Please help me name my mix CD about kittens. September 2, 2007 9:19 AM Subscribe
The AskMe guidelines make a simple-sounding request: 'Please avoid "help me name my kitten/computer/website" and "help me make a mix CD" questions.' But these kinds of questions are posted fairly frequently, and seldom seem to be deleted. How many of these kinds of questions are posted, and what proportion of those are removed? If the guideline isn't being enforced because people love the name-my-whatever questions, maybe it would be better to just get rid of the guideline. Alternately, if the guideline is to remain, maybe it would be better to make it more prominent, and/or to delete a larger proportion of the questions which break it.
Good question. The guidelines exist so that really egregious versions of this sort of thing can be easily removed. In reality though, as you say, nuanced versions of these questions remain, often. If I ran the world, and was a total autocrat here, I'd be more inclined to delete any "help me name my X" or any "help me make a mix CD about Y topic" but realistically speaking it seems that other people don't mind these questions as much as I do.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:26 AM on September 2, 2007
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:26 AM on September 2, 2007
Ooh! Ooh! Are we doing a show of hands?
I don't mind either type of question. I've asked both, and I've been know to enthusiastically participate in the second.
posted by hydrophonic at 9:34 AM on September 2, 2007
I don't mind either type of question. I've asked both, and I've been know to enthusiastically participate in the second.
posted by hydrophonic at 9:34 AM on September 2, 2007
I kinda like the "name my _______" questions myself.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 9:40 AM on September 2, 2007
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 9:40 AM on September 2, 2007
That last guideline is pure shit. People have here those questions and other people here can answer them. I hate the agony aunt relationship questions but I don't think people shouldn't be able to ask them. The same should apply to mixtape or naming questions. If you don't like em then skip em. How hard is that?
posted by srboisvert at 9:50 AM on September 2, 2007
posted by srboisvert at 9:50 AM on September 2, 2007
I don't mind 'em. It brings out the creative sorts. They're also better than RelationshipFilter questions.
posted by desjardins at 9:52 AM on September 2, 2007
posted by desjardins at 9:52 AM on September 2, 2007
I can't stand most of 'em, but I don't know if I've ever deleted more than maybe one or two. Like jessamyn, I'd say that in practice askme is more permissive than it'd be if I was doing ruthless preference-driven editing.
(I'm looking at you, Mister Help Me Zing Someone.)
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:53 AM on September 2, 2007
(I'm looking at you, Mister Help Me Zing Someone.)
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:53 AM on September 2, 2007
If AskMe is about what we enjoy then why not allow chatfilter too?
Ask Metafilter is at its best when you tap into a community of people with knowledge and experience to get a question answered that would be difficult to do otherwise.
"Name my X" is something everyone can participate in. Throw a party. Ask everyone when they arrive to make a suggestion. Ask random people in the street. To me, its really a poll question: What would you name your X?
posted by vacapinta at 9:53 AM on September 2, 2007 [3 favorites]
Ask Metafilter is at its best when you tap into a community of people with knowledge and experience to get a question answered that would be difficult to do otherwise.
"Name my X" is something everyone can participate in. Throw a party. Ask everyone when they arrive to make a suggestion. Ask random people in the street. To me, its really a poll question: What would you name your X?
posted by vacapinta at 9:53 AM on September 2, 2007 [3 favorites]
(And vacapinta just laid out fairly well why I dislike a lot of these.)
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:55 AM on September 2, 2007
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:55 AM on September 2, 2007
To me, its really a poll question: What would you name your X?
That's my feeling in a nutshell... and yet some of the questions really do require someone with some sort of knowledge, or ability to make a good pun (which the OP may not be able to do) or a knowledge of Latin or Czech samba bands or something. That's why these are so hard to cleanly slice into OK/notOK slivers.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:59 AM on September 2, 2007
That's my feeling in a nutshell... and yet some of the questions really do require someone with some sort of knowledge, or ability to make a good pun (which the OP may not be able to do) or a knowledge of Latin or Czech samba bands or something. That's why these are so hard to cleanly slice into OK/notOK slivers.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:59 AM on September 2, 2007
Like them or hate them, I think that those questions are important for the overall health of askme (and by extension mefi proper).
"Name my" or mixtape questions have an extremely low barrier for entry. Anybody can come up with a name for something, just as many people love music and can reel off a few suggestions to fit just about any request (any they are unlikely to be told that they're wrong, or "called out" for their response). They are also one of the easier ways on metafilter to say "Hey, it's me, this is what I like and who I am, love me!".
These threads allow people to contribute and feel like they are a part of the site, and therefore more likely to come back again and again.
As I've mentioned before, I think that this also applies to the obituary threads (anyone can post a "."), the imageflood threads of yore and even MeTa pileons.
posted by davey_darling at 10:03 AM on September 2, 2007
"Name my" or mixtape questions have an extremely low barrier for entry. Anybody can come up with a name for something, just as many people love music and can reel off a few suggestions to fit just about any request (any they are unlikely to be told that they're wrong, or "called out" for their response). They are also one of the easier ways on metafilter to say "Hey, it's me, this is what I like and who I am, love me!".
These threads allow people to contribute and feel like they are a part of the site, and therefore more likely to come back again and again.
