# Wondering aloud about creating a Science forum (added a science tag instead) **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Tags:** science-math\ **Created:** [February 24, 2024, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-aloud-about-creating-a-science-forum-added-a-science-tag-instead/998022 "2024-02-24T14:17:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [February 24, 2024, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-aloud-about-creating-a-science-forum-added-a-science-tag-instead/998022/21 "2024-02-24T16:37:58Z")
If somebody comes to the Board looking to see if it’s a good place to come to discuss new scientific research, they will be told by @Chronos that the forum to discuss it is the same forum that has thread titles like this: [I feel it in my toes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-it-in-my-toes/997713) [I get to love you](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-get-to-love-you/997532/30) [One banana, Two banana](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-banana-two-banana/997423) It’s not like I had to look far for these, the are all recent. Tell me again that the rule about informative thread titles is enforced objectively for all posters in MPSIMS. Or even it it were, that the forum for personal blogs is an appropriate place to put science or breaking news stories. ---
**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:** [February 24, 2024, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-aloud-about-creating-a-science-forum-added-a-science-tag-instead/998022/22 "2024-02-24T16:40:08Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If we were to create a science forum, then that would also be the place for frivolous science threads. Yeah, like you’re arguing sincerely now. A “frivolous science thread” is _exactly_ the same type of thing with the same readership as a personal blog. ---
**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:** [February 24, 2024, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-aloud-about-creating-a-science-forum-added-a-science-tag-instead/998022/23 "2024-02-24T16:47:30Z")
The first is literally about feeling a weird sensation in the op’s toes. The second asks about who you love. The third is a question about bananas. How are any of those uninformative? And how does allowing a thread about whether split bananas are safe to eat discourage anyone from posting about science questions? If you want to have a deadly serious discussion about something scientific, where every claim is cited, you should probably start it in FQ. If you want to have a more light-hearted discussion about some weird science fact you just read about, MPSIMS seems like a good choice. ---
**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:** [February 24, 2024, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-aloud-about-creating-a-science-forum-added-a-science-tag-instead/998022/24 "2024-02-24T16:49:03Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > The first is literally about feeling a weird sensation in the op’s toes. How can you possibly know that from the title? > [@puzzlegal](#): > > The second asks about who you love. How can you possibly know that from the title? > [@puzzlegal](#): > > And how does allowing a thread about whether split bananas are safe to eat discourage anyone from posting about science questions? And you deduced that’s what it was about from the title, without opening the thread, right? I made the more reasonable guess from knowing the poster that it was another personal blog post and never opened it. ---
**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:** [February 24, 2024, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-aloud-about-creating-a-science-forum-added-a-science-tag-instead/998022/25 "2024-02-24T16:52:43Z")
The first and second are pretty much what i expected from the titles, yes. The second is pretty much exactly what the title says it is. The first could have been about various things, but was, in fact, exactly what was advertised. The third is a silly title, and doesn’t say exactly what it’s about. But it is, in fact, a silly thread about bananas. So i find it hard to imagine anyone clicked that thread and felt misled by the title. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2024, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-aloud-about-creating-a-science-forum-added-a-science-tag-instead/998022/26 "2024-02-24T16:55:05Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Depends, if it is not breaking news and you want a discussion on the study, I think IMHO is actually a better fit. I’d like to hear more opinions on that, not because I have a strong one/want to argue, but a consensus that “IMHO is the best place to post interesting science papers” would be helpful. > [@TriPolar](#): > > > [@Maserschmidt](#): > > > > Well, there’s a third category - I read a lot of papers/studies and was in this case thinking about sharing those to generate discussion. But I suppose those can be tossed in there as well. > > FQ is not that active and there is room to cover those questions. “…thinking about sharing those to generate discussion” is not a Factual Question, unless I happen to include a factual question. But that’s not what I was intended to describe with that phrase. ---
**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:** [February 24, 2024, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-aloud-about-creating-a-science-forum-added-a-science-tag-instead/998022/27 "2024-02-24T16:56:27Z")
The primary point remains. The Board can certainly include frivolous content, and if part of the Board is not going to enforce the rule about informative thread titles selectively that’s up to you. All I’m suggesting is that the substantive content that and the more serious conversations that are the primary attraction of this Board not be relegated to sharing the same forum. **We should all skip over content that we’re not interested in, of course. But by failing to enforce informative thread titles and by telling us that content like science and breaking news belong in the same forum as frivolous content, you’re making it unreasonably difficult for people to do that.** ---
**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 24, 2024, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-aloud-about-creating-a-science-forum-added-a-science-tag-instead/998022/28 "2024-02-24T17:03:15Z")
@puzzlegal @Chronos to keep on subject, the OP has asked a good question. > [@Maserschmidt](#): > > I’d like to hear more opinions on that, not because I have a strong one/want to argue, but a consensus that “IMHO is the best place to post interesting science papers” would be helpful. I feel the non-breaking news OPs that aren’t expecting to be purely factual replies are a good fit for IMHO which also relieve the side complaint from @Riemann, how do you to feel about that? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2024, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-aloud-about-creating-a-science-forum-added-a-science-tag-instead/998022/29 "2024-02-24T17:06:41Z")
If we’re going to add a new forum, I’d hope that we close an existing one or two, just to keep the board concise. Otherwise it would get sprawling. I suggest we merge Site Feedback with About This Message Board, and also close the Marketplace. ---
