Something Awful Forums |
The Something Awful Forums (usually abbreviated as the SA Forums) are a set of limited-access message boards on the popular humor website Something Awful, with a large userbase (over 60,000, though this includes banned users).
The forums are ranked (as of October 2005) by [http://www.big-boards.com/ Big-Boards] as the sixth most active forum on the Internet, in spite of a registration fee being charged for access. [http://www.big-boards.com/highlight/466/]. It runs on a heavily modified version of VBulletin. People who frequent the Something Awful Forums call themselves SA Goons, or simply goons. The forums are very strictly moderated. The community is international but mostly comprised of American males in their late teens and early twenties.
While a selection of forums are sometimes available for highly restricted, read-only anonymous browsing (at present, only Comedy Goldmine), it costs USD9.95 to register an account; this money goes directly to the webmaster, Richard Kyanka, as well as towards hosting costs and payment of the front page writers and other forum administrators. Many other forum features also cost between $5 to $10 each, such as the ability to search and view an archive of the forums, or putting an image and custom text under your or someone else s username.
=Main Forums=
*General Bullshit (GBS) - similar to any of the Off Topic forums found on other message boards on the Web. GBS threads can be started on almost any topic, except those which have other forums dedicated to them. As well as the conglomeration of news and links found on most Off Topic boards, GBS is also host to many non-official Photoshop competitions and improvisational joke threads. GBS is also the host of a sometimes-changing lineup of subforums. **Something Awful / The Daily Dirt Discussion - this sub-forum caters for the dedicated discussion of articles appearing on the frontpage of Something Awful. The idea was nearly scrapped after forums member Samahdi created a thread titled THERE S A FRONT PAGE! (an over-used joke on the forums) and was promptly #Punishment. **Hot Topic: Hurricane Hoedown - a sub-forum for conversation related to the two recent hurricanes that struck the Southern US.
*Fuck You and Die (FYAD) - the forum where anything is allowed, save for posting child pornography, bestiality, pornographic images of forum members and openly mocking admins and moderators, the latter of which is nonetheless treated more leniently than on the other forums. Humor is mixed with occasional links to shock sites and shock images, although shock posts are few and far between as they are usually mocked into oblivion by the FYAD regulars. In many cases, shock images are posted to destroy a thread a user deems unfit for the readers of FYAD. Because of FYAD s very unique brand of humor and nature, a team of moderators (called Idiot Kings) must patrol the forum for any threads that are useless or boring. These threads are beecocked , named for the image that used to be displayed when the thread was moved to the FYAD Dump (the beecock image has now been replaced with a simple message: MUTTON TIME ). Many of the main site features also are made or written here (The Weekend Web, for example). Much in the same way Something Awful often satirizes the Internet, FYAD often satirizes other Something Awful forums. The actual name of FYAD varies from time to time (examples are Lowtax s Feisty Mittens , All Dolphins Are Sluts , Specific Bullshit ). Despite the renaming, the forum is always referred to as FYAD. This forum should never be assumed work safe. **FYAD Jr. FYAD currently contains a subforum known as FYAD Jr., to which members can be relegated as punishment (see below, in the #Punishment section). Those who can post in this forum are redirected to it when they try and post in FYAD. Their posts end up in FYAD Jr. Additionally, a 125x25 pixel image of the FYAD Jr. logo will appear on the bottom of the user s avatar, signaling that indeed, FYAD hates this person. (As of July 2005, FYAD Jr. no longer exists.) **FYAD 2.0 A short-lived version of FYAD was created and allowed full use of HTML. However, after passwords were stolen using JavaScript, FYAD 2.0 was shut down within one day. **FYAD Dump The FYAD Dump is where beecocked threads are kept hidden from the main forum. These threads are deemed unsuitable for FYAD readers by the Idiot Kings (the FYAD term for moderator), and moved into this forum, which is read-only and accessible only by users with SA Platinum (the ability to send Private Messages, use search and see hidden forums)
= Specific-topic forums =