As I've mentioned before, I think that this also applies to the obituary threads (anyone can post a "."), the imageflood threads of yore and even MeTa pileons.
posted by davey_darling at 10:03 AM on September 2, 2007
I agree with jessamyn. Most of those questions immediately grate me. I have answered a few because I couldn't resist the chance to make a joke. (I answered the "Name my Volvo" question by suggesting "The Volvo," or "Delores," or "Mulva.")
However, questions about naming a company or product require more thought and expertise. It's a question of branding, and some companies spend millions to come up with the right name.
posted by The Deej at 10:06 AM on September 2, 2007
However, questions about naming a company or product require more thought and expertise. It's a question of branding, and some companies spend millions to come up with the right name.
posted by The Deej at 10:06 AM on September 2, 2007
God, I hate those types of questions, and it drives me absolutely nuts that askme doesn't delete everything I dislike. I'm not even kidding. I wish I understood why things like this can get under a person's skin so badly when it's clear that its not really doing the site or anyone else any harm.
posted by shmegegge at 10:09 AM on September 2, 2007
posted by shmegegge at 10:09 AM on September 2, 2007
I'm glad this has been clarified. I have always been afraid to ask this question on AskMeFi, and so my nameless dog only comes when I grunt at it.
posted by KokuRyu at 10:32 AM on September 2, 2007 [6 favorites]
posted by KokuRyu at 10:32 AM on September 2, 2007 [6 favorites]
The mix CD ones are fine with me. I don't usually comment, but I do check out all the suggestions to see if I like it myself. Sometimes they're gold mines of obscure (to me) stuff.
It helps if I mentally reframe the mix CD question as "I like X but don't know much about it, can someone point me to other X's or maybe a list/history/story on X?"
Then again, the standard answer would be "seed Pandora with it and see what happens"
posted by ctmf at 10:39 AM on September 2, 2007
It helps if I mentally reframe the mix CD question as "I like X but don't know much about it, can someone point me to other X's or maybe a list/history/story on X?"
Then again, the standard answer would be "seed Pandora with it and see what happens"
posted by ctmf at 10:39 AM on September 2, 2007
An actual "mix CD" question bugs me, because it's like saying "I need to write a letter to express my feelings. What should i write?"
But questions that have to do with songs covering a specific topic or style are different, in my opinion.
posted by The Deej at 10:43 AM on September 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
But questions that have to do with songs covering a specific topic or style are different, in my opinion.
posted by The Deej at 10:43 AM on September 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
Heh, ctmf - thanks for sending me to Pandora!... grr - it will only let me skip so many songs/hour.
I second davey_darling's second point that it attracts users to continue to check out askme and create a potentially larger pool of people who have other knowledge and experience outside of naming cats and recommending music.
Like how to organize and train a volunteer fire department for a small community or offer a personal anecdote on making the most of a food budget during the great depression. Or the last stock exchange implosion.
posted by porpoise at 10:57 AM on September 2, 2007
I second davey_darling's second point that it attracts users to continue to check out askme and create a potentially larger pool of people who have other knowledge and experience outside of naming cats and recommending music.
Like how to organize and train a volunteer fire department for a small community or offer a personal anecdote on making the most of a food budget during the great depression. Or the last stock exchange implosion.
posted by porpoise at 10:57 AM on September 2, 2007
What's the point of having a guideline if it isn't enforced?
posted by puke & cry at 10:58 AM on September 2, 2007
posted by puke & cry at 10:58 AM on September 2, 2007
ctmf writes "Then again, the standard answer would be 'seed Pandora with it and see what happens'"
A solution that only works for Americans.
posted by Mitheral at 11:25 AM on September 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
A solution that only works for Americans.
posted by Mitheral at 11:25 AM on September 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
If AskMe is about what we enjoy then why not allow chatfilter too?
yeah. While it's true that you can always skip past what you don't like, I have to say that the more stuff you have to skip past, the more you generally find yourself inclined not to bother with a site to start with. Which is fine, too, but it does mean that the more permissive AskMe is about chatfilterish stuff, the more it will attract people who want chatfilter and disinterest those who don't, which will just keep the trend going in that direction...
posted by mdn at 11:38 AM on September 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
yeah. While it's true that you can always skip past what you don't like, I have to say that the more stuff you have to skip past, the more you generally find yourself inclined not to bother with a site to start with. Which is fine, too, but it does mean that the more permissive AskMe is about chatfilterish stuff, the more it will attract people who want chatfilter and disinterest those who don't, which will just keep the trend going in that direction...
posted by mdn at 11:38 AM on September 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
Ask random people in the street.
It's not Contrarian Week at casa gnfti I swear, but I disagree for the straightforward reason that people turn to the Metafilter community for people more savvy or likeminded than random pedestrians.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 11:41 AM on September 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
It's not Contrarian Week at casa gnfti I swear, but I disagree for the straightforward reason that people turn to the Metafilter community for people more savvy or likeminded than random pedestrians.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 11:41 AM on September 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
Wait--you disagree because we're more likeminded?
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 12:13 PM on September 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 12:13 PM on September 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
What's the point of having a guideline if it isn't enforced?
To have something will hopefully at least gently influence behavior, and to have something to reference back to in cases where optional enforcement produces some friction. That's why it's a guideline, not a statute.
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:21 PM on September 2, 2007
To have something will hopefully at least gently influence behavior, and to have something to reference back to in cases where optional enforcement produces some friction. That's why it's a guideline, not a statute.
