# Why is the option available if it does nothing? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 22, 2001, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-option-available-if-it-does-nothing/94717 "2001-11-22T04:24:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2001, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-option-available-if-it-does-nothing/94717/1 "2001-11-22T04:24:06Z")
In my profile I have disabled the ability for adminstrators and moderators to contact me via email. This is because I used my work email address to create this account and I try to do everything I can to minimize non-work-related email in it. Well, I received this email from TubaDiva at the address… > [@](#): > > Re: Straight Dope Message Board - Getting High > ([http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=100162](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=100162)) > > Despite our name, which derives from slang from an earlier time, we have nothing whatsoever > to do with getting high. > > It is against the policy of the Straight Dope Message Board to allow these topics on our > board. > > This thread has been removed. Do not do this sort of thing ever again. > > your humble TubaDiva > Administrator > The Straight Dope For one thing, if I recall this post correctly it was about the side-effects of a legal OTC drug and the dangers of using it. I was not advocating using illegal substances or telling people how to do it - I was just elaborating on a previous post in the same thread. I don’t mind that the thread was closed, I am just curious why the administration felt compelled to contact me via email about this. Secondly, I do not appreciate emails with the subject line including phrases like ‘Getting High’ in an inbox that I often leave open and unattended at my workstation. For personal email I have other webmail accounts that I use that are not as easily monitored by our NOC. I specifically chose ‘No’ in my profile options where it asks ‘Allow Bulletin Board Administrators and Moderators To Send You Email Notices?’ ---
**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:** [November 22, 2001, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-option-available-if-it-does-nothing/94717/2 "2001-11-22T04:37:24Z")
I can understand why the thread was removed. Naturally, people posted links to pages that _did_ advocate the use of DXM for fun, and offered advice on how to go about it. The _Reader_ would want no part of that, because it could conceivably leave them liable in a civil suit if someone poisons themselves. Of course, people should be able to talk about these things in the name of fighting ignorance, but maybe it’s better to take it over to alt.drugs where there’s no private sponsorship. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2001, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-option-available-if-it-does-nothing/94717/3 "2001-11-22T04:39:59Z")
I don’t have a problem with the thread being removed either. It’s not my board, I don’t make the rules. My problem was with the fact that an administrator contacted me at an email address I specifically asked NOT to be contacted at, potentially endangering my employment (I would hate to get fired right after my parents moved in with me and right before the holidays, especially in this job market). ---
**Author:** ![Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/db5fbb/32.png) [@Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fred)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2001, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-option-available-if-it-does-nothing/94717/4 "2001-11-22T04:49:54Z")
I wasn’t going to reply to this, until I checked my e-mail. I got one to! Unfortunately, it was the exact same thing… apparantly Tuba was experiencing a dearth of creativity and was unable to type a different message to someone who was curious about the chemicals in cough syrup ( **Badtz** ) and some one who advocated that those looking for a legal way to get high try huffing gas[SUP]1[/SUP], ( **Me** ). > [@](#): > > Despite our name, which derives from slang from an earlier time, we have nothing whatsoever to do with getting high. Thanks for the tip. I suppose that you should also have told me that despite your name, which derives from slang from an earlier time, you having nothing whatsoever to do with the promotion of heterosexuality or the degradation of gays. You should also have revealed that you are, indeed, a “Board” with "Message"s on it, to clear up any of the confusion I’m obviously experiencing. [SUP]1. There is no footnote[/SUP] ---
**Author:** ![k.os](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e0b2c6/32.png) [@k.os](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k.os)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2001, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-option-available-if-it-does-nothing/94717/5 "2001-11-22T04:50:12Z")
You are obviously owed an explanation, as well as an apology. This is distressing, to say the least. ---
**Author:** ![k.os](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e0b2c6/32.png) [@k.os](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k.os)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2001, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-option-available-if-it-does-nothing/94717/6 "2001-11-22T04:55:27Z")
BTW, I was refering to **Badtz Maru**. Then again, if **Grim** has checked ‘NO’ in the ‘Allow Bulletin Board Administrators and Moderators To Send You Email Notices?’, it applies to him as well. I just hope this is a mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/db5fbb/32.png) [@Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fred)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2001, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-option-available-if-it-does-nothing/94717/7 "2001-11-22T05:03:04Z")
