll sometimes see posts from Wil Wheaton, Arnold Schwartzenegger, and Snoop Dogg. There are ongoing AMA (ask me anything) posts from many people including Barack Obama. And I love being able to upvote or downvote comments and posts and move on, not everything calls for a reply. So yeah interface is weird. I fairly quickly got used to the old Reddit website design, I came to appreciate that it squeezed a lot of posts on the page with minimal UI and bandwidth. The new Reddit I can’t stand, too many pictures, too much whitespace. So far they let you use the old design if you pick it in the options. Additionally though, there are mobile clients that have very different interfaces, the one I use on Android is called Now For Reddit and it looks completely different from the website. I do a lot of my Reddit browsing there. ---
**Author:** ![Emily\_Litella](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emily_litella/32/3370_2.png) [@Emily\_Litella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emily_Litella)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-message-boards-do-you-like/838196/23 "2019-08-06T16:52:39Z")
I don’t visit it so I can’t vouch for it, but my son likes Something Awful [https://forums.somethingawful.com/](https://forums.somethingawful.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-message-boards-do-you-like/838196/24 "2019-08-06T16:54:25Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > This becomes self fulfilling. The thing is, I’m more a lurker and reader than a poster. I’m not going to save a dying board with my witty repartee, (especially over at GB where the Raffers hold me in contempt :)) I just want to glom off an already busy board. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-message-boards-do-you-like/838196/25 "2019-08-06T17:12:43Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > I am currently watching a beta site called ‘changeaview’. Very interesting site, with unique moderation protocols. > > So far, I’m liking it. Anyone else tried it yet? [The rules are strict, but seem to be fair and conductive to actual conversation.](https://changeaview.com/rules) I think I’ll give it a shot. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-message-boards-do-you-like/838196/26 "2019-08-06T18:32:59Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > [The rules are strict, but seem to be fair and conductive to actual conversation.](https://changeaview.com/rules) I think I’ll give it a shot. The conversations are very interesting too! Same topics largely, but decidedly different moderation really changes everything. It’s intriguing to me. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-message-boards-do-you-like/838196/27 "2019-08-06T20:09:29Z")
> [@Emily\_Litella](#): > > I don’t visit it so I can’t vouch for it, but my son likes Something Awful > [https://forums.somethingawful.com/](https://forums.somethingawful.com/) SA is really a collection of communities. There’s still some of the dumbest stuff on the internet there, of course, so self-referential by now that it is hard to understand, but the various subforums have plenty of topic-specific quality discussion. The moderation isn’t site-wide, more forum-specific (actually in some cases thread-specific), so lurking is strongly advised. Also, it’s pay-to-post. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-message-boards-do-you-like/838196/28 "2019-08-06T20:19:09Z")
> [@Emily\_Litella](#): > > I don’t visit it so I can’t vouch for it, but my son likes Something Awful > [https://forums.somethingawful.com/](https://forums.somethingawful.com/) I like it too. Not only do I like it, I recently broke my 5+ year old self-promise never to pay no money to speak on no internet message board just so I could finally participate. I like the humour there, and the active moderation + posting tax keeps the signal/noise ratio to a rare minimum. Depending on one’s definition of signal of course :D. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-message-boards-do-you-like/838196/29 "2019-08-06T20:20:24Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > reddit. > > Problem is with reddit there are so many users you never know who you’re talking to. Like here I feel I know a lot of users, so I know who is a good source of info and who isn’t. On Reddit everyone is a stranger, you never know if you’re talking to a genius or a crackpot. Here people establish themselves. Google “monkeysphere”. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-message-boards-do-you-like/838196/30 "2019-08-06T21:06:44Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Problem is with reddit there are so many users you never know who you’re talking to. That’s the major thing I don’t like about Reddit. There are seven or eight subreddits I visit every day, but I couldn’t tell you who the regulars are in those subs—or even if there _are_ regulars. Reddit is probably not the place to go if you’re looking for a sense of community. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-message-boards-do-you-like/838196/31 "2019-08-06T22:22:51Z")
For travel related questions, Lonely Planet’s BB is worthwhile: [https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/welcome](https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/welcome) ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-message-boards-do-you-like/838196/32 "2019-08-06T23:15:58Z")