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:21 PM on September 2, 2007
If AskMe is about what we enjoy then why not allow chatfilter too?
yeah. While it's true that you can always skip past what you don't like, I have to say that the more stuff you have to skip past, the more you generally find yourself inclined not to bother with a site to start with. Which is fine, too, but it does mean that the more permissive AskMe is about chatfilterish stuff, the more it will attract people who want chatfilter and disinterest those who don't, which will just keep the trend going in that direction...
chat.metafilter.com is long overdue.
posted by srboisvert at 12:38 PM on September 2, 2007
yeah. While it's true that you can always skip past what you don't like, I have to say that the more stuff you have to skip past, the more you generally find yourself inclined not to bother with a site to start with. Which is fine, too, but it does mean that the more permissive AskMe is about chatfilterish stuff, the more it will attract people who want chatfilter and disinterest those who don't, which will just keep the trend going in that direction...
chat.metafilter.com is long overdue.
posted by srboisvert at 12:38 PM on September 2, 2007
It would probably be good to delete all mix tape type questions since those are the only ones I allow myself to answer. Without those, I wouldn't need to visit AskMe at all.
posted by Sailormom at 12:53 PM on September 2, 2007
posted by Sailormom at 12:53 PM on September 2, 2007
One of the reasons I like Metafilter and think it works well is because it has more guidelines than rules. I think trying to run a site by the letter of a law just ends up with incomprehensibly complex laws and clever assholes skirting them anyway.
Having said that, it seems to me that when a guideline specifically mentions something ("help me name my website") that in practice is let slide ("help me name my blog"), it's not really even functioning as a guideline anymore.
Let's say a guideline specifically said "Please avoid naming yourself after a Star Wars character." It's understandable that you'd let someone named "Luke S. Walker" stay, because there are actually people named Luke S. Walker. It more borderline, but still understandable that you'd let "Bubba the Butt" stay, because it's a joke about a Star Wars character, not the name of an actual Star Wars character. But if you just go ahead and let "Darth Vader" and "Chewbacca" stay, then why mention Star Wars characters at all?
Maybe it's because you don't want too many Star Wars names, so you figure if the warning means you have five instead of fifty, that's great. But at the same time, it just rewards people who ignore the rules and restricts those who pay attention.
Having said that, it doesn't clog my nozzle either way. It's just a touch of cognitive dissonance.
posted by L. Fitzgerald Sjoberg at 1:06 PM on September 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
Having said that, it seems to me that when a guideline specifically mentions something ("help me name my website") that in practice is let slide ("help me name my blog"), it's not really even functioning as a guideline anymore.
Let's say a guideline specifically said "Please avoid naming yourself after a Star Wars character." It's understandable that you'd let someone named "Luke S. Walker" stay, because there are actually people named Luke S. Walker. It more borderline, but still understandable that you'd let "Bubba the Butt" stay, because it's a joke about a Star Wars character, not the name of an actual Star Wars character. But if you just go ahead and let "Darth Vader" and "Chewbacca" stay, then why mention Star Wars characters at all?
Maybe it's because you don't want too many Star Wars names, so you figure if the warning means you have five instead of fifty, that's great. But at the same time, it just rewards people who ignore the rules and restricts those who pay attention.
Having said that, it doesn't clog my nozzle either way. It's just a touch of cognitive dissonance.
posted by L. Fitzgerald Sjoberg at 1:06 PM on September 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
chat.metafilter.com is long overdue.
http://www.metachat.org/
posted by grouse at 1:08 PM on September 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
http://www.metachat.org/
posted by grouse at 1:08 PM on September 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
"Listener-supported FM radio" might answer both needs. One could shorten that to "Here Listener, Listener, Listener" when calling the kitty.
posted by Cranberry at 1:46 PM on September 2, 2007
posted by Cranberry at 1:46 PM on September 2, 2007
But these kinds of questions are posted fairly frequently
Linking to two examples that happened two days ago does not equal fairly frequently, so I think you should dig a littler deeper to pull out some real numbers and links. Like everything else around here, there are trends and yes, it "seems" that there have been a lot of those types of questions lately, at least to me. But what the hell, if that's how someone wants to use their question, so be it.
And it's also important to note that right below those guidelines you cite it says "Failure to follow these guidelines may(emphasis mine) result in your question being removed." So, they might be deleted, and they might not. As usual with Metafilter they are grey areas all over and why specific instances may annoy you or me, overall the site works well.
If AskMe is about what we enjoy then why not allow chatfilter too?
1.) It's not about what we enjoy and 2.) not everyone enjoys chatfilter.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:33 PM on September 2, 2007
Linking to two examples that happened two days ago does not equal fairly frequently, so I think you should dig a littler deeper to pull out some real numbers and links. Like everything else around here, there are trends and yes, it "seems" that there have been a lot of those types of questions lately, at least to me. But what the hell, if that's how someone wants to use their question, so be it.
And it's also important to note that right below those guidelines you cite it says "Failure to follow these guidelines may(emphasis mine) result in your question being removed." So, they might be deleted, and they might not. As usual with Metafilter they are grey areas all over and why specific instances may annoy you or me, overall the site works well.
If AskMe is about what we enjoy then why not allow chatfilter too?
