# Why is the SDMB membership declining, and what's the best way to add younger members? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 14, 2021, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208 "2021-06-14T02:28:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2021, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208/283 "2021-06-16T16:43:47Z")
I mostly hang out in food threads. I learned that 73F is the temperature above which butter gets problematic in making pie crust. I’m not sure where else i might have found that, and it was a collegial and pleasant discussion. I’ve gotten some great recipe ideas. This has been a mostly good place to follow the pandemic. Lots of good information, interesting conversation. A community at a time when i greatly needed community. I’ve seen really helpful advise about remodeling. Helpful relationship advise. (Some of which I’ve shared at the dinner table, because it was interesting.) Despite the restrictions, this place has offered for medical and legal advise. Interesting insights into the tablet that got stuck in the Suez canal, and about airplanes. There’s still lots of good content here. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2021, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208/284 "2021-06-16T16:45:15Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Renaming forums or making the Pit available to subscribers only feels like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. You’re not going to get an huge influx of new people because GQ is now called “Factual Answers.” So - don’t do something quick and easy that would slightly improve the site, because bigger changes are needed? What a dumb argument. Do small improvements somehow _prevent_ us making those bigger changes too? ---
**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:** [June 16, 2021, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208/285 "2021-06-16T16:51:13Z")
_Not modding_, but this is a good example of where I find the nastiness of GD/P&E and the Pit are bleeding into other forums. You could have made the same point in a nicer way. I fully agree with the point you’re making. Little changes can help while waiting on bigger changes. It is generally a good idea. Incremental Improvement is not a bad thing at all and usually very good. Many have suggested renaming MPSIMS & GQ, that seems like a good small idea. Hell we could recombine GD and P&E and just use tags to help find different types of debates. Getting back up a payment system while working on other stuff is a much bigger deal as posters want to give money to help the place out. But why call another posters post dumb? It doesn’t help and actually hurts. \ ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2021, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208/286 "2021-06-16T16:55:32Z")
Just look at the new pile-on on @Martin_Hyde in the Pit. Shit like that? Yeah, that’s not bringing in new folks. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2021, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208/287 "2021-06-16T17:02:34Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > But why call another posters post dumb? Because it was dumb and I thought that was response it deserved. It’s extremely frustrating to meet persistent irrational resistance to simple improvements like this. The solution to not having your posts called dumb is, in my opinion, to not make dumb posts. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2021, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208/288 "2021-06-16T17:03:06Z")
> [@Kron](#): > > Just look at the new pile-on on @Martin_Hyde in the Pit. > > Shit like that? Yeah, that’s not bringing in new folks. So the Martin Hyde thread is a problem, but Martin Hyde calling most of the people on SDMB who don’t agree with him to be “bleating, stupid sheep” and summarizing the boards as a “den of mentally ill leftists” warrants no comment? Curious… ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2021, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208/289 "2021-06-16T17:03:19Z")
I think we should try a ‘like’ button. More often than not if I read a post/thread that I’m interested in and someone says something I like or agree with, I do not comment. Either what I want to say has already been expressed more eloquently than I could or I don’t want to face backlash from trolls. Often I wish I could just ‘like’ someone’s post to let them know I agree with them. Who knows, maybe it would create more conversation. Better than the alternative of the board just closing down. Worth a try. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2021, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208/290 "2021-06-16T17:04:08Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > > [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > > > Renaming forums or making the Pit available to subscribers only feels like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. You’re not going to get an huge influx of new people because GQ is now called “Factual Answers.” > > So - don’t do something quick and easy that would slightly improve the site, because bigger changes are needed? What a dumb argument. Do small improvements somehow _prevent_ us making those bigger changes too? The “dumb argument” is that those quick and easy changes would somehow lead to a significant increase of more members. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2021, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208/291 "2021-06-16T17:05:07Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > > [@What\_Exit](#): > > > > But why call another posters post dumb? > > Because it was dumb and I thought that was response it deserved. It’s extremely frustrating to meet persistent irrational resistance to simple improvements like this. The solution to not having your posts called dumb is, in my opinion, to not make dumb posts. Uh, you were the first one to use the word “dumb.” I didn’t call your post dumb. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2021, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208/292 "2021-06-16T17:05:33Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > The “dumb argument” is that those quick and easy changes would somehow lead to a significant increase of more members. And this argument is so well recognized as being dumb that it has a formal name - _making the perfect the enemy of the good_. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2021, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208/293 "2021-06-16T17:06:23Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Uh, you were the first one to use the word “dumb.” And I did not claim otherwise. ---
**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:** [June 16, 2021, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208/295 "2021-06-16T17:07:48Z")
**Modnote** : OK, Partially my fault. Lets end the @Riemann & @Eyebrows_0f_Doom back and forth here. You can take it to the pit, but take it from here. Reopen in few minutes. ---
**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:** [June 16, 2021, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208/296 "2021-06-16T17:10:56Z")
---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2021, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208/297 "2021-06-16T17:11:05Z")
