# 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:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**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, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/41 "2005-03-16T21:23:44Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > I honestly think policy shift is to cool the interpersonal jets on this here MB. I hope it continues. Why? What’s the point of “cooling interpersonal jets” on the SDMB? What trouble does a little interpersonal interaction cause? ---
**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, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/42 "2005-03-16T23:15:16Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > As noted in the other thread, the logical follow through would be closing movie review threads and other Chicago Reader overlaps. When I first made that observation, I noted that it wasn’t entirely logical. > [@](#): > > GQ is in fact in direct competition with Cecil. Not really – GQ continues to provide an additional source of material for the column. As far as movie reviews, etc, the comparison might be valid if reviewers paid the Reader to publish them, and dozens of tiny reviews were fit into each issue. There’s a _direct_ overlap. The Chicago Reader pays to maintain [a webpage where people can post and read personals online](http://chicagoreader.selectalternatives.com/gyrobase/Personals/), and that webpage produces a revenue stream for them. Apart from advertising, everything else in a newspaper _costs_ the publisher, and are only there to attract readers. Readers are only desirable because they make advertising space more valuable. Offering similar features in co-owned organs doesn’t create the same kind of conflict that allowing _free_ advertising in one organ while charging for advertising in another does. The SDMB doesn’t have a measurable negative impact on the Reader’s circulation. Of course, only a small subset of SDMB posters would find the CR personals a useful resource, but there is a clear community of interest: Some members _are_ Chicago residents. Those members _might_ use the CR personals if they’re looking to hook up. I can see why an administrator might ixnay a thread that duplicates a service that the Chicago Reader makes money from, even if most participants are unlikely to use the Reader’s service instead. I still think it sucks donkey balls, but them’s the breaks. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/43 "2005-03-16T23:39:52Z")
Can we have a personals thread for non Chicagoons (?) only? That would not have any possible confilct with the Chicago Reader’s own personals pages. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/44 "2005-03-17T02:26:42Z")
The distinctions you draw are true, **Larry**. Competition could be the source of the closing. It might also have to do with recent spates of sex offenders and a desire to not host meet n’ greets. ---
**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 17, 2005, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/45 "2005-03-17T02:40:04Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > a desire to not host meet n’ greets. Official policy has been that The Chicago Reader, moderators, representatives, _et al_ are in no way responsible for real-life meetings [since 2002](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=103190). However: > [@](#): > > we permit SDMB users to post announcements and other discussion of meetings and events on the Straight Dope Message Board This means that they allow threads for DopeFests. A broader interpretation may put singles threads under the umbrealla of ‘other discussion’, even if IRL meetings are not planned. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/46 "2005-03-17T02:56:39Z")
Do you also want to address the part of my post that said: “recent spate of sex offenders”?? ---
**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 17, 2005, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/47 "2005-03-17T02:59:35Z")
Oh, please. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/48 "2005-03-17T03:08:37Z")
It ain’t a joke buddy. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/49 "2005-03-17T03:09:17Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Do you also want to address the part of my post that said: “recent spate of sex offenders”?? We wouldn’t even be discussing this if **Tuba** had kept her big fat mouth shut. “Not angering the bosses” indeed. ---
**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 17, 2005, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/50 "2005-03-17T03:12:14Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > It ain’t a joke buddy. What’s a ‘spate’, then? One guy? ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/51 "2005-03-17T03:15:08Z")
Oh, I’ll let the mods answer. Do tell: How many different IPs/posters were banned because of pedophile/rapist concerns? ---
**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 17, 2005, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/52 "2005-03-17T03:16:24Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > We wouldn’t even be discussing this if **Tuba** had kept her big fat mouth shut. Whoa, whoa, whoa. What recent spate of sex offenders? What are you guys talking about? Please fight my ignorance on this issue. ---
**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 17, 2005, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639/53 "2005-03-17T03:18:35Z")
Please, let’s stop this hijack. Otherwise, the thread will be closed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-a-personals-thread/294639.md?page=2)