1.) It's not about what we enjoy and 2.) not everyone enjoys chatfilter.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:33 PM on September 2, 2007
The thing with mix cd questions is that they run a gamut from totally reasonable to really pushing it, as far as the spirit of askme goes.
We see a fair amount of questions that produce rather nicely focused lists of related music, and those seem like they'd be pretty useful to a random reader looking for good music in the style/genre/semantic-neighborhood of x. Hey, cool, fair ball.
On the far end, someone will ask a question now and then that is basically, "I need to make a mix cd for my gf. Any ideas?" What? Really? The asker doesn't know what they want, nobody can tell what they're going to get, probably no future reader would get much from the thread, and it's all pretty ridiculous.
Most mix cd questions fall somewhere on the continuum between those two extremes. Annoyance at the crappy end spills over, for me, to some of the stuff that may not be so bad but still isn't great and is pretty repetitive.
posted by cortex (staff) at 3:52 PM on September 2, 2007
We see a fair amount of questions that produce rather nicely focused lists of related music, and those seem like they'd be pretty useful to a random reader looking for good music in the style/genre/semantic-neighborhood of x. Hey, cool, fair ball.
On the far end, someone will ask a question now and then that is basically, "I need to make a mix cd for my gf. Any ideas?" What? Really? The asker doesn't know what they want, nobody can tell what they're going to get, probably no future reader would get much from the thread, and it's all pretty ridiculous.
Most mix cd questions fall somewhere on the continuum between those two extremes. Annoyance at the crappy end spills over, for me, to some of the stuff that may not be so bad but still isn't great and is pretty repetitive.
posted by cortex (staff) at 3:52 PM on September 2, 2007
A solution that only works for Americans.
It looks like a huge hassle, but there appears to be a workaround.
posted by juv3nal at 3:58 PM on September 2, 2007
I think it's pretty clear that the guidelines are just that, guidelines. Much like the lines in a coloring book, one is allowed to cross them occasionally when people permit.
I imagine someone saying, "Name my son" would get their question killed, because it is something you just don't want to touch. On the other hand, "I have a business where I sell ice cream door to door. Help me name it" is totally cool, because it allows room for fun and creativity. Similarly, "I'm driving along highway XYZ and will be going through mountain ranges. What are some particularly inspiring songs I can put in my mix" beats out "List some really rocking rocknroll tunes plz".
I think that a lot of people get a little rigid and want clear lines about which posts and questions are cool and which aren't.
As anyone knows, cool is subjective and unanswerable. If you have to ask whether something is cool, then it's not. And if you ask why someone else is cool and you're not, then you're not cool. And if you say that you're cool despite what other people think and say, then you're not cool.
The only way to win is not to play the game. Which is to say, don't focus on whether something is MetaWorthy or not. Just post it if you want, or don't post it if you don't want. Read it if you want, don't read it if you don't. If it gets deleted, it does, and if it doesn't get deleted, it stays. Either way, you can live with it. Really, you can. I had (at least!) one of my posts deleted back in the day and I haven't suffered because of it.
I've flagged things because I thought they were dumb, and then moved on. If only we all could.
posted by Deathalicious at 4:02 PM on September 2, 2007
I imagine someone saying, "Name my son" would get their question killed, because it is something you just don't want to touch. On the other hand, "I have a business where I sell ice cream door to door. Help me name it" is totally cool, because it allows room for fun and creativity. Similarly, "I'm driving along highway XYZ and will be going through mountain ranges. What are some particularly inspiring songs I can put in my mix" beats out "List some really rocking rocknroll tunes plz".
I think that a lot of people get a little rigid and want clear lines about which posts and questions are cool and which aren't.
As anyone knows, cool is subjective and unanswerable. If you have to ask whether something is cool, then it's not. And if you ask why someone else is cool and you're not, then you're not cool. And if you say that you're cool despite what other people think and say, then you're not cool.
The only way to win is not to play the game. Which is to say, don't focus on whether something is MetaWorthy or not. Just post it if you want, or don't post it if you don't want. Read it if you want, don't read it if you don't. If it gets deleted, it does, and if it doesn't get deleted, it stays. Either way, you can live with it. Really, you can. I had (at least!) one of my posts deleted back in the day and I haven't suffered because of it.
I've flagged things because I thought they were dumb, and then moved on. If only we all could.
posted by Deathalicious at 4:02 PM on September 2, 2007
""Name my" or mixtape questions have an extremely low barrier for entry. Anybody can come up with a name for something, just as many people love music and can reel off a few suggestions to fit just about any request (any they are unlikely to be told that they're wrong, or "called out" for their response). They are also one of the easier ways on metafilter to say "Hey, it's me, this is what I like and who I am, love me!"."
HEY DERE CHATFILTER.
""There are a whole lot of Xs about Ys out there, and I'm asking this community for help in winnowing it down because I know it's full of smart and insightful people who may have had experience with these things in the past." "
That's what we call a faulty assumption.