*Ask/Tell - created on June 3, 2005, Ask/Tell was Lowtax s reaction to building frustration regarding the volume of simple question threads on GBS. Requests for information on a specific topic be posted within this forum in the form of a tell me thread, which may be answered by anyone who feels they have expertise in the topic area. Goons also feeling particularly knowledgeable may create an ask me thread, where they will generally answer questions posed by other goons and offer various pearls of wisdom. Ask/Tell recently became its own forum, along with several subforums: **Goons With Spoons - A subforum created to contain all of the food threads being posted in GBS. It contains a wide variety of recipes and cooking advice. **Elementary Education - A subforum dedicated to science, math, and philosophy discussion. Also a place where goons can get help or give advice on homework. *Serious Hardware/Software Crap (SH/SC) - a forum for self-proclaimed computer experts. Many of the less technically inclined posters come here for computer advice, both for purchases and troubleshooting. SH/SC regulars have created [http://shsc.info a Wiki of general reference material] and [http://www.applepedia.com Applepedia], a Mac-specific Wiki. *Games - video games are the chief subject of discussion. Tips, requests, spoilers, and positive/negative reviews are rife. There are subforums devoted to traditional pen-and-paper and board games as well as SA-only game servers and SA-based guilds for MMORPGs. *Sports Argument Stadium (SAS) - discussion of all popular sports such as wrestling and football. **Fantasy Island - covers fantasy sports leagues. **Poker in the Rear - a subforum dedicated to the game of poker. The forum description has long read POKER IS NOT A SPORT reflecting the wish of some to have this moved from its position as an SAS subforum to a Games subforum. *SA-Mart - a bazaar where anybody may buy, sell, or trade anything so long as it is legal in the United States. Posters may also link to EBay auctions. Feedback about posters experiences with a particular buyer or seller can be posted in a subforum of SA-Mart. The administrators and moderators disclaim any responsibility for actions between the buyer and seller. Nevertheless, acts of fraud are generally considered the worst thing a user can do on the forums (other than hacking them) and will almost always result in the user being banned permanently. **Coupons, Rebates, Freebies, & Great Deals (Coupons) - this subforum of SA-Mart is the place to obtain exactly what the forum s title suggests. It is known for being one of the least active discussion forums. *Debate and Discussion (D&D) - holds more involved discussions on politics, current events and philosophy. It evolved from the Current Events (CE) forum, which was created for all the threads growing out of the September 11, 2001 attacks of September 11, 2001. D&D posters tend to identify strongly as either left-wing or libertarian; conservatives are more likely to be found in GBS. One of the more lurk-heavy forums with strict moderation. *The Crackhead Clubhouse (TCC) - a forum for discussion of recreational, medical, and spiritual drug use. No discussion related to buying or selling of illegal drugs is allowed. *Automotive Insanity (AI) - technical automotive forum for enthusiasts. *Creative Convention - a forum for the more creative members or those who wish to enlist their talents. All manners of art, literature, photography, and even website design can be found within this forum. **Photoshop Phorum - dedicated to SA s weekly Photoshop Phriday image-manipulation contests. *Anime Death Tentacle Rape Whorehouse (ADTRW) - anime discussion. The forum s name pokes fun at stereotypes of various taboos found in anime and manga hentai. *The Firing Range (TFR) - a forum specifically for the discussion of firearms. *Pet Island - pet-related discussion. *The TV IV - discussion of . *Batman s Shameful Secret (BSS) - centered around comic book discussion and other related topics. *Cinema Discusso - for serious film discussion. *No Music Discussion (NMD) - for discussion of music. **Musician s Lounge - similar to the Creative Convention, it is used mostly for critiquing and general advice for aspiring musicians. **Concert Calendar - for announcements and discussions of concerts.
= Review Dumps =
*The Film Dump - a forum dedicated only to film reviews (specifically excluding film discussion). Instead of the usual tags, all posts use a 5-star rating system. *The Game Dump - a forum dedicated to video game reviews, done much the same as the Film Dump. However, the posts in this forum use a 5-bar rating system, similar to the thread voting system used on the other forums. *The Reading Dump - a forum dedicated to book reviews, in the same style as the Film and Game dumps. It uses a 5-star rating system identical to the rating system used in the Film Dump. *The Music Dump - a forum with the sole purpose of reviewing music, done in the same fashion as the other dumps. It is currently under construction and is not open just yet.
