August 15, 2006

7:24 AM

Just a thought about one link posts: Maybe people could save them until they had at least two or three, then posted all at once as say "OneLinkFilter: X, Y, Z" or "YouTubeFilter: X, Y, Z". Others could then emply their one link pile into the comments. Doing this might give the admins more freedom to delete one link posts which were covered as mere comments previously and don't generate much new chat. Other ideas like "YouTube friday" might require too much organisation.
posted by jeffburdges to etiquette/policy at 7:24 AM (52 comments total)

There's nothing wrong with posts that only have one link. It's posts that only have one link and that suck that we need to eliminate!
posted by majick at 7:25 AM on August 15, 2006

The pressures between "saving up good links" and "avoiding double-posts" are always going to be at odds. No one wants a post deleted because it's a dupe. If I wait until I have two or three more hilarious videos of cats falling off of horses, someone might single-link-post this one before me and get all the back-patting and fistwaving that should be mine. AND I CAN'T HAVE THAT.
posted by Plutor at 7:30 AM on August 15, 2006

People should stop apologizing for one-link posts. It shows a fundamental not-getting-it-ness.
posted by smackfu at 7:33 AM on August 15, 2006 [1 favorite]

Sorry for this no-link comment.
posted by chrisroberts at 7:38 AM on August 15, 2006

I admire your plucky spirit but no; I do not like this idea. Crunchland wouldn't post as often and I need my fix.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 7:39 AM on August 15, 2006

People should stop apologizing for one-link posts. It shows a fundamental not-getting-it-ness.

Quite. The last time this came up, someone suggested that the moratorium on single link op. ed. posts caused the widespread misapprehension that single links are verboten...

don't generate much new chat.

Irrelevant to a post's quality.
posted by jack_mo at 7:41 AM on August 15, 2006

There's nothing wrong with posts that only have one link. It's posts that only have one link and that suck that we need to eliminate!

Exactly.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 7:42 AM on August 15, 2006

Maybe people could save them until they had at least two or three

Where do people get this idea that a one link post is bad?

Check out the best of list. No shortage of one link posts there.
posted by justgary at 7:44 AM on August 15, 2006

One link posts are consistently the best posts on Mefi. Multi-link posts are frequently chock full of filler links.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 8:04 AM on August 15, 2006

There's nothing wrong with posts that only have one link. It's posts that only have one link and that suck [full stop] that we need to eliminate!
posted by edgeways at 8:06 AM on August 15, 2006

Why the one link post hate? If a site is interesting on its own post to it. Don't weigh down your post with less deserving crap. One link posts are often the best posts.
posted by caddis at 8:08 AM on August 15, 2006

Also, frequently the best posts, one link or not, don't generate much "chat." You might see a few praises and a few folks adding in some related links without much further discussion. You can not judge a post based on its lack of comments.
posted by caddis at 8:12 AM on August 15, 2006

Maybe we can tack this post on to one of the countless other "one-link post" metatalk threads.

One link posts are fine if the link doesn't suck. A bunch of crappy links still suck.
posted by chunking express at 8:21 AM on August 15, 2006

I wish people with multi-link posts would split them into single-link posts. Then maybe they'd never get as far as posting all the useless filler and we'd only see the interesting stuff.
posted by cillit bang at 8:24 AM on August 15, 2006

emply: please define (I am assuming typo) but I don't really understand what you're asking for: employ, imply?
posted by tellurian at 8:26 AM on August 15, 2006

Nothing wrong with one link posts. What we should get rid of are the Wikipedia filler links in multi-link posts.
posted by Devils Slide at 8:42 AM on August 15, 2006

Ban all links.
posted by peacay at 8:46 AM on August 15, 2006

Nonsense^ .
posted by dersins at 8:48 AM on August 15, 2006

emply == empty?
posted by Plutor at 8:49 AM on August 15, 2006

Last night I dreamed that there was a new page just for one link posts.

That is all.
posted by unknowncommand at 8:50 AM on August 15, 2006

Although I don't often make them, a good one link post is a thing of beauty. If I wanted to read all that shit I wouldn't use a metaFILTER. I hate the internet.
posted by OmieWise at 8:53 AM on August 15, 2006

Although I don't often make them, a good one link post is a thing of beauty.

Exactly. A good multi-link post is another thing of beauty. What sucks is someone using the blue as their soapbox, no matter how many links they use to do it.
posted by LarryC at 9:02 AM on August 15, 2006

smackfu writes "People should stop apologizing for one-link posts. It shows a fundamental not-getting-it-ness."

