Dead MeFi threads

January 25, 2006 4:03 PM

How and under what circumstances do MeFi threads die or become deleted?

Perhaps this is an FAQ and someone can point out an existing answer, but a week or so ago, I posted a comment on a thread I found on the front page, and about an hour later found to be missing from the front page.

There is still a link to the thread in my personal comment history, but it seems otherwise publicly inaccessible.

Also, many of the comments in the thread indicated that the posters fully expected the thread to be deleted and that they were jockeying for "last post".

I've read most if not all the introductory matter here, but I don't remember seeing anything that covered this.
posted by hwestiii to MetaFilter-related at 4:03 PM (37 comments total)

I will apologize in advance for not answering the question directly. But there is a discussion about thread and comment deletions several times a week in Metatalk. You have also noticed a bug which has been noted before.

Go back through Metatalk, read a few threads.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:09 PM on January 25, 2006

Depends on which way the wind is blowing. But I wouldn't obsess too much on it if I were you. To most people around here, having your message deleted is more of a badge of honor than anything else. And we all have very, very short memories. Unless you're a total dipshit, we forgive and forget.
posted by crunchland at 4:10 PM on January 25, 2006

When a thread gets deleted, the reason why is listed under the original post. In the case you're referring to, it reads:
This post was deleted for the following reason: post this as a comment in the previous thread.

Which means there was already a discussion about Woot! going on and no reason for another to be started.
posted by jrossi4r at 4:15 PM on January 25, 2006

There is still a link to the thread in my personal comment history, but it seems otherwise publicly inaccessible.

If you follow that link, you'll see at the top of that thread, the reason why it was deleted.

When people "sense" that a thread will be deleted, because they know it violates the guidelines (self-link, obscene, just stupid) they'll start messing around.
posted by vacapinta at 4:15 PM on January 25, 2006

hwestiii, when a thread breaks one (or more) of the rules for a good post, experienced users often guess it will be deleted soon. When it's deleted, there is an explanation at the top of the thread, which you should still be able to access through "my comments."

In this case, I assume (based on your posting history) that you're talking about the woot.com contest thread, which was deleted because there was already an open thread about woot.com in general.

I should also mention that there is a greasemonkey script by Plutor which allows you to view deleted threads on the front page. Looking at them (and the reasons for deletion) can be helpful in establishing what makes a particularly poor post.
posted by JMOZ at 4:18 PM on January 25, 2006

Threads get deleted and die when they suck.

After they die they burn forever in eternal hellfire.

Without the need for life nor sleep nor breath, the screaming never ends.
posted by loquacious at 4:20 PM on January 25, 2006

OK, then what's the accepted life-span of a thread or is that also open to interpretation? When can an existing thread be said to have run its course, making way for a thread on a similar topic to thrive unmolested?

I've got to think most people won't go back more than a day or two for older material.
posted by hwestiii at 4:30 PM on January 25, 2006

Which means there was already a discussion about Woot! going on

Oh, come on. You can never discuss Woot! enough.

(someone needs to create a consumer product-preferably a household cleaner-called Woot!)
posted by jonmc at 4:39 PM on January 25, 2006

For the deleted thread:


.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 4:41 PM on January 25, 2006

Mr. Crash Davis, I don't know what the dot means, but rather than derail this thread I think I'll start a new one to ask.
posted by S.C. at 4:44 PM on January 25, 2006

That was an extremely moving moment , crash.
posted by sgt.serenity at 4:44 PM on January 25, 2006

It was nothing; you should see his momentous movements.
posted by yhbc at 5:16 PM on January 25, 2006

When can an existing thread be said to have run its course, making way for a thread on a similar topic to thrive unmolested?

"Unmolested" is a pretty high bar. If you're talking about posting the same link, maybe wait, oh, 4 years or so?
posted by catachresoid at 5:23 PM on January 25, 2006

No thread goes unmolested here, I regret to say.

W00t!
posted by languagehat at 5:27 PM on January 25, 2006

Time has no price.
posted by Frasermoo at 5:37 PM on January 25, 2006

last comment before deletion
posted by blag at 5:52 PM on January 25, 2006

I remain unmolested. You bastards.
posted by loquacious at 5:53 PM on January 25, 2006

On the subject of deleted threads I thought ask deletes got explainations now instead of just disappearing. What happened here?
posted by Mitheral at 5:56 PM on January 25, 2006

I've found that it takes some really hard work, large amounts of vodka and some precognitive timing to get deleted. Don't even ask about Banination! (still working on that one)
posted by snsranch at 6:08 PM on January 25, 2006

Can anyone link me that greasemonkey script?
posted by graventy at 6:09 PM on January 25, 2006

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=greasemonkey&btnG=Google+Search
posted by mischief at 6:12 PM on January 25, 2006

I thought ask deletes got explainations now instead of just disappearing. What happened here?

