# What's wrong with a Personals thread? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 15, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639 "2005-03-15T15:31:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/1 "2005-03-15T15:31:50Z")
[**Cajun Man** closed this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=306683), saying: > [@](#): > > Sorry folks . . . the SDMB is not “The Personals.” What’s wrong with the thread? Last time I looked, the ‘Post your photo’ thread and the ‘Tell me about you’ thread were not closed. There are people playing chess, too. I haven’t read that one, since I’m not into chess. But it seems to me that it could be considered a ‘private thread’ for the players. (With associated kibbutzers.) Mornington Crescent? That’s a joke game, and yet the thread continues. So what’s wrong with a thread for people getting to know each other by sharing common interests? What’s wrong with a little flirting? What makes that thread so ‘bad’, while other threads continue? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/2 "2005-03-15T16:00:41Z")
Yeah, I was having fun. ☹ Isn’t it better than other threads turning into flirt threads? That’s really annoying! Hi **Johnny!** 😉 ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/3 "2005-03-15T16:28:24Z")
Closing of MPTIMS threads has always seemed very arbitrary to me. What separates one few user/high post thread from another in the mod’s minds? I would wager even they don’t really know, but just go by their whim for that moment. You’re lucky, at least he didn’t accuse you of post count whoring. 😉 The pic threads often seem to devolve into flirt threads, and yet they last for several pages. Also, haven’t there been singles threads before? And weren’t they let alone to live out their regular MB lives? And, IMHO, a chess game would best be done via e-mail. Maybe post for players to join you and then post the results. But playing a two person game on a 4K+ user MB? ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/4 "2005-03-15T16:30:09Z")
I agree with you guys, **Johnny L.A.** and **MagicEyes**. I really enjoyed the last flirt thread we had in here. I met some pretty interesting people through it, too. If the photo threads and the “tell me about yourself”-type threads are allowed, threads designed for flirting should be permitted, too. Why lock that one thread and stop all the single and available people’s good time? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/5 "2005-03-15T17:53:22Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > Hi **Johnny!** 😉 Hi **MagicEyes**. 😉 [sub]Whoops! If this turns into a flirt thread, somebody’s going to close it![/sub] ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/6 "2005-03-15T18:13:37Z")
Maybe a separate forum, the same way we (try) and restrict great debates to, um, GD? ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/7 "2005-03-15T18:24:28Z")
I like that idea, **CynicalGabe** , but I think that, if we did that, the SDMB would be a very different place. You’d get a lot of people who have no interest in Cecil or in fighting ignorance registering just so they could post the same lame-o crap they post in other places, hoping to get laid. No, I think the answer to this problem is just to let the “meet ‘n’ greet” threads keep going until they die a natural death. Just like the “post your photo here!” threads or the “tell me about you” threads. ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/8 "2005-03-15T20:42:13Z")
> [@Cajun Man](#): > > Sorry folks . . . the SDMB is not “The Personals.” [This thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=255766&highlight=Doper+personals) was allowed to live. What’s the difference? ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/9 "2005-03-15T21:01:50Z")
I guess we’ll have to stick with Dopefests then… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/10 "2005-03-15T22:34:37Z")
> [@XJETGIRLX](#): > > [This thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=255766&highlight=Doper+personals) was allowed to live. What’s the difference? Ten months of cultural shift, several bannings based off of flirting gone too far, and several more examples of people’s inability to differentiate between real life, a message board and their own feelings. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/11 "2005-03-15T22:41:36Z")
Yeah, I thought this was pretty fucking ridiculous. The photo threads are the same damn thing, except with less conversation and more “::drools::” "how YOU doin’"s. I’ve got nothing against photo threads and I post to them, but they’re just as flirty and don’t have as much _communication_, which I thought was the fucking point of a message board. It’s in the forum for Mundane and Pointless Stuff, what exactly is going to go in there? I was having fun, too. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/12 "2005-03-15T23:01:07Z")
Yeah, this thread-closing surprised me too. :: sad :: ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/13 "2005-03-15T23:38:49Z")
I even thought, IMHO, that having this thread would help others who hate to see this kind of stuff. You know, have it all contained in one place with an obvious title, and only those interested would read or participate. Not to mention, it got shut down after I’d only gotten one response. Hi to **Johnny** too. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/14 "2005-03-15T23:46:00Z")
I agree. While I didn’t post myself, I enjoyed reading it. Bad move on the part of the mods. No board rules were broken. Adam ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/15 "2005-03-16T00:05:40Z")
The cynic in me believes that the thread was closed because the _Chicago Reader_ valuates each word after the first thirty-five in a personal ad at fifty cents. An ink-stained actuary, looking over that thread, would very quickly be in a position to adduce that it represented a significant loss of potential revenue that might otherwise have found its way into the _Reader_’s coffers. Not really a sound logical argument, but its more sensible than any other reason I can imagine. ---
**Author:** ![ladybug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@ladybug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladybug)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/16 "2005-03-16T00:20:58Z")
I’m surprised to see this thread closed, too. I was having fun. [sub]Hi Sunspace![/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/17 "2005-03-16T00:32:01Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > . . . several bannings based off of flirting gone too far . . . Huh? Which were those? ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/18 "2005-03-16T00:54:46Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > The cynic in me believes that the thread was closed because the _Chicago Reader_ valuates each word after the first thirty-five in a personal ad at fifty cents. Yeah, but the vast majority of us aren’t in Chicago and wouldn’t use the Chicago Reader to place personal ads. I think the staff of the Reader know this, too. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/19 "2005-03-16T01:06:10Z")
Attention-whoring is annoying. This is one of the Great, Self-Evident Truths. ---
**Author:** ![Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horrifying_Howler_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/20 "2005-03-16T01:07:29Z")
Yeah, it seems a little random. I haven’t seen as many threads here lately that I have anything to contribute to, so I wish Cajun Man had left it open, but it;s their board I suppose (:sulk:) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639.md?page=2)