Here's why I hate Mixfilter— One, there are already scores of great communities that do just this. Two, with the exception of micro-genres, the answers are predictable and lame. It's like, what, you couldn't find Billboard's alternative charts and plumb the depths of numbers 40 through 80 yourself? This is a great place to go for mix suggestions if you just don't know which Shins song goes with which Beatles song, but for the VAST majority of the questions, what people want is a handful of yupster post-college mid-tempo college rock tunes. It's interesting when someone asks for advice assembling something with a quasi-difficult theme, but even then, a fair proportion of answerers ignore that and are like "Have you heard of The Decemberists and Arcade Fire? They're the ginchiest." The musical taste here ISN'T better than asking a handful of random strangers—it's simply the taste of slightly more affluent strangers. There are a handful of people worth listening to on here (jack_mo's never steered me wrong), but we just don't do it well on the whole. Three, the aforementioned "This is me! Love me!" No, fuck you and your cries for validation, you needy son of a bitch. We'll love you when you're useful, not when you can recommend a Hold Steady song for a totally rockin' mix. It's ego-fueling chaff, sometimes from the asker and almost always from some of the answerers, and should be axed because I don't care about your feelings.
Now excuse me, I have to go back to putting my lesser Joe Jackson albums into a hierarchy.
posted by klangklangston at 4:12 PM on September 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
HEY DERE CHATFILTER.
""There are a whole lot of Xs about Ys out there, and I'm asking this community for help in winnowing it down because I know it's full of smart and insightful people who may have had experience with these things in the past." "
That's what we call a faulty assumption.
Here's why I hate Mixfilter— One, there are already scores of great communities that do just this. Two, with the exception of micro-genres, the answers are predictable and lame. It's like, what, you couldn't find Billboard's alternative charts and plumb the depths of numbers 40 through 80 yourself? This is a great place to go for mix suggestions if you just don't know which Shins song goes with which Beatles song, but for the VAST majority of the questions, what people want is a handful of yupster post-college mid-tempo college rock tunes. It's interesting when someone asks for advice assembling something with a quasi-difficult theme, but even then, a fair proportion of answerers ignore that and are like "Have you heard of The Decemberists and Arcade Fire? They're the ginchiest." The musical taste here ISN'T better than asking a handful of random strangers—it's simply the taste of slightly more affluent strangers. There are a handful of people worth listening to on here (jack_mo's never steered me wrong), but we just don't do it well on the whole. Three, the aforementioned "This is me! Love me!" No, fuck you and your cries for validation, you needy son of a bitch. We'll love you when you're useful, not when you can recommend a Hold Steady song for a totally rockin' mix. It's ego-fueling chaff, sometimes from the asker and almost always from some of the answerers, and should be axed because I don't care about your feelings.
Now excuse me, I have to go back to putting my lesser Joe Jackson albums into a hierarchy.
posted by klangklangston at 4:12 PM on September 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
juv3nal writes "It looks like a huge hassle, but there appears to be a workaround."
Tor is even a worse solution than abusing open proxies.
posted by Mitheral at 4:39 PM on September 2, 2007
Tor is even a worse solution than abusing open proxies.
posted by Mitheral at 4:39 PM on September 2, 2007
We haven't been getting (or seeing, at least) anywhere NEAR as many of these as we did last year. And I notice these things, because mix cd questions make my hands fuse into claws.
As for naming things, one big deterrent to these threads is that the names they produce really aren't that good. We're all a bunch of super brainiacs and art-stars in our own little worlds, but I am always surprised to find the "help name my ___" threads to be a real test of my wince-reflex.
posted by hermitosis at 4:47 PM on September 2, 2007
As for naming things, one big deterrent to these threads is that the names they produce really aren't that good. We're all a bunch of super brainiacs and art-stars in our own little worlds, but I am always surprised to find the "help name my ___" threads to be a real test of my wince-reflex.
posted by hermitosis at 4:47 PM on September 2, 2007
I don't know why there is a guideline against naming and song suggestion threads. What's chatfilter-y about a list of suggestions? I may not care to read them myself, but lots of other people will. I get much more annoyed by the stupidly repetitive relationship questions and would like to see a stricter moderation of them. Something that might help is if the AskMe posting page guidelines asked relationship posters to check out a list of the best ever relationship threads, sorted by topic, before posting. I'd create the damn list myself if it would weed out some of the "does he/she like me" questions.
posted by orange swan at 5:15 PM on September 2, 2007
posted by orange swan at 5:15 PM on September 2, 2007
I'd create the damn list myself if it would weed out some of the "does he/she like me" questions.
If you create a really good list on the wiki or someplace, I swear I will link to it from the AskMe posting page.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:22 PM on September 2, 2007
If you create a really good list on the wiki or someplace, I swear I will link to it from the AskMe posting page.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:22 PM on September 2, 2007
If I ran the world, and was a total autocrat here, I'd be more inclined to delete any "help me name my X" or any "help me make a mix CD about Y topic" but realistically speaking it seems that other people don't mind these questions as much as I do.
The wisdom of a seasoned admin. Yes, the guidelines are flexible here on MeFi, especially when bending to popular opinion, but they are not meaningless. If you have something interesting to say or ask, all bets are off, just ask Miguel. Of course, what you find a fascinating name game, the group may very well find dull, boring and just another opportunity to snark. When deciding whether to post your naming Q it all comes down to judgment; use it.
posted by caddis at 6:26 PM on September 2, 2007
The wisdom of a seasoned admin. Yes, the guidelines are flexible here on MeFi, especially when bending to popular opinion, but they are not meaningless. If you have something interesting to say or ask, all bets are off, just ask Miguel. Of course, what you find a fascinating name game, the group may very well find dull, boring and just another opportunity to snark. When deciding whether to post your naming Q it all comes down to judgment; use it.
posted by caddis at 6:26 PM on September 2, 2007
yupster post-college mid-tempo college rock tunes.