I have no idea, maybe matt does.

hwestiii, usually if there is an open thread appearing on the front page (which is a variable length for people deppending on settings but is usually about the last three days) on a very similar topic, new posts on the topic may be closed. If you still have the thread bookmarked, as others have said, you'll be able to see the thread up until the point it was closed.

The three parts of Metafilter have slightly different ways of handling this. MetaFilter threads and AskMetafilter threads get "removed" but are still visible in the way people describe, where the reason for deletion is posted. MetaTalk threads can be deleted (rarely) or closed which means people cannot add new comments, but the thread still shows up on the main page of MetaTalk.

There is a MetaFilter wiki which has even more information than what's on the site here. It's maintained by all the MeFi members, not just mathowie. If you have more questions, ask here or feel free to drop me an email or IM, I'm a secondary admin here.
posted by jessamyn at 6:15 PM on January 25, 2006

mischief : "http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=greasemonkey&btnG=Google+Search"

Thanks, smartass. I got off my lazy butt enough to find out that it would be here, if it weren't...down, or gone, or something.
posted by graventy at 7:09 PM on January 25, 2006

See this thread.
posted by snsranch at 7:24 PM on January 25, 2006

I meant this thread.
posted by snsranch at 7:27 PM on January 25, 2006

heheh
posted by mischief at 7:35 PM on January 25, 2006

catachresoid writes
"'Unmolested' is a pretty high bar. If you're talking about posting the same link, maybe wait, oh, 4 years or so?"

You know, I've heard people say things like this before, and I couldn't disagree more. I think that there are several factors that contribute to a sliding scale of acceptability on this, including but not limited to: nature of the content, whether there's been any change to the content since the original post, and most importantly the pervasiveness of the original meme. I've even heard people say that after a year it's fine. This simply isn't true. Some things may not ever be posted again, and offering figures like this is asking for trouble. Mark my words: If there ever comes a day when a flat statute of limitations on a double post is decided, either officially or by popular consensus, that will be the day that I post AYBABTU, Badger Badger and Timecube to the front page, just to make sure we all regret it.

Don't make me do it, folks. I ain't fuckin' around, here.
posted by shmegegge at 7:41 PM on January 25, 2006

I've had an idea for one of them wacky quiz meme dealies in my head for the last month or so:

Which reason for closing a MetaFilter thread are you?

Anybody care to suggest some classics?
posted by If I Had An Anus at 8:04 PM on January 25, 2006

If I Had An Anus, http://www.metafilter.com/mefi/22767
posted by Firas at 9:08 PM on January 25, 2006

This was awesome. More goodies can of course be gleaned from the results of a "This post was deleted for the following reason" search.
posted by Gator at 9:27 PM on January 25, 2006

Great idea, IIHAA. I'd like to maybe be /me shoots at interrupt, grazes an arm or I love my dead gay post, but I'm probably just kinda lame.
posted by taz at 2:07 AM on January 26, 2006

This post was deleted for the following reason:
posted by blag at 5:07 AM on January 26, 2006

When can an existing thread be said to have run its course, making way for a thread on a similar topic to thrive unmolested?I've got to think most people won't go back more than a day or two for older material.

There are two main reasons people post to Metafilter. One is universally accepted by the site's users; the other is controversial.

• The universally accepted reason for posting is to point out websites that are particularly interesting, useful, informative, and/or amusing. By this measure, once a website has been posted here, there's really no need to post it ever again, since it has already been brought to people's attention.

A possible exception might be if the website was posted a very long time ago and it has changed dramatically since it was last posted here. "A very long time" and "changed dramatically" are both subjective, of course, but "a very long time" is definitely MUCH longer than the 5 days since the last Woot post, and "changed dramatically" definitely involves more than just running a contest. (I'm not trying to be snarky here--just trying to give you a sense of what the unspoken and somewhat subjective consensus is on these things.)