I don’t mind that I got e-mail. Hell, with my empty, smoking husk of a social life, it makes my day to get e-mail from someone, anyone. Any form of human contact at all. So you can understand how devastated I was to discover that this e-mail, my connection with a world beyond my pathetic limits and boundaries was a **form letter**. It’s kind of like, if you will permit a short sidetrack, when someone sends you an e-mail entitled “Why You = My Bestest Friend + Greatest Person on the Face of the Earth” that appears to go on for pages and pages. You open with bated breath to discover that this so-called friend has only dumped another meaningless forward on you and when you clear your eyes of tears and look at the **To** line only to make the jarring and obscene discovery that this same message, the one that was a brief, shining glimmer of hope in the dank pit of your life, was sent to 176 others as well. So you fire back an angry letter with the Subject heading “HEY ASSHOLE” that goes on for pages and pages detailing what true friends do: send heartfelt messages that they wrote themselves instead of flinging a mass e-mail into your inbox like so much monkey feces. But I digress… Back to the point at hand, which I have forgotten. ---
**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:** [November 22, 2001, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-option-available-if-it-does-nothing/94717/8 "2001-11-22T05:04:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Badtz Maru \* > **I don’t have a problem with the thread being removed either. It’s not my board, I don’t make the rules. My problem was with the fact that an administrator contacted me at an email address I specifically asked NOT to be contacted at, potentially endangering my employment (I would hate to get fired right after my parents moved in with me and right before the holidays, especially in this job market)** I think that option on the profile screen is to allow _automatic_ mass mailings of the “Notices” that appear at the top of all the forums. You allow any member of the board to contact you at your work address, on any subject. In the last month I’ve got over 12 e-mails on the subject of a closed-thread that I participated in. You sort of expect that. I’d probably freak out if I got unexpected e-mail with that subject line at work, too, but to be fair, TubaDiva had no reason to expect that you wouldn’t feel comfortable mail on that subject at your public email address. (The tone of the message did come off a bit snarky, but _that’s just her way._) 😉 ---
**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:** [November 22, 2001, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-option-available-if-it-does-nothing/94717/9 "2001-11-22T05:06:42Z")
“comfortable **receiving** mail” ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2001, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-option-available-if-it-does-nothing/94717/10 "2001-11-22T05:06:59Z")
We (administrators) have an option available to use which allows us to send out mass emails. We’ve only used this option twice, I believe, each time after a security breech, to tell people to CHANGE THEIR PASSWORDS. I participate in a couple of other vBulletin boards, and those administrators tend to use the option a bit more frequently, giving board updates, such as new forums, new services, etc. If we need to contact you because of a problem or your behavior on the board, we _will_ use the email address that’s listed. **Badtz Maru** , and anyone else who has this concern, I’d urge you to create and use a Hotmail address for the message board, and check it every now and then. I do think that the wording on the option could be clearer, but I don’t think that it’s something that is easily changed, if it can be changed at all. It’s part of the vBulletin template. I’m going to bring this thread to **TubaDiva’s** attention, in case I have misrepresented something. Lynn For the Straight Dope ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2001, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-option-available-if-it-does-nothing/94717/11 "2001-11-22T05:11:53Z")
I’ve already changed the email address on my profile. I would have done this long ago if it was clear that the option does not really mean what it says. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2001, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-option-available-if-it-does-nothing/94717/12 "2001-11-22T05:36:40Z")
The reference in the profile settings applies to global emails sent out in case of emergency and does not refer to adminstrative actions, like the emails I sent out. When we find bad behavior, we act on it and in respect for your privacy we usually send out emails. Taking someone to task in public is usually a last resort. I’m sorry if your work address was compromised, but how was I to know? What Lynn stated is correct; if you have any doubts about the suitability of the email address you list with us, you should change it to one that IS suitable, in case of exactly this sort of situation. Some common sense should kick in at some point here, the original thread discussed getting high from cough syrup, anyone who’s spent any amount of time knows that we routinely close such threads soon as we find 'em and yell at the participants. your humble TubaDiva Administrator