Mixtape plz kthxbi.
posted by Kwine at 7:09 PM on September 2, 2007
Mixtape plz kthxbi.
posted by Kwine at 7:09 PM on September 2, 2007
Also, I was coming here to say that I enjoy these sorts of controversial questions mostly, but holy jesus something must be done and I endorse throwing away many babies to get rid of this particular bathwater.
posted by Kwine at 7:24 PM on September 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by Kwine at 7:24 PM on September 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
Naming consumer goods is stupid, but if you must, because of "your girlfriend", at least do it yourself.
posted by smackfu at 8:07 PM on September 2, 2007
posted by smackfu at 8:07 PM on September 2, 2007
Jessamyn: If I ran the world, and was a total autocrat here, I'd be more inclined to delete any "help me name my X" or any "help me make a mix CD about Y topic"
cortex: in practice askme is more permissive than it'd be if I was doing ruthless preference-driven editing.
Seems like you're desperately begging us to read between the lines.
posted by Kwantsar at 8:12 PM on September 2, 2007
cortex: in practice askme is more permissive than it'd be if I was doing ruthless preference-driven editing.
Seems like you're desperately begging us to read between the lines.
posted by Kwantsar at 8:12 PM on September 2, 2007
Naming consumer goods is stupid.
Au contraire, it's totally the hip thing to do among those of us with too much time on our hands. Students FTW. (Meet Snuffles the iPod mini, Artemis the acoustic guitar, Karoshi the laptop and Luna the piano.)
posted by Phire at 9:06 PM on September 2, 2007
Au contraire, it's totally the hip thing to do among those of us with too much time on our hands. Students FTW. (Meet Snuffles the iPod mini, Artemis the acoustic guitar, Karoshi the laptop and Luna the piano.)
posted by Phire at 9:06 PM on September 2, 2007
Also, I was coming here to say that I enjoy these sorts of controversial questions mostly, but holy jesus something must be done and I endorse throwing away many babies to get rid of this particular bathwater.
Okay, the naming the vacuum cleaner threads, I have a problem with.
posted by orange swan at 9:18 PM on September 2, 2007
Okay, the naming the vacuum cleaner threads, I have a problem with.
posted by orange swan at 9:18 PM on September 2, 2007
Does it have Lovecats on it? I'd just call it 'Lovecats et al mixtape #1', but I'm boring like that.
It has to have Lovecats, right?
posted by pompomtom at 9:28 PM on September 2, 2007
It has to have Lovecats, right?
posted by pompomtom at 9:28 PM on September 2, 2007
All cats and roombas should henceforth be named Mixtape.
posted by typewriter at 9:31 PM on September 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by typewriter at 9:31 PM on September 2, 2007 [1 favorite]
Seems like you're desperately begging us to read between the lines.
MATTHEW HAUGHEY COULDN'T MAKE A MIX TAPE WITH A BLENDTEC AND HE MADE US PINKYSWEAR NOT TO DELETE THESE
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:42 PM on September 2, 2007
MATTHEW HAUGHEY COULDN'T MAKE A MIX TAPE WITH A BLENDTEC AND HE MADE US PINKYSWEAR NOT TO DELETE THESE
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:42 PM on September 2, 2007
"That's what we call a faulty assumption.
and then
for the VAST majority of the questions, what people want is a handful of yupster post-college mid-tempo college rock tunes.
=
LULZ"
Read 'em and weep, Greg Nog.
posted by klangklangston at 9:42 PM on September 2, 2007
and then
for the VAST majority of the questions, what people want is a handful of yupster post-college mid-tempo college rock tunes.
=
LULZ"
Read 'em and weep, Greg Nog.
posted by klangklangston at 9:42 PM on September 2, 2007
(Really, anything tagged with "indie" should be deleted immediately.)
posted by klangklangston at 9:44 PM on September 2, 2007
posted by klangklangston at 9:44 PM on September 2, 2007
I view getting in the last comment before a thread is deleted to be an accomplishment of sorts. LAST POST!!!
posted by SPrintF at 9:49 PM on September 2, 2007
posted by SPrintF at 9:49 PM on September 2, 2007
a fair proportion of answerers ignore that and are like "Have you heard of The Decemberists and Arcade Fire? They're the ginchiest."
Seriously dudes, 2003 called, it wants its hip suggestions back.
posted by ludwig_van at 10:04 PM on September 2, 2007
Seriously dudes, 2003 called, it wants its hip suggestions back.
posted by ludwig_van at 10:04 PM on September 2, 2007
You all are ashamed to admit that you have named your car Fred.
posted by Cranberry at 12:16 AM on September 3, 2007
posted by Cranberry at 12:16 AM on September 3, 2007
Throw a party
party.metafilter.com anyone?
I often like those threads because some of the answers are so witty. But I agree it could get out of hand. Maybe they belong more on metachat.
posted by DarkForest at 6:25 AM on September 3, 2007
party.metafilter.com anyone?
I often like those threads because some of the answers are so witty. But I agree it could get out of hand. Maybe they belong more on metachat.
posted by DarkForest at 6:25 AM on September 3, 2007
"Seriously dudes, 2003 called, it wants its hip suggestions back."
