Request: first post and new commenter indicators

July 15, 2006 5:20 PM

How about a subtle indicator of first posts and new commenters? I think I mentioned this before in the comments to a thread, but as long as we're all on the Pony Express and there's no contentious threads on the blue, this seems like the time to bring it up properly. [more inside]
posted by spiderwire to feature requests at 5:20 PM (33 comments total)

One thing that I've always liked about the MeFi layout is the subtleties that mathowie's managed to work into the basic UI. Posts are clean on the front page, but in the threads we get a lot of nice, intuitive, yet unintrusive info/options right up there with the post -- the flag [!] button, and recently the faves button.

Something I've wanted to see for a while was a flag up there indicating a 1st post. Something unobtrusive and non-linked, like an [N] that members would recognize but that wouldn't throw off people visiting the site for the first time. And of course, given the relative infrequency of first posts, it wouldn't show up to often.

I mention it because (a) I think it's been established that many of the problematic posts on the blue (selflinks, etc) are by first-time posters, and the heads-up would be nice, and (b) Many users are apprehensive about their first-time posts, and I know that there's been times when I wished that I'd known that it was their first post, or I might have been a little more, um, supportive and constructive, rather than treating it like any old post. Of course, that might be a failing of mine, but it doesn't change the fact that it would, IMO, make the community more palatable for new members.

Another option would be having [1st], [2nd], [3rd], etc -- but I think it's clear that doing this beyond, say, [5th] would constitute a sort of seniority filter. After a few posts I'd think that you'd want the indicator to disappear.

Anyway. That's just something I wanted to suggest. In conclusion, I like ponies.
posted by spiderwire at 5:20 PM on July 15, 2006

I like the [N] idea, but definitely not the numbers. If you want that, you can click the link to the poster's profile. However, I don't see it as necessary, and I'd be worried about the clutter it would add to what you point out is a very clean UI.
posted by voltairemodern at 5:36 PM on July 15, 2006

A first post that feels like a first outs itself—any other specimen doesn't need that sort of attention.
posted by cortex at 5:49 PM on July 15, 2006

Besides what cortex said, flagging first posts with a bullseye or a "kick me" sign would achieve the same results.
posted by loquacious at 5:53 PM on July 15, 2006

Acting like a tourist is a great way to get treated like one.

In other words, announcing that you're new and that this is your first post is a great way to draw attention to something that you probably don't want attention drawn to.
posted by Gator at 5:59 PM on July 15, 2006

Errr, maybe I'm just more of a softie than the rest of the community, but I felt like a "first post" flag would be the opposite of an incitement to vitriol. I try to be nice to newbies. My experience is that people are generally helpful about first posts, but I could be wrong.

I was thinking more about posts that are middle-of-the-road and about posts that are clean, but selflinked etc., rather than clearly horrible posts. There have certainly been middling posts that I would have rather been nice about before I ripped on them and someone started saying "I'm sorry, this is my first post, I didn't know," cause then I just feel guilty.

I guess as long as we're in pony territory, we could just have the '[N]' not show up on quonsar's account.

I'd be worried about the clutter it would add to what you point out is a very clean UI.

Well, it wouldn't, in theory, show up at all on posts that weren't first posts, so it wouldn't really impact the UI.

If nothing else, this might be something to add to the admin interface? It might make your flagging job easier if you don't have something like this already, Matt. :)
posted by spiderwire at 6:19 PM on July 15, 2006

If it seems like a first post, I always just look at the posting stats in the OP's profile. It it doesn't seem like a first post, even though it is, there is no reason to out it as such.

Also, what about people who have been around for a while and commented, but never found anything post-worthy to contribute? When I finally make a post on the blue, I dont want to be pinned with a scarlet N.
posted by necessitas at 6:29 PM on July 15, 2006

If you want new members to have an easier time here, we can't do this because it draws more attention to their very first forays into the site, not less.

Ideally, new users should have every opportunity to fit and make a few mistakes along the way, but increasing the scrutiny on them would make the problem worse, not better.

If the goal is to prevent self-links or sub-standard posts, I could put first front page posts into an approval queue before they go live onto the site, in order to give one quick review to make sure they're on the up and up. But I don't think the problems of first posters are that bad (self-links seem to be way down since Projects has launched and gained some momentum).
posted by mathowie at 6:40 PM on July 15, 2006

Pony request denied!

thanks for indulging, though, matt
posted by spiderwire at 6:41 PM on July 15, 2006

∞ ‰ ℵ ≈

Or somesuch nonsense?
posted by blue_beetle at 7:07 PM on July 15, 2006

I guess as long as we're in pony territory, we could just have the '[N]' not show up on quonsar's account.

quonsar's a big softy. Really. He snarks because he cares.