• The controversial reason people post to Metafilter is to discuss the major political issues of the day. This practice is dismissively known as "Newsfilter." Many users (including me) tend to disapprove of Newsfilter front page posts, because because they usually involve linking to news article that is not uniquely interesting, useful, informative, or amusing, and because the discussion that follows is rarely any better than the article in question.

However, if you must post a Newsfilter item, you should check to see if there is a currently open thread on the same topic. Threads are open for 30 days, and if people are passionately interested in a topic, they will keep track of a thread (perhaps via the My Comments link at the top of every page.) If discussion is ongoing, you can get attention to your link by posting it there. If discussion has died out... well, that's probably a pretty good sign that people are tired of talking about it, and you don't need to post your comment at all.

In short:, even with a burning topic that you believe people are hungry to discuss, you probably shouldn't post if there has been a thread on the same subject within the past 30 days...and with a topic like Woot.com, which is not searing a hole in the depths of all mankind's soul, you probably don't need to repost it at all, ever.
posted by yankeefog at 6:32 AM on January 26, 2006

Anus, this is a great idea. There's some gems hidden away in there. I'll put together a list.

This post was deleted for the following reason: It's a blog entry by a guy who just figured out you can make popcorn without a microwave.
posted by blag at 7:14 AM on January 26, 2006

deleted previously.
fuck zell miller.
omg indeed.
oh man
I dunno if this quite makes the "interesting" cut
billing problems aren't really front page post material
This is the antipost
already posted (and this is fucking stupid)
Fuck this post. Fuck it.
nice self-link, jerkass
jesus christ that was stupid
It's a blog entry by a guy who just figured out you can make popcorn without a microwave.
we covered this ground on saturday
not really mefi worthy at the moment
I think you need to read up on this "metafilter" site you are a part of
the first rule of MeFight Club is DON'T LINK TO YOUR SITE FROM MeFIGHT CLUB!
dead posts tell no tales, but they do link to earlier tales
too newsy nichey
troutfishing needs a blog
uhhh... and ...
No need for a steve bashing
I am r00t. ph34r m3 luz3r. you're p0st suxx0rs. you R 0wnzered.
this is old news, and kinda lame to just point at people with dead babies and say "ewwwwww!"
worst formatting EVAR
dude, this is so a personal blog entry
dang, months old
jesus jumped up christ.
This is a post?
suspect phrasing.
"A good post to MetaFilter is something that meets the following criteria: most people haven't seen it before"
deleted for the WTF? aspect, but using the words "hat tip" should be a paddlin'
it's treason to double-post
"I'm sorry for posting this. It should be deleted...."
double-ish lame applefilter post
this is purely a wanker post, and the MI admits as much
eight word post, one of them your own username? wtf?
haw-haw
what a joke of a post
huh, turns out that metatalk jokes aren't that funny in metafilter
double plus bad self link post
OMFG, THIS POST WAS MADE FROM A VIEWPOINT.COM IP ADDRESS
a big fat lemon of a post
I love my dead gay post
Can someone get hypocritical ross a library pass?
Note to postroad: don't post links to Debka ever again
"how to pirate warez" ain't such a good post, also, tired racist jokes are less funny than they once were
put down the bong and step away from the post (thread posted by If I Had An Anus)
fine for your own blog, but not metafilter
teh lamerz
go into the metafilter timeout corner and think about what you did.
Keanu says whoa, I just had deja vu
contain it, yo!
christ please save salminen from the HAMMER OF DEATH!!1!!!
So not awesome
God told me to remove this post about this attention whore that uses his name in vain
dude. lame.
I have no idea what's going on... and don't forget to bring a towel
Blue Stone is such a 'tard sometimes
Who the fuck CARES?
don't give the god hates fags asshat the attention he craves.
"Fuck. Google search sucks. Sorry guys."
older threads called, they want their post back
posted nine hundred and eleven times already
aw, my first deletion. It's like taking those first turns of the winter in deep, deep powder.
this might eventually be a good site. it is not currently a good site.
deleting threads is hard work
stupid coldfusion
no, just no.

posted by blag at 7:55 AM on January 26, 2006 [1 favorite]

Thanks for the suggestions, blag and everybody.
posted by If I Had An Anus at 8:03 AM on January 26, 2006

Well, thanks for all the comments and snark. I guess my big take-away from this is that the MeFi ethos tends to view threads as more enduring and less throw-away than most other places.

Perhaps if Slashdot charged $5 admission, it might be worth reading too.
posted by hwestiii at 7:17 PM on January 26, 2006