Yeah, it's almost like I was implying that MeFi is behind the curve. But hell, Apple's still riding on Chutes Too Narrow for their iPhone ads. And Spoon put out an album that's just OK!
(Current recommendations: Studio—West Coast, Working For a Nuclear Free City—s/t, MIA—Kala, White Williams—Smoke, Great Lakes Myth Society—Compass Rose Bouquet…)
posted by klangklangston at 7:51 AM on September 3, 2007
Yeah, it's almost like I was implying that MeFi is behind the curve. But hell, Apple's still riding on Chutes Too Narrow for their iPhone ads. And Spoon put out an album that's just OK!
(Current recommendations: Studio—West Coast, Working For a Nuclear Free City—s/t, MIA—Kala, White Williams—Smoke, Great Lakes Myth Society—Compass Rose Bouquet…)
posted by klangklangston at 7:51 AM on September 3, 2007
I have a scroll wheel and thus I can avoid the crap.
posted by adamvasco at 9:44 AM on September 3, 2007
posted by adamvasco at 9:44 AM on September 3, 2007
I like the occasional narrowly-focused mixtape/name-my/books/movies-with-this-theme question. The others aren't numerous enough to seem like a bothersome amount of clutter.
grr - it will only let me skip so many songs/hour.
porpoise, create another station. When you want to skip a song, change stations, and change back. It takes a few seconds longer, but you have effectively skipped the song without affecting your skip-limit.
A solution that only works for Americans.
Works fine for me when I'm in the UK, albeit on a laptop purchased in America, and I first logged on/registered in America.
posted by Martin E. at 1:27 PM on September 3, 2007
grr - it will only let me skip so many songs/hour.
porpoise, create another station. When you want to skip a song, change stations, and change back. It takes a few seconds longer, but you have effectively skipped the song without affecting your skip-limit.
A solution that only works for Americans.
Works fine for me when I'm in the UK, albeit on a laptop purchased in America, and I first logged on/registered in America.
posted by Martin E. at 1:27 PM on September 3, 2007
There have always been plenty of suggestions for alternate places to ask these questions at the MeFi Wiki: Frequently Asked of Metafilter
posted by IndigoRain at 3:04 PM on September 3, 2007
posted by IndigoRain at 3:04 PM on September 3, 2007
Can someone tell me what to think about all this? No fatties, thx.
posted by DenOfSizer at 3:17 PM on September 3, 2007
posted by DenOfSizer at 3:17 PM on September 3, 2007
Well, crap. Thanks a whole frickin' bunch for that frequently asked of MetaFilter link. There goes the rest of my questions for the next year.
posted by The Deej at 5:09 PM on September 3, 2007
posted by The Deej at 5:09 PM on September 3, 2007
Meow Mix. Next?
Naw, seriously, I understand the logic, but questions asking for say, newly-released fast rock songs seem no more chatfilter than questions asking for tips on throwing a dinner party, thoughts on pepper spray, snappy comebacks, or "what should I eat for breakfast?". I suspect I missed their heydey and therefore never developed the allergy everyone else has to those questions.
posted by salvia at 7:26 PM on September 3, 2007
Naw, seriously, I understand the logic, but questions asking for say, newly-released fast rock songs seem no more chatfilter than questions asking for tips on throwing a dinner party, thoughts on pepper spray, snappy comebacks, or "what should I eat for breakfast?". I suspect I missed their heydey and therefore never developed the allergy everyone else has to those questions.
posted by salvia at 7:26 PM on September 3, 2007
klangklangston, yer such a fucking snob! Honestly, really, jaysus fuckaduck and all, unclench yer sphincter and accept that popular yet indie is not an oxymoron. Many people asking questions on here are not on the cutting edge of fashion like your good self ya know. Wouldn't you rather people who hate top 40 go for easily obtainable 'alternatives', to use scary quotes and all, rather than just suck on the teat of popular media? And so, therefore, when a mundane person seeks out something that resonates, in the form of a mixtape or *insert itunes playlist here*, so what if the answers are predominantly old and/or cliched and not LOLcuttingedge!dlfjWTF to you, these people are looking for Good Music. Specifying a particular theme is always a good idea and certainly narrows it down but AskMe is a fantastic resource for people who aren't in with the in crowd and are trying to catch up. People asking for these things (mixtape selections) in AskMe are doing so for a good reason, because they want alternatives! They've heard what they know and they want more and maybe, just maybe, they haven't heard what you heard a million years ago. We're not all as cool as you, apparently! So, to sum up, I don't have a problem with mixtape questions and it's good to hear suggestions that aren't necessarily hypernew and supercool (although they are good too); classics have their place too, ya know.
posted by h00py at 8:26 AM on September 4, 2007
posted by h00py at 8:26 AM on September 4, 2007
I don't mind the name-my-kitty questions and I like reading the mix-CD questions but those help-me-name-my-mix-CD questions have got to go.
posted by timeistight at 9:34 AM on September 4, 2007
posted by timeistight at 9:34 AM on September 4, 2007
"Honestly, really, jaysus fuckaduck and all, unclench yer sphincter and accept that popular yet indie is not an oxymoron."
Only because "indie" is absolutely meaningless through overuse.