And maybe I'm just jaded or something but people aren't all that terrible here. Snarky? Sure. Vicious? Hardly. I regularly see much worse behavior outside the gates of this near-paradise.
posted by loquacious at 7:08 PM on July 15, 2006

Why don't we make member's posts blink until they've been here for two years? That'll teach em.
posted by allen.spaulding at 7:11 PM on July 15, 2006

How about a caret as a first post indicator?
posted by bigmusic at 7:14 PM on July 15, 2006

Dammit, necessitas beat me to the scarlet letter joke.
posted by Johnny Assay at 7:15 PM on July 15, 2006

And maybe I'm just jaded or something but people aren't all that terrible here. Snarky? Sure. Vicious? Hardly.

I don't disagree with you loquacious but it's fairly instructive seeing the occasional comment from both new and old members about their reservations/phobias for making a front page post. I think there is actually quite a bit of fear out there and I'm sure some people see that as a good thing. I think we probably lose out on seeing some odd/wonderful stuff.
posted by peacay at 7:21 PM on July 15, 2006

Don't make me go MeFi on you.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 7:27 PM on July 15, 2006

mathowie : "If you want new members to have an easier time here, we can't do this because it draws more attention to their very first forays into the site, not less."

I'm pretty sure spiderwire understands that, he just sees the community differently than you or I. He thinks that drawing attention to a new member's posts will result, overall, in people being gentle. I think (and you apparently agree) that while it will have that effect for some, overall it would result in people being mean.
posted by Bugbread at 7:33 PM on July 15, 2006

You mean the daily security reports and affidavits we get on the movements and activities of all users, especially the noobies, isn't enough for you?
posted by crunchland at 7:37 PM on July 15, 2006

Gotta get up pretty early in the morning to beat me to the scarlet letter joke, johnny assay.
posted by necessitas at 7:38 PM on July 15, 2006

I don't disagree with you loquacious but it's fairly instructive seeing the occasional comment from both new and old members about their reservations/phobias for making a front page post.

I can agree with that. I remember how deliciously terrified I was to even make my first comment here, much less my first post. "OMG, what if all those bright, snarky people rip me a new oriface? What if they rip me dozens of new orifaces!?".

I dunno. I hope it raises the bar. I encourage people to post, often. "Look, it's easy. Find something you really like that hasn't been posted before. Post it. The post and those words and their words aren't you if you don't want them to be. It's not like they have Taser-over-IP yet. Go for it."

Anyway, I have no idea. I just wish I could still be so easily thrilled. I think I need to invent a new extreme sport or something, like maybe mountain-unicycle fire-dodgeball or cliffhumping or something.
posted by loquacious at 7:39 PM on July 15, 2006

Ooo. I got it! It's a fantasic idea! Abso-fucking-lutely spledor-riffic! Extremely-inappropriate hyphenation-ball! For every single extremely-inappropriate hyphenation, I punch myself in the junk with a bowling-ball! I'm a-gonna get started right-fucking-now!

*ooooooof. please. call. ambulance.*
posted by loquacious at 7:43 PM on July 15, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

Ahhh, it was worth it just to read that.
posted by spiderwire at 8:04 PM on July 15, 2006

This is my first ever post. You can tell, because my choice of words indicates a huge, irresistable, utterly compelling desire to pork you up the shitter until colonic blood and butt mucus backs right the fuck up all the way into your worthless slut oesophagus and you end up garglespewing throat snot and sinus boogers all over my imperial rod of ecstacy.

The way to avoid this horrific fate is to post an arsecrawlingly sacklicking piece of egregious shitwank detailing some OMG-I-can't-believe-how-cuntpissingly-trivial-you-are NOTHING about ooooooooh my God maybe we should do something a bit Christingly unimportant on a fucking website I like, so that at least I get to post something and to squeeze a sad sultana of stale semen out of my 20-30-year old trouserpuppy. Uh. Uh. UH, you fucking bitch. Take it.

Oh wait! I see you already did that! Never mind!
posted by Decani at 8:38 PM on July 15, 2006 [2 favorites has favorites]

Holy crap. Did you just go Mefi on Mefi?
posted by loquacious at 9:15 PM on July 15, 2006

EVERYONE LOOK AT MY WEENIE
posted by quonsar at 9:57 PM on July 15, 2006

I can't see it.

Wait, is that it? In amongst all the fishies?
posted by The Monkey at 3:42 AM on July 16, 2006

Oh my god. Penisfish. You might wan to get that looked at. I mean, by a professional. No, a medical professional.
posted by loquacious at 8:31 AM on July 16, 2006

If only to have that fishhook removed.
posted by crunchland at 10:09 AM on July 16, 2006

so you don't get your lips caught on it again.
posted by quonsar at 10:33 AM on July 16, 2006

Honey ... EVERY post is a First Post.

All my men believe that.
posted by Surfurrus at 11:06 AM on July 16, 2006

quonsar's chumming. I think we oughta inspect his line for contraband multihook jiglines.
posted by loquacious at 11:56 AM on July 16, 2006

How about an [L] indicating the last post of a user who has been banned?
posted by brain_drain at 1:04 PM on July 16, 2006

so that would mean ... quonsar [L][L][L][L][L][L][L]?
posted by crunchland at 9:14 PM on July 16, 2006