= Special-purpose forums =
*Comedy Goldmine - a repository of the very best threads in all forums but FYAD. Currently the Goldmine goes back to October 2001; the archived Goldmine goes back to when the forums started using VBulletin. **FYAD Goldmine - same purpose as the regular goldmine, but for FYAD threads only. Thought to be a parody of the Comedy Goldmine. *Comedy Gas Chamber - threads that have been deemed unsuitable or not up to standards by the moderators are sent here and have been said to be gassed . *The Leper s Colony - formerly known as the Leper s Colon. Contained posts by administrators listing the users who had been banned, permabanned, automatically banned (autoban), or put on probation. (Features restricted to moderators and administrators were visible to all users, but instead of simply denying permission the software automatically banned users who used them. This system is informally called forum Darwinism .) The banning system has recently been upgraded and moved to a special page separate from any of the forums, and this forum has now disappeared. Both the old forum and the special page are interchangeably referred to as The Leper Colony or The Leper s Colon. *The Forum Archives - threads which have remained dormant for a long time are moved to the Forum Archives, in which these threads are searchable. Accessing the Forum Archives requires the purchase of an Archive Account for $9.95.
= Punishment =
The Forums have an elaborate system of punishment for violation of its various rules and conventions. Punishments are meted out around the clock by the various moderators of the Something Awful forums. All of these punishments can be given out by the forum admins for breaking the forum rules and are rarely retracted or reduced. Some rules, however, are suspended in FYAD. Punishments include: *Probation - a user can be placed on Posting Probation by an admin for any period of time. Probation usually lasts between six hours and one month, although on occasion probations of 100,000 hours (approximately 11 years) have been handed out. A user placed on probation is unable to reply to threads or post new threads but may do anything else normally allowed—including editing his or her existing posts. Examples of offenses usually meriting probation are: **Posting replies consisting entirely of a catchphrase or an Emoticon. **[img]-tagging images without the hosting provider s permission. This is typically referred to as image leeching. A direct link to an image not hosted by the poster, however, is fine. **Re-posting a gassed thread without trying to fix what caused it to be gassed. **Flaming or Internet troll another user. **Posting images or links to images or sites that are not work safe anywhere outside of FYAD without labeling them as such. *Ban - before Probation was created, the Ban was the most common punishment for breaking the rules. Anything punishable by a probation can still possibly result in a ban. Ban is a misnomer, as the user is not barred from re-entering the forums, but merely has to pay $9.95 to either re-activate his or her account or buy a new one. Bans result from offenses like the following: **Being insubordinate to mods or admins—attacking their actions, ignoring their instruction or reversing their actions. This sort of conduct is also known as mod sass.
=Culture=
The SA forums have their own special culture. One large component of it is a widespread detestation of furry.
==Anti-furryism and the Comedy Lolocaust==
Long ago, the posting of furry porn, or depictions of anthropomorphic animals committing sexual acts, was not against the forum rules in FYAD. When this happened, the poster was usually rebuked if they did not include a warning in the thread s subject text, and perhaps had their preference in pornography mocked.
As time progressed, furry threads continued to be posted, mostly if not solely in FYAD. As FYAD is not intended to have any rules, the posters were not stopped, though they were taunted endlessly by the other members of FYAD. Lowtax one day decided, however, that furry porn would no longer be allowed in FYAD, setting in motion a chain of events later to be known as the Comedy Lolocaust.
As the first step of the Lolocaust, Lowtax created a subforum of The Goddamn Shithouse (a place where some FYAD-goers got their own forums and became IK of them) dedicated to the posting of furry porn, called The Furry Concentration Camp. This kept all furry threads out of FYAD and in one central location. The denizens of this subforum, along with any others proven to have furry tendencies, were then given custom titles of a large yellow star with the title Yiff on top, a reference to a slang term for intercourse in the furry community. Once all of the forum s furries were identified, they were then permanently relegated to the Furry Concentration Camp.
The Camp stayed open for a number of weeks, and while furries couldn t leave the forum, others could come in. The Furry Concentration Camp was soon riddled with threads mocking furries in every way, shape and form. However, when these threads began to die down, the furries who could only post in the Camp soon began to congregate with each other, and only with each other. It became a complete community in itself.