Yes.
posted by Mitheral at 9:04 AM on August 15, 2006

Dear jeffburdges,

Please bugger off.

Yours,

Dobbs
posted by dobbs at 9:10 AM on August 15, 2006

Multi-link posts are frequently chock full of filler links.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 11:04 AM EST on August 15 [+] [!]

As usual Pink and I think alike. In the Name of Guy Bee spare me from "fleshed out" posts that feature one interesting link plus:
an entry from wikipedia
an entry from the dictionary
a live journal entry
a two year old news item from the New York Times

I can actually google if I am so inclined.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 9:11 AM on August 15, 2006

No, because you really just want to chat about current events, and mefi is more about the links to interesting sites first, the interesting comments are secondary.
posted by mathowie at 6:41 PM MST on August 2 [+ 6] [!]
posted by blue_beetle at 9:13 AM on August 15, 2006

Plutor: I am intrigued with your idea for posts about cats falling off horses, and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
posted by blue_beetle at 9:15 AM on August 15, 2006

Cats falling off horses? I could read about that all day.
posted by boo_radley at 9:33 AM on August 15, 2006

Last night I dreamed that there was a new page just for one link posts.

Quit poisoning my brain with your boring nerd dreams.
posted by sonofsamiam at 9:40 AM on August 15, 2006

that's not what your mom said.
posted by unknowncommand at 9:55 AM on August 15, 2006

Hey, now, my mom suffers from a congenital boring nerd dream deficiency. It's no laughing matter.
posted by sonofsamiam at 9:56 AM on August 15, 2006

Dear Dobbs,

Your opinion is now recorded on the Internet, where for all the days to come, it will be accorded the consideration it deserves.

Yours,

Everyone else
posted by Kirth Gerson at 10:11 AM on August 15, 2006

Four Answering Machine Messages Left at the Wrong Number

Please leave a message at the beep:

“Dude, we made it! We couldn’t find the key, so we just busted in the back door.
“Psych!
“Anyway, just calling to let you know we made it. We’re here.
“Seriously, thanks for letting us crash at your place, man. You totally rawk! I’d buy you a beer if you had any in the fridge, you cheap bastard! Ha ha!
“What’s that?
“Oh, hey – Dan says to tell you you’re a disgusting pig. Seriously, Dude – what’s up with all the flies?
“Anyways… I guess we’ll see you whenever you get off work. Bring beer, Dude. Seriously!”

Thursday, August 15th, 10:27 AM


Please leave a message at the beep:

“Dude! This thing with the flies is nuts! And we’re not talking a few random fecal kooties buzzing the tower here anymore, either, Maverick. We’re piling up casualties like pizza toppings. Deep dish!
“Mmm… pizza!
“Seriously, smashing the buggers is turning into a fulltime job. I don’t know what this place looked like when you left this morning, but it’s one big, slippery graveyard, now. Like Jackson Pollock threw himself on a grenade. Two weeks ago.
“Smells like the YMCA locker room in here, too. You know what I'm talkin' about: seventy-five years of stale ass and Mentholatum!
“We’ve been over every square inch of the place and can't find nothin’, so we’re cutting the cards as soon as I get off. Low card checks out the attic. Skeeves me out just thinking about it! I don’t know, though, it’s pretty bad in here. Seriously, unless you’ve got a missing ex-girlfriend we don’t know about, I’m guessing the apartment downstairs just opened up. Assuming they can manage to fumigate it! Honestly, they may just have to burn the whole place down, though. Sorry, Dude!”

Thursday, August 15th, 1:38 PM


Please leave a message at the beep:

“God Damnit, you assholes! Let me out!
“Shit, Dude, are you there?
“God Damnit! This is NOT FUNNY! There’s SOMETHING UP HERE! And it is NOT DEAD!
“Look, Dude, if you get this message and you don’t want one hellacious repair bill, you better get your ass down here RIGHT NOW and beat some sense into these mothers! Now! Seriously! I swear to God I am about two seconds from kicking my way through the goddamned ceiling!
“Christ it stinks up here!
“Wait… What was that? What the Hell is that?!
“Oh – You have got to be shitting me!”

