If there's one thing that's always bothered me about message boards on the internet, it's the amount of unnecessary comments that end up on them. You know the ones; as you get further and further down the screen, the comments get less and less relevant, before eventually turning into a conversation about plans for the following night of partying. Ultimately, I think that the message board was originally created in an effort to allow two-way communication from a website to a person. Since I'm being given a space to rant about anything of interest, I'm now going to take this time to dive deep into the topic of message boards and how much I hate them.

What's really the point of the message board anyways?  If I'm not mistaken, they were meant for visitors to leave comments on the article, picture, or video that's above them on the website. Whatever though, I guess there really aren't any guidelines on how, or what, to actually base your post on, and maybe that's a good thing. After many years of frustrating research, I've come to the conclusion that there are three very different types of people when it comes to message boards.

First off, you have the people that honestly care about the post itself. These people are far and few between and usually end up being fans and/or friends of the person who wrote the information within the specific post. Next up, we have the little kids that strive on getting the first post on every message board. Like a vampire on its victim, once they sink their post into the message board, they are done and leave the scene. Finally we have one of my favorites: the haters. This type of poster usually posts out of jealousy, never leaves their real name, and is usually fueled by never actually making it as a skateboarder or snowboarder. 

Honestly, I could go on ranting about random things that I hate on the internet, but instead I'm going to point you towards a few websites that are filled with highly active message boards.

Slap: This is one of the most legit message boards in skateboarding, and gets tons of action on all types of conversations. My personal favorite was the Brian Wheery versus Wade Desarmo forum that had the internet going nuts. The "Tatttered Ten" interview that Wade did with Color Magazine certainly got people talking about their feelings towards him; I think people actually thought Wade was serious about what he said. Track down a copy for yourself and you'll know what I mean.

Wade Desarmo. Caissie sequence.

Skatenewspot: Vancouver's very own hate board. This isn't really a message board at all, but rather a series of comments on whatever is posted on the site's main page. While some people seem to comment on a regular basis about the actual content on the site, there seems to be a lot kids, and few skaters in their mid-20s, running their mouths about how Vancouver is the best and how "wack" people should stay out of the skate plaza. Don't get me wrong: the website is great, but a lot of the comments that get posted are about as nutritional for you mind as McDonalds is for your body.

Skaters Inc.: Toronto's very own hate board. In my mind, this is one of Canada's most legit message boards. By visiting this website and clicking through the forums, you'll be exposed to Toronto skaters hating on everything from the latest skate video teasers, people's promo vids, sponsors, and the newest photos inside your favorite skate mags. It's non-stop, 24-7 on this site. Just don't take it too seriously.

If you're going to leave a comment on a message board, you might as well leave you name and number if you're serious about what you're typing. If someone really wants to find out who you are, the technology exists to find out where you're writing these messages from. Believe me, it's been done before! Whether you're someone who actually wants to leave a positive comment, or you're someone that wants to hate for no reason at all, message boards are definitely the place to speak your mind.  Don't believe me? Do yourself a favor and check out the message boards that were mentioned above; you won't be let down. And if you do post a comment, take a minute to consider which of the three categories you fit into, ‘cause I guarantee it'll be one of them.

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Related:
Open House: Skatenewspot
Is Vert Dead? A Personal Rant