Eventually, the final solution of the Lolocaust was set into place. and the denizens of the FCC were finally banned, effectively ending the mass proliferation of furry porn in FYAD. Currently, anti-furryism is seen as old hat, and in general is not acceptable unless intensely humorous. Furries were, at one point, banned or ostracized, but there are now several forum members known to be furries who are generally accepted within the community.
==The File Forums==
For information regarding WDMA, a now-defunct offshoot of the File Forums, see WDMA.
For many years, there were several forums dedicated to the distribution of files. The first was Don t Post Porn Here (DPPH), a sub-forum which dated back to the early days of the forum. Later, two other forums were added: No MP3s (NMP3s) and the BitTorrent Barnyard (BTB) (in which Warez was explicitly disallowed).
Since their creation, it was always strictly forbidden to mention their existence or any information about them to non-members of the Forums. Lowtax and others believed that anyone who joined only for files had nothing to add to the community. However, many people disregarded this policy and invited people to join the Forums for the sole purpose of downloading files.
In the second half of 2004, Lowtax announced a zero tolerance policy for violation of file forum rules. Users who asked the SA staff for tech support related to file forums, requested files without first contributing, or indicated they had only joined to gain access to the file forums were banned without a warning.
This policy was not enough, however. Following an announcement in November, 2004, all three file forums were shut down permanently on Midnight, New Year s Day 2005. Additionally, a complete prohibition on distributing copyrighted work anywhere on the forums was levied (it had previously been allowed in ADTRW and BSS) and a policy of banning anyone who asked what happened to the file forums. Shortly thereafter, No Music Discussion and Cinema Discusso were created to fill a gap left by the absence of NMP3s and BTB, which had previously been used for music and movie discussion.
The File Forums no longer exist and any discussion of file distribution is now extremely unwelcome on the Forums. However, a BitTorrent tracker hosted on [http://www.alluvion.org/ alluvion.org] has been set up to enable (legal) BitTorrent downloads for members of the Forums. For example, self-created MP3s released for critique in the Musician s Lounge are allowed to be posted provided that the poster provides bandwidth.
==Fauxtests==
In Toronto, two fauxtests , or essentially fake protests, were conducted through the Something Awful forum community, both taking place in the city s downtown core. The first was a fauxtest related to banning small dogs in the city, an indirect jab at the province s controversial ban on pit bulls. The second involved three factions of fauxtesters arguing with each other over the superiority of rock, paper, or scissors. This was done while following a legitimate anti-war protest in the low thousands. The highlight of the second fauxtest was when the fauxtesters stopped the actual protest by forming a line in the street that blocked the anti-war march s path. They shouted rock, paper, scissors for roughly 45 seconds before dispersing, leaving the anti-war crowd in a state of amused confusion. Forum members asked about the reasoning behind disrupting the anti-war protest for the most part commented on the inherent ineffectiveness of such protests, which by that point had been happening with relative frequency in the Toronto downtown core (to say nothing of other areas) for more than two years with little acknowledgement from the Bush administration.
= Charity Activities =
The Something Awful forums has performed many charitable acts in the six years of its existence. These activities include buying armor for deployed soldiers long before they were equipped by the U.S. Army, helping to sponsor an expensive kidney surgery, donating thousands of dollars in toys to the Ronald McDonald House, and donating ~$30,000 in less than 13 hours in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in 2005.
= Charges =
Forum registration is the main paid service provided by Something Awful. This charge has been $9.95 since the beginning of paid membership. There are also other services which a Something Awful member can buy, including:
*Change of the FYAD sig divider ($2.00) *Re-registration of banned accounts ($9.95) *Custom titles for oneself ($5.00) or for someone else ($9.95) *Username changes ($7.95) *Banner ads that link offsite ($49.95) *Banner ads that link to a specific thread or section of the forums ($7.95) *Removal of ads ($4.95) *Change of one s displayed registration date to September 11,2001 ($9.11) *New Emoticons in the smiley list ($29.95) *Stickied threads in SA-Mart ($5.00 per day)
= The 2005 Downtime =
Something Awful, along with the Forums, was down for a span of approximately four days ( Hurricane Relief fund. Funds were collected through PayPal, but [http://www.somethingawful.com/articles.phpa=3186 the account was locked] shortly after reaching the $20,000 mark. Check the above link to the SA front page for Richard Kyanka s take on this turn of events.
= External links =
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