You are curious? You could ask, and I could sate your curiosity! I’m not referring to just the thread pitting @Martin_Hyde, but the ridiculous pile-on that the cultural genocide thread has turned into. Which sparked his statement, and resulted in the gleeful pitting. I could have taken umbrage at Martin’s statements of anger brought on by the, frankly, ridiculous amount of flak he was getting in that thread. But I, as a rule, don’t get all hot-and-bothered by statements that “could” include me (“mentally-ill leftists”, “straight white males”, etc) when they are brought up because of a general trend of behaviours of that group. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2021, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208/298 "2021-06-16T17:11:10Z")
[quote=“Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom, post:290, topic:944208, full:true”] > [@Riemann](#): > > > [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > > > > Renaming forums or making the Pit available to subscribers only feels like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. You’re not going to get an huge influx of new people because GQ is now called “Factual Answers.” > > > [/quote] > > > > > > So - don’t do something quick and easy that would slightly improve the site, because bigger changes are needed? What a dumb argument. Do small improvements somehow _prevent_ us making those bigger changes too? > > The “dumb argument” is that those quick and easy changes would somehow lead to a significant increase of more members. I don’t think @Riemann ever said it would lead to a significant increase, I think he was thinking the same thing I did and explicit said after your initial criticism - > [@ParallelLines](#): > > The thing though about fixing some of the cosmetics (the forum names and some of the stodgy imagery for example) is that they (if we were willing, which is a huge if) are quick fixes that might help retain the few ‘new’ people who are still currently stumbling in. Yeah, it’s not in any way of addressing the long term of adding members, _but it may increase the trickle as it stands without requiring an investment of time/money/etc._ Italics added for emphasis since that point seems to have been ignored by later posters. As I said though in that previous post, both you and @tricoteuse are not wrong in that these are unlikely to change the trends. It’s just an easy step while we consider where to invest time/energy/money in bigger fixes. I do not consider putting a bandaid on an injury ‘healing’ it. I do consider it a good step while I’m actively bleeding though. ---
**Author:** ![tricoteuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tricoteuse/32/4334_2.png) [@tricoteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tricoteuse)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2021, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208/299 "2021-06-16T17:11:21Z")
Please everyone, be nice or else this thread will get shut down without warning too 😵 Is what I had been about to post right as the thread was shut down without warning. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2021, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208/300 "2021-06-16T17:11:30Z")
I don’t actually think I’m a good example per se, I’m a fairly recalcitrant individual that has had many unpleasant wars on these boards. But at least in the age of Trump where I turned my back on the GOP, I think some of the more vitriolic wars have fallen to the wayside. This website, this forum, evolved out of a free newspaper in Chicago. Who reads free newspapers? Mostly really liberal people. Who lives in Chicago? Mostly really liberal people. The board was primed with lefties, and in its early days more and more lefties flocked here. Back in the days when **Bricker** was still here and some of my other conservative compatriots there would be threads hundreds of posts long about things relating to the Bush Administration that would be 2 or 3 of us arguing against 40 or 50 lefties. Honestly I enjoyed it, and I think most of the time it was perfectly fine. I don’t think the board should strive for viewpoint neutrality, I think it’s fine that it’s a leftie board. I enjoy arguing with lefties much more than I do other conservatives. If my experience in the thread you mention is indicative of anything, it may just be that there has been a trend in the last 5 years maybe a little longer, where the right and left on these boards quit having discussions. It just became massive condemnation fests and those are much less enjoyable to participate in, particularly in situations when one of the major weapons being used is the dog pilers snipping your posts, taking phrases out of context, trying to confuse the flow of discussion etc. There have been a lot of dishonest and shitty conservative posters on these boards too, I’ve tried to not usually stray into that, but it’s worth acknowledging because not every conservative voice that has left has really been a detriment to the board. I do think some of this is just society in 2021, most people don’t enjoy actually discussing something with a person who has a genuine difference of views than them. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2021, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208/301 "2021-06-16T17:12:04Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > I think we should try a ‘like’ button. More often than not if I read a post/thread that I’m interested in and someone says something I like or agree with, I do not comment. Either what I want to say has already been expressed more eloquently than I could or I don’t want to face backlash from trolls. Often I wish I could just ‘like’ someone’s post to let them know I agree with them. I wouldn’t mind a ‘like’ button as long as you couldn’t downvote something and you could see who ‘liked’ your post, and it didn’t alter the placement of the posts in the thread. I wouldn’t mind threads with lots of likes having more visibility though. For some reason downvotes are _usually_ but not always not a problem with Reddit, but I’m not sure we wouldn’t have a lot of people wondering what exactly caused their post to be disliked and demanding answers. I personally would, if I composed what I thought was a thoughtful and relevant post only to be buried with dislikes without any explanation as to why. And I’d want to know who ‘liked’ a post so we can see if it was just all the people already taking that position in the thread (or even a sock army) liking the post, or if it has genuine broad-based acceptance from the wider board. ---
**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:** [June 16, 2021, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208/302 "2021-06-16T17:13:36Z")
Generally we can’t really give the _temp closure warning_ at the same time. I said almost immediately it would reopen. Hell, I rushed my modnote to get that part out there. Then I cleaned up the modnote. ---
**Author:** ![tricoteuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tricoteuse/32/4334_2.png) [@tricoteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tricoteuse)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2021, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208/303 "2021-06-16T17:15:14Z")
I understand you were just closing it for a few minutes to give everyone a chance to chill out. I just thought it was a funny coincidince. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sdmb-membership-declining-and-whats-the-best-way-to-add-younger-members/944208.md?page=16)