[RPG.net](https://www.rpg.net/) It’s focus is on gaming, particularly tabletop (e.g., D&D) but it’s a robust community with subboards on media and other topics. Some of the posters in those areas I never see in the gaming sections I visit. More importantly, it’s a refuge from all the basket of deplorables on the net. Ravelry took it’s policy about not supporting Nazis and their ilk from [RPG.net](http://RPG.net), so all the people who can’t help but troll about Trump, or spew hate at LGBT folks, and the like are sent to the land of wind and ghosts. It garners howls of outrage from people who feel they have a right to spew hatred whe’ere they want, but in the words of [RPG.net](http://RPG.net) moderation: “Nazis, fuck those guys.” ---
**Author:** ![bobsmom101](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobsmom101/32/2867_2.png) [@bobsmom101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobsmom101)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-message-boards-do-you-like/838196/33 "2019-08-07T00:27:59Z")
> [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > With the Dope being down it made me realise just how often I casually put the adblock on and then click the SD bookmark. I’ve been doing it reflexively all day and keep forgetting to expect the maintenance message. > > This made me think that I don’t really know any other message boards that I like. I used to know a few but they withered. I look in at the Giraffe Boards but only really the one thread to look at snark about here, so that doesn’t really count, besides it’s generally just a subset of the same group. > > So anybody got any web forum recommendations? > > No reddit, I don’t like the reddit format. I would prefer the SDMB style linear thread system but threaded would be acceptable. > > It must be somewhere where people are generally expected to use correct grammar and orthography. This rules out about 95% of places. > > Ideally it wouldn’t be about anything, or the reason it was about something has been transcended. A lot of SDMB regulars have probably never read a Cecil column for example, so I’d say SDMB isn’t really “about” the Straight Dope any more. > > It should have a large enough critical mass that there are regular discussions on a variety of topics. > > Anybody have any good suggestions? I like the City Data forums ([City-Data.com Forum: Relocation, Moving, General and Local City Discussions](http://city-data.com/forum)). Lots of topics, well-run and sensibly moderated. Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-message-boards-do-you-like/838196/34 "2019-08-07T10:25:00Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > [RPG.net](https://www.rpg.net/) It’s focus is on gaming, particularly tabletop (e.g., D&D) but it’s a robust community with subboards on media and other topics. Some of the posters in those areas I never see in the gaming sections I visit. > > More importantly, it’s a refuge from all the basket of deplorables on the net. Ravelry took it’s policy about not supporting Nazis and their ilk from [RPG.net](http://RPG.net), so all the people who can’t help but troll about Trump, or spew hate at LGBT folks, and the like are sent to the land of wind and ghosts. It garners howls of outrage from people who feel they have a right to spew hatred whe’ere they want, but in the words of [RPG.net](http://RPG.net) moderation: “Nazis, fuck those guys.” This is a great suggestion, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-message-boards-do-you-like/838196/35 "2019-08-07T10:48:13Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > That’s the major thing I don’t like about Reddit. There are seven or eight subreddits I visit every day, but I couldn’t tell you who the regulars are in those subs—or even if there _are_ regulars. Reddit is probably not the place to go if you’re looking for a sense of community. There’s that, and the fact that it’s threaded layout is absolutely horrible. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-message-boards-do-you-like/838196/36 "2019-08-07T13:30:39Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > The moderation is looser, much looser. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone get a warning. Nuisance posters are sent to the Box, which is the only forum they’re allowed to post in. If they’re really being an asshole, they’re confined there permanently. This is really interesting and I’m tempted to visit just to see how it works in practice. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-message-boards-do-you-like/838196/37 "2019-08-07T13:55:10Z")
There are other message boards? 😉 Seriously, the only other board I’ve been really active on no longer exists. Watching twoofers trying to be rational was fun. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-message-boards-do-you-like/838196/38 "2019-08-07T16:02:17Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > That’s the major thing I don’t like about Reddit. There are seven or eight subreddits I visit every day, but I couldn’t tell you who the regulars are in those subs—or even if there _are_ regulars. Reddit is probably not the place to go if you’re looking for a sense of community. And yet I have 4 “followers” on Reddit. I have no idea what that means, exactly, and apparently there is no way to find out who those 4 are. ---
**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 7, 2019, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-message-boards-do-you-like/838196/39 "2019-08-07T16:48:07Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > And yet I have 4 “followers” on Reddit. I have no idea what that means, exactly, and apparently there is no way to find out who those 4 are. Stalkers? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-message-boards-do-you-like/838196/40 "2019-08-07T16:56:57Z")
They all died, one by one. I started out on BreakupGirl when I was in high school. Then, Oprah bought it, and it was dead in a year. LOL [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-message-boards-do-you-like/838196.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-message-boards-do-you-like/838196.md?page=3)