Scientology-tagged posts averaged 82 comments in 2006.

April 26, 2006 11:24 AM

MetaScientologyFilter. A brief analysis of the number of comments per post with various tags yields the following: Bush is a surefire way to get comments, with an average of 76 comments per post tagged with the President's name, followed by the oft-maligned Newsfilter tag, with 75.6 comments per post. They both beat sex (64.8), video (30.9), and the big loser, art (21.3). But all must bow before Scientology (82). [more inside]
posted by blahblahblah to MetaFilter-related at 11:24 AM (51 comments total)

Scientology.
posted by brownpau at 11:26 AM on April 26, 2006

I would argue that the Newsfilter tag is not nearly so oft-maligned as newsfilter itself.
posted by cortex at 11:26 AM on April 26, 2006

Religion as a whole averages 47.5 comments per thread, Judaism specifically 37.2, Christianity 38.1, and Islam 55. Advertising is almost as good as Islam, with 50.8, animination gets 32.2, Google 30.1, and funny 25.5.

Methodology: I just averaged the comments for the most recent ten posts for each tag. I may have made some mistakes.
posted by blahblahblah at 11:27 AM on April 26, 2006

But what does this mean?
posted by OmieWise at 11:36 AM on April 26, 2006

It means that there's always someone who will argue that all relgions are as equally corrupt as Scientology and hold this dumbass position until the thread swells and bursts, spilling thread thetans everywhere.
posted by sonofsamiam at 11:38 AM on April 26, 2006

What, no graphs? I WAS TOLD THERE WOULD BE SCIENCE HERE.

No tables of excel data even? SHOW ME YOUR DATA, WOOOOO!
posted by mathowie at 11:39 AM on April 26, 2006

Is Matt drunk?
posted by interrobang at 11:41 AM on April 26, 2006

Why the most recent ten posts? Why not lifetime?
posted by empath at 11:41 AM on April 26, 2006

Because that would be too hard, duh.
posted by interrobang at 11:43 AM on April 26, 2006

I have graphs and Excel data, damn it. I even started to do some data summary tables with standard deviations and such before I decided that I was being a bit, um, insane. And, as for lifetime stats, well, I did this by hand, so you will have to do it yourself.

Just tell me how to upload an Excel file and graph, and I am happy to do it... if you are in to that sort of thing.
posted by blahblahblah at 11:43 AM on April 26, 2006

Ice cream threads average 57 threads (and growing as we speak), so I guess that puts it in third place behind Scientology and sex. Ice cream just barely beats Islam.
posted by mullacc at 11:47 AM on April 26, 2006

er, 57 comments.
posted by mullacc at 11:47 AM on April 26, 2006

Evolution gets 80.9, per my count.
posted by Gyan at 11:48 AM on April 26, 2006

Whoops, I missed Bush (and I'm not counting newsfilter). That pushes ice cream down to 4th.
posted by mullacc at 11:49 AM on April 26, 2006

This is an interesting analysis. Might it be possible to get the numbers of comments in each thread added to the tag pages to make this a little easier?</research nerd>
posted by aaronetc at 11:50 AM on April 26, 2006

And we have the winner..

'abortion' with 139.2.
posted by Gyan at 11:51 AM on April 26, 2006

Poland 15.5
posted by fleacircus at 11:52 AM on April 26, 2006

And for some more fun, by person:

mathowie: 34.1
OmieWise: 19.1
languagehat: 24.2
y2karl: 71.1

...interesting...
posted by blahblahblah at 11:53 AM on April 26, 2006

The crazy thing is that blahblahblah is a sock puppet for mathowie, he's actually drunk and arguing with himself!
posted by blue_beetle at 11:53 AM on April 26, 2006

But what does this mean?

It means that a lot of people on Metafilter are angry about religion in one capacity or another, and they're especially upset about Scientology.

Duuh. (Teasing).

Given that any halfway intelligent person with even a cursory knowledge of Scientology will come to the same conclusion as the majority of Metafilter - whereas I've met highly intelligent fundamentalist Christians and far-right secular conservatives - it is clear that Metafilter as a whole is completely in the right here. Let's all commence patting ourselves on the back for having an IQ above room temperature.
posted by Ryvar at 11:53 AM on April 26, 2006

For the record, I average 38.8 over my last 10 posts, so I am actually better than mathowie, blue_beetle!

(If only I hadn't done that damn boring bunny post, the 7 comments really pulled down my average)
posted by blahblahblah at 11:57 AM on April 26, 2006

blahblahblah writes "And for some more fun, by person:

Wait, seriously, what are those per user numbers measuring?
posted by OmieWise at 12:00 PM on April 26, 2006

Omiewise, it is the average number of comments per post over the last 10 posts by that person. Again, sorry if I made any mistakes.

