My Own 100HB Article

Since we weren't sure when the DU was planning to run an article about the 100 Hour Board, I decided to write my own. Now we found out that someone is going to write one on Monday. I hope said article won't be five kinds of lame like the last article that was written about us. At any rate, I decided to "publish" the one I wrote anyway.

Ever had a burning question you wish someone would answer right away? Better yet, what if that service were free? BYU is fortunate to have such a service in its hyperspace. Next time you have a question you need answered—provided it isn’t your homework—check out the 100 Hour Board at theboard.byu.edu.

The Board is a BYU online question-and-answer forum consisting of volunteer students who answer any question they are asked within 100 hours. Students can ask questions anonymously on any topic—from relationships to gospel questions. The Board’s general policy is to ask a silly question, get a silly answer, but they also entertain questions of a serious nature as well.

The Board has been in campus existence since circa 1995, but no one ever imagined that the Board would become the popular venture that it is today. It is a place to learn the history of the billboard, how many pages a single Word document will hold, how many Otter-Pops will fit in the Marriott Center, how to sign up for an intramural athletic team, and how to get a locker on campus. It's funny, friendly, and fascinating.

Board writers are students just like the rest of us. They walk among you across campus and maybe you’ve sat by one in your Biology class. But not anyone can join the Board. Board editors require a rigorous application process that only the dedicated can withstand. “We got our positions by being amazingly adept at answering questions with grace and style and irony and sarcasm,” said the Guru of Time, a previous member of the 100 Hour Board. “But we are always pleasant. And attractive. And none of us are professors.”

Those students who have previously known of the Board know that it has recently bounced around campus departments, but now The Daily Universe is pleased to host this campus forum through its parent company, NewsNet. “I’ve been reading the Board for years and I believe we are the right home for it,” said Robb Hicken, Managing Director for the Daily Universe.

The Board will also be featured in the opinion column every Friday. And if you like what you read, there’s always more on the web site.