# What the hell's with all these lame new forums? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 4, 2008, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hells-with-all-these-lame-new-forums/475745 "2008-12-04T21:13:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hells-with-all-these-lame-new-forums/475745/1 "2008-12-04T21:13:26Z")
Seriously. Cecil’s…I mean, Ed Zotti’s stupid vanity forum was bad enough, but now we have SIX new forums about all things Chicago. Meanwhile, Dopers have been asking for a whole suite of new SDMB features that get lost in the shuffle, but you can implement a shitload of new forums for local interest? I know the Dope is based in Chicago, but c’mon. Do this somewhere else, you idiots. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hells-with-all-these-lame-new-forums/475745/2 "2008-12-04T21:17:48Z")
[Answer.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=495873) ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hells-with-all-these-lame-new-forums/475745/3 "2008-12-04T21:18:49Z")
No shit. I’ve read it. Now I’m Pitting it. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hells-with-all-these-lame-new-forums/475745/4 "2008-12-04T21:22:12Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > Seriously. Cecil’s…I mean, Ed Zotti’s stupid vanity forum was bad enough, but now we have SIX new forums about all things Chicago. Meanwhile, Dopers have been asking for a whole suite of new SDMB features that get lost in the shuffle, but you can implement a shitload of new forums for local interest? I know the Dope is based in Chicago, but c’mon. Do this somewhere else, you idiots. You know, if you guys are going to continue overreacting and posting stupid crap about things that don’t matter, I will no longer serve a purpose here. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hells-with-all-these-lame-new-forums/475745/5 "2008-12-04T21:24:38Z")
I’m hardly frothing at the mouth about it, but I must admit that I saw the new fora, read the relevant ATMB thread, and threw up my hands. It’s just stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hells-with-all-these-lame-new-forums/475745/6 "2008-12-04T21:28:14Z")
Right, but if those six new fora allow the other ten to survive then what’s it matter to you? ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hells-with-all-these-lame-new-forums/475745/7 "2008-12-04T21:30:02Z")
I’m sure that the SDMB’s Chicago population will be thankful for having a new forum each. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hells-with-all-these-lame-new-forums/475745/8 "2008-12-04T21:30:33Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > I’m hardly frothing at the mouth about it, but I must admit that I saw the new fora, read the relevant ATMB thread, and threw up my hands. It’s just stupid. I retract my accusation that you are reaching Rhymeresque overreaction. But seriously, dude. It just doesn’t matter. I can’t stand most sports, and even if those involving hot nearly naked chicks bouncing around after a ball bore me quickly. Likewise video games. So I rarely enter the Games forum. I admit I’d be happy if there were literature-only & politics-only forums , but the current setup seems adequate. (I’ll fight for a Monica Bellucci only forum, though.) ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hells-with-all-these-lame-new-forums/475745/9 "2008-12-04T21:31:13Z")
> [@](#): > > Right, but if those six new fora allow the other ten to survive then what’s it matter to you? Because I have my doubts that any such thing is true. And it matters to me because I’ve spent a fairly significant amount of time on this board for 8 years. In other words, it matters because it matters. ---
**Author:** ![CircleofWillis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/54ee81/32.png) [@CircleofWillis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CircleofWillis)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hells-with-all-these-lame-new-forums/475745/10 "2008-12-04T21:34:24Z")
No dog in this fight but it IS stupid… Was there that much of a clamoring for Chicago info cluttering up the standard boards to warrant 6 new boards? I haven’t see it. I have yet to go on the game room board and say “If I see one more goddamn Bears thread…” or gone into great debates and thrown up my hands at the excessive North Side South Side debates. There are other topics that ARE cluttering up the ten boards that would serve a useful purpose as their owns boards. It’s not necessarily that irksome; but let’s not put lipstick on a pig and call it a VP candidate, it is stupid. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hells-with-all-these-lame-new-forums/475745/11 "2008-12-04T21:41:16Z")
Reading comprehension would help here. The CL people are trying to launch websites and message board groups in all the cities they have newspapers, ideally. This is the pilot program to see if the idea will fly. Since they already have and maintain this board, it makes sense to run the pilot program as an adjunct rather than set up a whole new board. This also gives them some spill-over, which helps. It in no way interferes with this board or its operation. It’s not because Chicago discussions were all over the place here. It’s because they are trying to expand and modify their business model so they don’t vanish into the ether. Cut them some slack and just ignore the new areas if they annoy you so much. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hells-with-all-these-lame-new-forums/475745/12 "2008-12-04T21:41:17Z")