Thursday, August 15th, 1:47 PM


Please leave a message at the beep:

“Hi, Hon. It’s Mom. Call me. Your sister’s drinking again. Father’s beside himself. The stress has got his shingles acting up something awful.
“The Clayton girl works up to Henson’s says ‘Hi.’ What’s her name, again, Dad? Don’t scratch! What? Oh, Jenny. Jenny Clayton. You know Jenny – her mother runs the laundry out to Five Mile. She was a year behind Shar, I think. Dyes her hair. Wears too much eye makeup. I think her kids are touched. I promised you’d call.
“The dog’s got worms. Been making a helluva mess! Dad thinks he must’ve picked them up at Burnaby’s when he was in for a flea dip last week. Can you imagine? Still has the fleas, too, if you can believe that. Father gave them a piece of his mind, I can tell you! What little he’s got left.
“Don’t scratch.
“Your brother got another promotion. Took us all out for eye-talian to celebrate, not that he couldn’t have sprung for Swenson’s Steak House if he’d wanted to. Now that he’s such a big shot. You know how the eye-talian backs your Father up!
“Well, call me.
“Bye.”

Thursday, August 15th, 3:13 PM
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:27 AM on August 15, 2006 [3 favorites]

I think we also need to delete all the unused userid's so we can ... um ... speed up the ... um.... internet.

(And did you know that the spell checker wants to change Mefi to Mafia?)

And, boy, wasn't life so much better when Miguel was around?

And what the fuck do those dots in obituary threads mean, anyway?
posted by crunchland at 10:40 AM on August 15, 2006

(Oh, and loved you in The Big Lebowski, Jeff.)
posted by crunchland at 10:41 AM on August 15, 2006

Those dots are flypoop on your monitor, man.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 10:42 AM on August 15, 2006

One link posts are to be discouraged at all costs. What really makes a post is the ability to search Google. That way, you can find so many supporting links for your post. The bonus is that doing it this way is far less effort than just having a decent link to begin with.
posted by reklaw at 12:26 PM on August 15, 2006 [1 favorite]

It's youtubesday, damnit!

(speaking of which, I should really post some youtube links)
posted by delmoi at 12:37 PM on August 15, 2006 [1 favorite]

In all seriousness, this is one of the worst suggestions in the history of MeTa, and you should be commended for having the guts to make it, regardless of the consequences. Kudos!
posted by signal at 12:39 PM on August 15, 2006

Youtubesday

Second. All in favor?
posted by Plutor at 2:17 PM on August 15, 2006

neigh
posted by grateful at 2:20 PM on August 15, 2006

[more inside]
posted by kosem at 2:26 PM on August 15, 2006

Maybe this should go the other way - posts should only be allowed one link, then maybe people will make sure it is a good one.

Ah, who am I kidding.
posted by dg at 2:45 PM on August 15, 2006

It's fairly obvious that the anti single link camp is a misguided faction. But the anti "__________filter:" as obligatory, cutesy, self-effacing FPP prefix faction? Not so mistaken. Not so mistaken at all.
posted by kosem at 5:42 PM on August 15, 2006

Is this the thread for posting all of our stupid YouTube links?

Careful who you pick on.
posted by caddis at 5:50 PM on August 15, 2006

or flash?

Japanese drums
posted by caddis at 6:39 PM on August 15, 2006

We need to start calling out / whining about multi-link posts, just to buck the (fundamental-not-getting-it-ness) trend.
posted by signal at 7:28 PM on August 15, 2006

cillit bang : "I wish people with multi-link posts would split them into single-link posts. Then maybe they'd never get as far as posting all the useless filler and we'd only see the interesting stuff."

Ditto. Plus, it would solve the whole "click three of the links in a post, find that they all suck, and never discover that the fourth link was actually decent" problem.
posted by bugbread at 7:54 PM on August 15, 2006

I like making multi-link posts to single sites. Just cuz.
posted by mediareport at 10:06 PM on August 15, 2006

I vote for Youtubesday.

(That would totally work if this were a democracy.)
posted by Sprout the Vulgarian at 1:19 PM on August 16, 2006

Yes, YouTubesday is a cool name.

Nice like caddis, but he was stupid. Dumbass redneck hicks usually have guns too. And a BMW could get away easy. Maybe he was smart & looked for a gun rack.
posted by jeffburdges at 4:17 AM on August 17, 2006

Credit where credit is due.

I'm all for it. But then I got banned for a week for posting a FPP to YouTube's "Popular" page. Then, I think, I got drunk, and it's all hazy from there.

Still, bring it on!
posted by mkultra at 8:30 AM on August 17, 2006