# What's a charter member? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [February 28, 2006, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-charter-member/346400 "2006-02-28T01:22:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-charter-member/346400/1 "2006-02-28T01:22:25Z")
PARDQ (Possibly A Really Dumb Question.) I’m sure it doesn’t matter either way, but what is the difference between “charter member” and member"? Just curious. Thanks. (I searched, but came up with 87 billion threads in which charter members have posted to, which didn’t clarify anything.) ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-charter-member/346400/2 "2006-02-28T01:31:28Z")
When we went to a subscription process, people who paid and signed up before the turnover date were given the title “charter member” as an incentive to pay up. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-charter-member/346400/3 "2006-02-28T01:44:01Z")
> [@](#): > > What’s a charter member? A Semi-Divine Being, so blessed by regular, long-term exposure to **Cecil Adams** ’ brillence. No need to make a big fuss over us, merely bow submissively, & we’ll all save _years_ off our lives. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-charter-member/346400/4 "2006-02-28T01:56:15Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > A Semi-Divine Being, so blessed by regular, long-term exposure to **Cecil Adams** ’ brillence. > > No need to make a big fuss over us, merely bow submissively, & we’ll all save _years_ off our lives. > > 🙂 Duly genuflecting and licking the soles of your big black shiny boots. Woof woof. Feel younger now? 😛 Thanks for clarifying, y’all. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-charter-member/346400/5 "2006-02-28T01:56:30Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > A Semi-Divine Being, so blessed by regular, long-term exposure to **Cecil Adams** ’ brillence. > > No need to make a big fuss over us, merely bow submissively, & we’ll all save _years_ off our lives. > > 🙂 Now wait a minute, I thought that was only for Admins not Charter Members. I was told to simply bring Pie and/or Beer for Charters. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-charter-member/346400/6 "2006-02-28T02:00:32Z")
> [@What Exit?](#): > > Now wait a minute, I thought that was only for Admins not Charter Members. > I was told to simply bring Pie and/or Beer for Charters. > > Jim I’m also a 99er, he said modestly. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-charter-member/346400/7 "2006-02-28T02:10:50Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > I’m also a 99er, he said modestly. Oh, I am sorry: 99’ers were Beer, Pie and Ice Cream Right? Now you might have to explain that to **bonobo\_jones**. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-charter-member/346400/8 "2006-02-28T09:13:57Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > A Semi-Divine Being, so blessed by regular, long-term exposure to **Cecil Adams** ’ brillence. underlining mine o rly? You’d think some of that would rub off… 😛 /obligatory smiley ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-charter-member/346400/9 "2006-02-28T10:42:20Z")
> [@What Exit?](#): > > Oh, I am sorry: 99’ers were Beer, Pie and Ice Cream Right? > > Now you might have to explain that to **bonobo\_jones**. What flavor ice cream? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-charter-member/346400/10 "2006-02-28T13:14:57Z")
> [@Silver Fire](#): > > underlining mine > > o rly? You’d think some of that would rub off… > > 😛 /obligatory smiley **Cecil** is The Genius. I’m merely semi-divine. Brilliance is in the eye of the Beholder. And in the spleen of the Chimera, but our topic is getting a little off-centaur. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-charter-member/346400/11 "2006-02-28T13:15:58Z")
> [@bonobo\_jones](#): > > What flavor ice cream? Chimera-flavored, why do you ask? ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-charter-member/346400/12 "2006-02-28T14:26:05Z")
Mostly, it’s seniority based on payment date. My join date, for example, shows that I dawdled, content in my lurkerdom, until if not the eleventh hour, at least the quarter-to-eleventh hour. If measured by actual participation, active and/or passive, I’d deserve the title less than many or even most who joined later. The term “charter member,” however, does not confer any special immunities, privileges or exemptions, except (so far) a lower renewal fee. This omission may be due to the fact that there is a flaw in the original SDMB charter, i.e., forgetting to have one. So. Less money to renew, an extra word spent to describe them, and not much else separates the chartered from the unchartered poster. Oh, and since a regrettable incident last summer, chartered members have access to the **Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor** whereabouts hotline, so that we need never relive _that_ nightmare: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=321407](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=321407) ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-charter-member/346400/13 "2006-02-28T14:32:17Z")
\< **Bosda** hits **King Of Soup** with Wet Trout \> ---
**Author:** ![Feydeau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Feydeau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feydeau)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-charter-member/346400/14 "2006-02-28T20:29:44Z")
**Bosda** , it could be [worse](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=333640).