Here’s your answer: > [@Announcing Straight Dope Chicago](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/announcing-straight-dope-chicago/475606/31): > > Our experience with online advertisers to date suggests they’re mostly interested in targeting specific markets, by which I mean geographic markets, and finer gradations where possible. The online Chicago Reader takes in a fair amount of money that way, and the ad inventory in the music section often sells out. We’ve had a much tougher time selling the Straight Dope because of the perception that its audience is spread all over the place and its interests are diffuse, even though we offer advertisers the ability to geotarget specific locations. The presumption with the SDCMB is that users will mostly be in metropolitan Chicago, and that they’ll self-sort by areas of interest - clubs, restaurants, neighborhoods, etc. This is pretty much how advertising in the printed paper works. In other words, if you’re opening a new music club in Chicago, you’ll probably want to run your online ad only in the After Hours section of the SDCMB, on the assumption that that’s where your core audience hangs out. So to answer your question, we plan to charge everybody as close to the rate-card rate as we can get, but we figure to do a lot of targeting. I really can’t see what there is to get worked up about here. If you don’t like the Chicago forums, don’t read them. It’s not like they’re listed on top of the old ones. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hells-with-all-these-lame-new-forums/475745/13 "2008-12-04T21:42:46Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Reading comprehension would help here. The CL people are trying to launch websites and message board groups in all the cities they have newspapers, ideally. This is the pilot program to see if the idea will fly. Since they already have and maintain this board, it makes sense to run the pilot program as an adjunct rather than set up a whole new board. This also gives them some spill-over, which helps. It in no way interferes with this board or its operation. It’s not because Chicago discussions were all over the place here. It’s because they are trying to expand and modify their business model so they don’t vanish into the ether. Cut them some slack and just ignore the new areas if they annoy you so much. This is the PIT, goatman. Where’s the insults? ---
**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:** [December 4, 2008, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hells-with-all-these-lame-new-forums/475745/14 "2008-12-04T21:47:14Z")
I was just having a discussion with someone about the issue of gay marriage, and how i don’t understand why it is so vehemently opposed by people who will not be directly affected by it in any way. I sort of feel the same way (although in a much less concerned manner) about your rant. How has your SDMB experience changed as a result of what you’re complaining about? If the presence of the Chicago forums doesn’t make any noticeable difference to the regular SDMB forums, why do you give a shit? I’ve also spent a bunch of time on these Boards over the past years, and the introduction of the Chicago sections has not changed my board experience one bit. Hell, my screen resolution means that, when i open the SDMB home page, i don’t even see them. They are literally out of sight, out of mind. I’ve complained about certain things here in the past, but this is truly lame. ---
**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:** [December 4, 2008, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hells-with-all-these-lame-new-forums/475745/15 "2008-12-04T21:47:26Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > This is the PIT, goatman. Where’s the insults? There’s no requirement that every post in the Pit contain swearing or an insult, you dumb fuck. ---
**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:** [December 4, 2008, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hells-with-all-these-lame-new-forums/475745/16 "2008-12-04T21:52:14Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I can’t stand most sports, and even if those involving hot nearly naked chicks bouncing around after a ball bore me quickly. Even _I,_ Who Detest All Sports, watched Olympic Ladie’s Beach Volleyball. Buck up, old fellow, buck up! ---
**Author:** ![Amber\_in\_Treasury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Amber\_in\_Treasury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amber_in_Treasury)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hells-with-all-these-lame-new-forums/475745/17 "2008-12-04T21:53:59Z")
Speaking of Dope subforums: Some time ago, a cat forum was suggested. Personally, I’d be all for it. The cat addicts (roughly 89% of all Dopers I imagine) would be among themselves, while us normal people wouldn’t have to worry about accidentally stumbling across “cute” hairball threads anymore.😉 No, seriously, I think it’s not a bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hells-with-all-these-lame-new-forums/475745/18 "2008-12-04T21:56:06Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > There’s no requirement that every post in the Pit contain swearing or an insult, you dumb fuck. I am far too gentlemanly to reply in kind. Men of quality need not lower themselves to use such language. We deal in formal courtesy or hard knocks, nothing in between. You’d understand if you didn’t spend all your time using that 18-inch-long tongue to pleasure yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hells-with-all-these-lame-new-forums/475745/19 "2008-12-04T21:56:10Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > There’s no requirement that every post in the Pit contain swearing or an insult, you dumb fuck. Preach it, dildo! ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hells-with-all-these-lame-new-forums/475745/20 "2008-12-04T21:57:27Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Even _I,_ Who Detest All Sports, watched Olympic Ladie’s Beach Volleyball. Buck up, old fellow, buck up! I watched with my wife long enough for her to get horny. Fortunately that was not long. Of course, her getting horny while watching near-naked chicks bounce is faintly disturbing, but I choose to be optimstic. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hells-with-all-these-lame-new-forums/475745.md?page=2)