"Many people asking questions on here are not on the cutting edge of fashion like your good self ya know."
JOE JACKSON LOOKS SHARP.
"Wouldn't you rather people who hate top 40 go for easily obtainable 'alternatives', to use scary quotes and all, rather than just suck on the teat of popular media?"
No, not really. I like Girls Aloud and High School Musical and vast waves of undifferentiated radio pop. And if someone wanted to learn more about them in a context more defined than "I like songs about stuff," I'd probably pitch in and help.
"And so, therefore, when a mundane person seeks out something that resonates, in the form of a mixtape or *insert itunes playlist here*, so what if the answers are predominantly old and/or cliched and not LOLcuttingedge!dlfjWTF to you, these people are looking for Good Music."
It's truly a shame that nowhere else on the entire internet discusses music, and surely if there are these places, they don't do it as well as we do. If it helps, I also dislike "Recommend me books for beach reading" questions.
"Specifying a particular theme is always a good idea and certainly narrows it down but AskMe is a fantastic resource for people who aren't in with the in crowd and are trying to catch up."
No, it's a fantastic resource for people who aren't in with the in crowd and who want to be validated for that.
"They've heard what they know and they want more and maybe, just maybe, they haven't heard what you heard a million years ago."
Then they should ask questions based on that: "Hey, I really enjoy the moderate twang of Wilco's Summerteeth. What other albums have a similar vibe?" Then we could be all "It's called 'No Depression,' after a newsgroup on AOL that spawned a magazine, and includes artists like Whiskeytown and pretty much everyone on Bloodshot." See, questions that have specific answers instead of just vague pleas for mid-tempo button-down music. If you cannot figure out what music to play at a party before coming to AskMe, you do not deserve music at a party. If, on the other hand, you want to learn more about Rai, that makes sense to ask.
posted by klangklangston at 11:07 AM on September 4, 2007
Only because "indie" is absolutely meaningless through overuse.
"Many people asking questions on here are not on the cutting edge of fashion like your good self ya know."
JOE JACKSON LOOKS SHARP.
"Wouldn't you rather people who hate top 40 go for easily obtainable 'alternatives', to use scary quotes and all, rather than just suck on the teat of popular media?"
No, not really. I like Girls Aloud and High School Musical and vast waves of undifferentiated radio pop. And if someone wanted to learn more about them in a context more defined than "I like songs about stuff," I'd probably pitch in and help.
"And so, therefore, when a mundane person seeks out something that resonates, in the form of a mixtape or *insert itunes playlist here*, so what if the answers are predominantly old and/or cliched and not LOLcuttingedge!dlfjWTF to you, these people are looking for Good Music."
It's truly a shame that nowhere else on the entire internet discusses music, and surely if there are these places, they don't do it as well as we do. If it helps, I also dislike "Recommend me books for beach reading" questions.
"Specifying a particular theme is always a good idea and certainly narrows it down but AskMe is a fantastic resource for people who aren't in with the in crowd and are trying to catch up."
No, it's a fantastic resource for people who aren't in with the in crowd and who want to be validated for that.
"They've heard what they know and they want more and maybe, just maybe, they haven't heard what you heard a million years ago."
Then they should ask questions based on that: "Hey, I really enjoy the moderate twang of Wilco's Summerteeth. What other albums have a similar vibe?" Then we could be all "It's called 'No Depression,' after a newsgroup on AOL that spawned a magazine, and includes artists like Whiskeytown and pretty much everyone on Bloodshot." See, questions that have specific answers instead of just vague pleas for mid-tempo button-down music. If you cannot figure out what music to play at a party before coming to AskMe, you do not deserve music at a party. If, on the other hand, you want to learn more about Rai, that makes sense to ask.
posted by klangklangston at 11:07 AM on September 4, 2007
No, it's a fantastic resource for people who aren't in with the in crowd and who want to be validated for that.
I swear to God that should be the banner under the AskMe Graphic. Sort of an "Abandon All Hope..." thing.
posted by shmegegge at 11:29 AM on September 4, 2007
I swear to God that should be the banner under the AskMe Graphic. Sort of an "Abandon All Hope..." thing.
posted by shmegegge at 11:29 AM on September 4, 2007
People always suggest their favorite band of all time or the moment, as the answer to any mixtape question. Regardless of how fitting it is. Which gets the wonderful response of "soandso, are you high? Wilco isn't brazilian influenced samba."
posted by smackfu at 11:32 AM on September 4, 2007
posted by smackfu at 11:32 AM on September 4, 2007
Hey klang, there's this book called You Shall Know Our Velocity, by this new underground author named Dave Eggers. Anyway, the book came out in 2003, and since you're asking, I think it would be a very good beach read.
posted by Kwine at 3:11 PM on September 4, 2007
posted by Kwine at 3:11 PM on September 4, 2007
Kwine, that's all fine and good, BUT I NEVER LEARNED TO READ (longer-form works by McSweeney's authors, as I only enjoy them in small doses).
posted by klangklangston at 6:18 PM on September 4, 2007
posted by klangklangston at 6:18 PM on September 4, 2007
"brazilian influenced samba"??
posted by languagehat at 6:18 PM on September 4, 2007
posted by languagehat at 6:18 PM on September 4, 2007
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posted by carsonb at 9:24 AM on September 2, 2007