Uninvited questions

September 18, 2007 12:23 PM

Why are "do you have an invite to [web 2.0 site]?" questions allowed in AskMe? example 1, 2

They really seem like needless clutter, and of limited use to future readers (since any offered invites will probably have been taken). Perhaps MeTa is a better spot?

posted by desjardins to Etiquette/Policy at 12:23 PM (30 comments total)

I would like to invite the mods to put a stop to this.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:34 PM on September 18, 2007

I generally agree, although the first link does contain a legit AskMe question -- a request for "advice on getting invites for beta websites in the future."
posted by brain_drain at 12:34 PM on September 18, 2007

Yeah, I went to flag the Mint one and then saw that it was moot anyway.

As an aside, why should I not be worried about putting my bank and credit card account information into a third party website? I'd love to feel ok about it, it looks convenient.
posted by OmieWise at 12:44 PM on September 18, 2007

we have deleted probably 50 of them in the past if not more. The only reason I left the first one around was for the sub-question about inviteshare.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 12:52 PM on September 18, 2007

Aha, gotcha. Sorry, I wasn't sure about the policy. Noted.
posted by nitsuj at 1:23 PM on September 18, 2007

I'd love to feel ok about it, it looks convenient.

I agree, and signed up, but have not put in any information yet. Their disclaimers (as necessary as I know they are) have me spooked, and the idea of my checking account getting cleaned out and then everyone just throwing up their hands and absolving themselves of responsibility gives me hives.
posted by hermitosis at 1:36 PM on September 18, 2007

I've always felt that asking for invites on Mefi was like begging for gold on WoW or asking people to blogroll your blog....tacky and, if you are doing things right, unnecessary.

That said, I always appreciate the, "I have extra invites to this, want one?" post.
posted by misha at 1:40 PM on September 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

Agreed. If it's a "how do you do this?" question we'll leave it, just so that people who search AskMe for pownce/oink/mash whatever will see it if they search tags but yes we remove most of these.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 1:42 PM on September 18, 2007

Can someone help me out with an inviteshare account?
posted by scarabic at 1:49 PM on September 18, 2007

Hey, MetaTalk - I really dig you, baby. If I told you you had a sweet comment-to-favorites ratio would you hold it against me? Why don't you come on back to my place and we can drink tequila shooters and watch the submarine races?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 1:55 PM on September 18, 2007

MetaVite
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 2:14 PM on September 18, 2007

MetaVite

I still can't believe people actually eat that stuff.
posted by the christopher hundreds at 2:21 PM on September 18, 2007 [3 favorites]

As an aside, why should I not be worried about putting my bank and credit card account information into a third party website?

Yikes! I know that many banks are starting to offer services like this for their customers. The drawback of course is that you are limited to that one financial institution. The good thing though is that you are giving your bank information...well, to your own bank.
posted by vacapinta at 2:27 PM on September 18, 2007

I'd like to piggyback on this thread by asking whether I should post my question - "Hey Mefites, wanna make out with me?" - under MeTa or AskMe?
posted by SassHat at 2:30 PM on September 18, 2007

I'd like to piggyback on this thread by asking whether I should post my question - "Hey Mefites, wanna make out with me?" - under MeTa or AskMe?

MeTa, and no.
posted by Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America at 2:38 PM on September 18, 2007

Scene opens on a man in street-worn clothes, hat screwed on tight over the well-chewed cigar that sticks out of the side of his mouth as he barks his calls out to passerby.

"Invitations, get your invitations here! Fresh, hot invitations! Genuine invitations here, best in the city!"

A smartly dressed man and his equally well-heeled wife hurry up to the vendor.

"Two, please." says the man.

"Go fuck yourself!" shouts the man on the street, accepting the folded bill.

"What about my wife!?" stammers the well-to-do man, incredulously. The street vendor turns to the wife, looking her up and down.

"Go fuck yourself, too!" he shouts

"Really, now!" stammers the husband, "We were hoping for something a little more interesting and creative than that!"

The vendor shrugs. "What the fuck do you want for a twenty?"

The husband and wife turn to each other, shrug with resignation and turn to go home and do exactly that.
posted by loquacious at 3:16 PM on September 18, 2007 [2 favorites]

I dunno. There are plenty of technical questions that start out as "help me with this programming" and end up being "here's your program", e.g, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, etc, etc.

In most of these cases, a consultant (like me) would charge at least three figures for the answers (because even simple answers to simple questions take time to analyze, time to write, time that could be spent on paying work); some would cost significantly more, or would be worth more to the client (I recall the recent question where the asker appeared to be himself charging for the work, and who thanked the answerer for ending "a week's nightmare").

But in only one case has an askMe answer ended up putting money in my pocket. I don't mind that at all (though I do mind when questions with concrete useful answers don't have any marked best answer).

Inviting someone to a website, on the other hand, usually involves only entering the invitee's email in a web form.
posted by orthogonality at 3:39 PM on September 18, 2007

Hmm, this seems like the best place to put this, so here goes:

I started a website called assbook. It's a lot like the Hotel California. For asses. Give me a holla if you want to sign up.
posted by sleepy pete at 6:22 PM on September 18, 2007

Arsebook
posted by Abiezer at 7:16 PM on September 18, 2007

How much do we owe you for your MeTa comment, above, ortho?
posted by scarabic at 9:37 PM on September 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

Coincidentally, exactly the same amount that he owes us for the time it took to read it.
posted by dg at 10:34 PM on September 18, 2007

Presenting: Frequently Asked of Metafilter (I updated it last night to include Invite Share and Site Invites.)
posted by IndigoRain at 11:18 PM on September 18, 2007 [2 favorites]

by the way do any of you guys have an invite to this new google mail service?
posted by matteo at 12:34 AM on September 19, 2007

I've got about a hundred invites. You want them all?
posted by vagabond at 3:43 AM on September 19, 2007

You guys don't get paid for writing this stuff? You do this for free?
posted by Meatbomb at 4:45 AM on September 19, 2007

ortho - if you don't want to spend the time to answer someone's programming question - then DON'T. Your post reads very much like a whine.
posted by desjardins at 6:33 AM on September 19, 2007

IndigoRain, that list is like the Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe and Everything. Thanks!

Meatbomb made me pay him to post here
posted by misha at 8:07 AM on September 19, 2007

Why are "do you have an invite to [web 2.0 site]?" questions allowed in AskMe?

Why not? Just answer "yes, I do" or "no, I don't" and move on.
posted by aaronetc at 10:28 AM on September 19, 2007

Just answer "yes, I do" or "no, I don't" and move on.
posted by inigo2 at 10:30 AM on September 19, 2007

lol no prob, Misha. :) I wish more people knew about it.
posted by IndigoRain at 1:23 AM on September 20, 2007