And I realize that people might be confused when I said I was better than mathowie, and I don't want to cause offense. I meant I was better as a human being, not because I had more comments, on average, per post.
posted by blahblahblah at 12:03 PM on April 26, 2006

Wow. My last 10 posts average 81.9 comments. I can buy and sell you blahblahblah.
posted by loquax at 12:04 PM on April 26, 2006

loquax, I only need another 433 comments on my most recent post in order to beat you, so don't count your chickens yet.

It could happen.
posted by blahblahblah at 12:10 PM on April 26, 2006

Citizens demand histograms. And pivot charts.
posted by boo_radley at 12:27 PM on April 26, 2006

never liked histograms
posted by edgeways at 12:40 PM on April 26, 2006

You have no idea how hot these sorts of numbers make me.

Seriously. Admission? At one point I downloaded metatalk threads 1-10,000 for analysis. (Which is to say, considerably less than 10K metatalk threads -- that process netted a great big pile of AskMe threads, which some will recall shared thread-id space with MeTa for a while. And there were some deleted MeTa threads as well.)

I never really followed through with my project—other distractions arose—but, well, it was pretty fun. Reading through the hapax legomena was fascinating (and revealed all sorts of edge-case problems with my naive parser).
posted by cortex at 12:46 PM on April 26, 2006

I know we're just having fun here, but for any newbies/harvardians who might be reading this: comments != interestingness.
posted by If I Had An Anus at 12:57 PM on April 26, 2006

Hey, you I resemble that remark.
posted by OmieWise at 1:02 PM on April 26, 2006

Dios Metatalk Posts = 151.4 comments.


You can't touch this.
posted by dios at 1:19 PM on April 26, 2006

*highfive*
posted by cortex at 1:33 PM on April 26, 2006

Newsfilter: Scientology To Offer Free Abortions

Now that would get people talking.
posted by Fuzzy Monster at 1:35 PM on April 26, 2006

Think about the panic that we'd get from "Scientology To Offer Free Abortions, free ice cream"
posted by boo_radley at 1:39 PM on April 26, 2006

posted by Hat Maui at 1:43 PM on April 26, 2006

Don't Hurt 'Em!
posted by sonofsamiam at 1:44 PM on April 26, 2006

I think if you check the atheism tag, you'll find the real winner. Unbelief trumps all! (About 140.05 for the last 10 posts.)
posted by maryh at 1:45 PM on April 26, 2006

I am sure that comments don't necessarily equal interestingness of post, because I am averaging 70 comments over my last ten, and that includes several things that even I consider pretty boring, and I posted them.

On a mostly unrelated note, what is the consensus on the postability of adult swim fix? I just found out about it today, but apparently it launched March 27th, and it was posted to digg 71 days ago. I searched, and it hasn't been on MeFi, and (like I said) I didn't know about it, but would want to and am glad that I now do. I don't correspond with any Mefites to get private e-mail advice from, so I thought those populating this thread might advise me. Sorry to hijack.
posted by ND¢ at 1:46 PM on April 26, 2006

I'd post it. In fact, I just might if I don't see you do it.
posted by boo_radley at 1:54 PM on April 26, 2006

If it's good enough for digg, ok.
posted by puke & cry at 1:55 PM on April 26, 2006

Circumcision, 109.4.
posted by sellout at 2:00 PM on April 26, 2006

If Dios ever posts "'Scientology To Offer Free Abortions, free ice cream' says Bush", the site will go down.
posted by davejay at 2:11 PM on April 26, 2006

Posts tagged with "herman melville" are averaging 22 comments! Who woulda thunk it?
posted by marxchivist at 2:25 PM on April 26, 2006

Crafty thetans.
posted by ninjew at 2:52 PM on April 26, 2006

Stop! You're enturbulating me!
posted by adamgreenfield at 3:06 PM on April 26, 2006

If Dios ever posts "'Scientology To Offer Free Abortions, free ice cream with mushrooms' says Bush", the rapture will occur.
posted by patricio at 4:05 PM on April 26, 2006

"Scientology offers free abortions, says Bush after circumsizing Dios"
posted by Afroblanco at 9:45 PM on April 26, 2006

Posts tagged with "Killwhitie" average 177 comments.

fyi.
posted by dersins at 10:21 PM on April 26, 2006

Newsfilter: President Bush publicly backs Scientology in offering free abortions, Cold Stone Creamery ice cream, and circumcision under a new faith-based charity. If ever there has been a time for atheists to band together and shout, "Kill Whitey!" this would be it.

posted by dios at 4:20PM EST


I win.
posted by Ryvar at 11:52 PM on April 26, 2006

Your forgetting declawing kittens.

Tsk. And to think you thought you were quoting SCIENCE.
posted by Astro Zombie at 6:47 AM on April 27, 2006

Math is hard. Let's bake cookies for the boys!
posted by WinnipegDragon at 1:47 PM on April 27, 2006