Let the OP to close their own AskMe thread?

December 21, 2005 9:53 PM

JustAnIdeaFilter: The option for the OP to close their own AskMe thread upon choosing one or more posts as best answer.
posted by sjvilla79 to Feature Requests at 9:53 PM (18 comments total)

A good example of this is with my latest AskMe thread. It has been resolved rather quickly and thus I have chosen a best answer (one was enough in this case). I am also not expecting more valued contributions to the thread because of the post's subject matter and its likeliness to cause further replies based on ethics and not the basis of my original question. Yes, I know I was kind of asking for these kind of replies based on the scope of my question and perhaps I should have made my intentions clearer to begin with. But surely this is as good a case as any where a user closing a thread would be a good thing. I'm thinking to save argument, bandwidth, members' time, and so on.
posted by sjvilla79 at 9:55 PM on December 21, 2005

Doesn't seem like a terrible idea to me. But I'm sure someone will have a problem with it.
posted by fenriq at 10:02 PM on December 21, 2005

And, after reading it, to save getting whacked around for an unethical inquiry?
posted by fenriq at 10:13 PM on December 21, 2005

I don't think it's a bad idea but I'll play DA for fenriq's sake and propose that it's not really needed. I'd rather threads just stay open until they die, in keeping with the intention of this being a community-oriented service rather than a service for the OP's convenience.

It kind of strikes me as a Lite version of being able to edit comments (an obviously bad idea). Not sure why, to be honest.
posted by kcm at 10:13 PM on December 21, 2005

...to save getting whacked around for an unethical inquiry?

A little from column A and a little from column B. Although I figure any whacking would be done via MeTa and not derails on my thread.
posted by sjvilla79 at 10:18 PM on December 21, 2005

Don't want to take the heat, do ya? Did you tell your momma you are helping college kids to cheat? Santa isn't going to bring you nice toys this year, is he?

OK, kidding aside, this idea stinks. If AskMe was email and just for you, and only you, then fine. However, AskMe is for everyone. You make an inquiry and many others find value in the answers. You may be satisfied in your answer in how to help some snot nosed brat cheat on his paper, or more likely get caught doing it, but the rest of us may want more info to increase our academic fraud profit margins. Who are you to staunch the flow of such information?
posted by caddis at 10:41 PM on December 21, 2005

What caddis said. AskMe is a resource for other users, not just the original poster. For example, I asked a question which garnered preciously no responses. I've been going back and answering the question from my own research so the next person to search the archives with the same question can have it answered.

And, yes, I marked my own answer best. That's on account of I'm a smartass.

And selling term papers is crap. Maybe medical transcription is a better line of work?
posted by stet at 10:48 PM on December 21, 2005

Oh, you mean you didn't plan for a whacking here and a whacking there and a whacking everywhere? Uh oh.

stet, admirable and a wisecracker at the same time. Nice!
posted by fenriq at 10:52 PM on December 21, 2005

Yup. MetaFilter is a community website, and AskMe is a community resource. It's not a dumb idea, but it's a bad idea.
posted by cribcage at 10:57 PM on December 21, 2005

Yep, bad idea. You post to AskMe, AskMe 'owns' the thread. Not you.
posted by mediareport at 11:27 PM on December 21, 2005

I love you guys.
posted by sjvilla79 at 12:34 AM on December 22, 2005

troll
posted by johnny novak at 4:11 AM on December 22, 2005

this idea stinks.

What he said. Just in case you needed confirmation.
posted by languagehat at 5:53 AM on December 22, 2005

sjvilla79 : "Although I figure any whacking would be done via MeTa and not derails on my thread."

LIke that, "my thread". Can I have one or two, too? What mediareport said.
posted by nkyad at 6:06 AM on December 22, 2005

Agreed, bad idea. Not least because often you'll read a thread where the first fifteen responses are loosely-cast-about vague recollections or hunches, only to be followed by a single, smart, definitive post from someone with expertise in the area. I shudder to think how many threads would be closed prematurely just because the Asker got impatient and decided the first fifteen inedequate answers were satisfying, thus depriving the rest of the community (and him or herself) of the definitive answer.
posted by Miko at 7:04 AM on December 22, 2005

It's a bad idea as it would cut down on answers being useful to everyone instead of just the user. In threads where the user posts a question that the majority disagrees with, I could see the poster closing the thread quickly even though as time passes more diverse voices might jump in.
posted by drezdn at 8:07 AM on December 22, 2005

Premature closing isn't going to be any better just because it's not Matt doing it.
posted by Mitheral at 10:15 AM on December 22, 2005

I'm closing this thread in my mind. You should try it some time and quit trying to control other peoples behavior.
posted by Mr T at 11:56 AM on December 22, 2005