**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:** [February 24, 2024, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-aloud-about-creating-a-science-forum-added-a-science-tag-instead/998022/30 "2024-02-24T17:09:45Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > If we’re going to add a new forum, I’d hope that we close an existing one or two, just to keep the board concise. Otherwise it would get sprawling. The QZ forum concept worked fine, that could become the Science forum. I think we could stand to have a dedicated Breaking News forum, since special rules already apply to breaking news stories. I don’t see how that would increase the burden on the mods, since they are already moderating that as part of MPSIMS. That would solve the problem with the confusing mix of content in MPSIMS, people can fly their freak flag there to their hearts’ content. ---
**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 24, 2024, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-aloud-about-creating-a-science-forum-added-a-science-tag-instead/998022/31 "2024-02-24T17:11:30Z")
We’re not likely to add forums. We cannot combine Site Feedback and ATMB as Site Feedback is a Discourse category and ATMB is of course about the SDMB. If we close a forum it is most likely to be QZ, we recently discussed it and decided to leave it open for now. I would like Breaking News to have its own forum also, but the last discussion on that, I was in the minority IIRC. ---
**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:** [February 24, 2024, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-aloud-about-creating-a-science-forum-added-a-science-tag-instead/998022/32 "2024-02-24T17:11:58Z")
The forums here are split more by style than by substance. MPSIMS: look at this neat science article i came across. If this is developed in that way, this is how it might affect me. IMHO: i just saw this neat science article. Do you think this is real, or a random finding? How does that relate to these other science facts? FQ: is XYZ true? Please provide cites. ---
**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 24, 2024, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-aloud-about-creating-a-science-forum-added-a-science-tag-instead/998022/33 "2024-02-24T17:13:22Z")
Agreed, I think we’re on the same page. I went a little further above, but it looks basically like a match. > [@What\_Exit](#): > > #Factual Questions FQ is fact based, keep the conjecture and dumb jokes out please. > #In My Humble Opinion IMHO is hopefully informed opinions. > #breaking-news Breaking News in MPSIMS should be news and points tied to said. > #Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share MPSIMS is indeed bloggish and very conversational and open to dumb jokes. > #Great Debates GD would be if the OP finds parts of the study debatable, maybe questioning methodology or the like. ---
**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:** [February 24, 2024, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-aloud-about-creating-a-science-forum-added-a-science-tag-instead/998022/34 "2024-02-24T17:13:48Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > We’re not likely to add forums. If the total number of forums cannot increase, I’d favor just adding Breaking News and retiring QZ. Science stories would then fit fine within either Breaking News (for brand new published research) or FQ or IMHO, but wouldn’t need to be mixed into MPSIMS. All the threads in the Breaking News forum could automatically be subject to the special rules we already have for breaking news threads, including science stories. Science stories with opinion to IMHO. But what is the reason for not increasing the number of forums by one? It wouldn’t increase the moderating burden if it’s simply to segregate the subset of breaking news stories out of MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2024, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-aloud-about-creating-a-science-forum-added-a-science-tag-instead/998022/35 "2024-02-24T17:16:57Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > The forums here are split more by style than by substance. > > MPSIMS: look at this neat science article i came across. If this is developed in that way, this is how it might affect me. > > IMHO: i just saw this neat science article. Do you think this is real, or a random finding? How does that relate to these other science facts? > > FQ: is XYZ true? Please provide cites. Well, except Cafe Society, which breaks all those rules, and may also be our most popular forum. Breaking news, factual questions, opinionated shouts…if they’re about the arts, there they go. So we have at least one big exception. ---
**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:** [February 24, 2024, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-aloud-about-creating-a-science-forum-added-a-science-tag-instead/998022/36 "2024-02-24T17:17:42Z")
That’s true. And the quarantine zone is similar, and was pretty busy a couple of years ago. And i guess the game room. ---
**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:** [February 24, 2024, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-aloud-about-creating-a-science-forum-added-a-science-tag-instead/998022/37 "2024-02-24T17:20:24Z")
And new posters who come here are obviously more likely to think “this is a good place to come and talk about science” if there is a forum called Science, as opposed to a forum called What-The-Fuck-Is-This with clickbait threads that open to personal blogs. ---
**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:** [February 24, 2024, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-aloud-about-creating-a-science-forum-added-a-science-tag-instead/998022/38 "2024-02-24T17:21:30Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > We already have a bunch of forums. (We could just move QZ under it and we’ll have the same number) I admit I’m warming to this idea. It’s actually quite hard to get rid of a forum. But rebranding QZ as “science, etc.” would be much easier. Finding old threads to move there would be challenging, but it wouldn’t be that hard to post new threads there. ---
**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 24, 2024, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-aloud-about-creating-a-science-forum-added-a-science-tag-instead/998022/39 "2024-02-24T17:23:03Z")
If we were to add a Science forum, best to add it clean. Then move QZ under it as a subforum. We have examples of that in the Moderator Forums and how most message boards operate. ---
**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:** [February 24, 2024, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-aloud-about-creating-a-science-forum-added-a-science-tag-instead/998022/40 "2024-02-24T17:25:17Z")
Despite the awkwardness of using tags in mobile, I’d prefer keeping the “covid” tag to creating a subforum. I don’t like the way subforums work in discourse. They kinda take as much “space” as a new forum in a lot of menus and stuff. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-aloud-about-creating-a-science-forum-added-a-science-tag-instead/998022.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wondering-aloud-about-creating-a-science-forum-added-a-science-tag-instead/998022.md?page=3)