eBay has been especially zany lately

December 11, 2001 6:42 AM

what is with the recent spate of threads about 'zany' ebay auctions? it's not like there's a shortage of other, more appropriate venues. can/should something be done to curtail this practice before it becomes a daily occurrence?
posted by mlang to etiquette/policy at 6:42 AM (7 comments total)

(i suppose that two threads hardly constitute a 'spate', but that's still two more posts than i'd like to see.

and this is not to say that i'm categorically opposed to all ebay posts, but a very stringent standard should be applied:

auctions specifically relating to metafilter or to the weblogging community are acceptable (like the mefi 1337 user number auction), as are spectacularly newsworthy items (a hypothetical: the plastic.com domain being for sale); but i hardly believe that auction of an unusual sex toy is front page material.)
posted by mlang at 7:05 AM on December 11, 2001

*sigh*

Before too long the only thing allowed on the MeFi homepage will be newsfeed links....
posted by dangerman at 8:14 AM on December 11, 2001

Right, we've certainly had a lot of trouble getting people to put up front page posts, any front page posts. C'mon, folks, just put up any old crap you find! MeFi is dying from lack of attention!

Once again, MeTa is for working out what is best for MeFi. Criticism does not equal mandate. "Allowed" doesn't enter into it until Matt says so.
posted by Skot at 8:30 AM on December 11, 2001

I'm guessing sarcasm is not "allowed" anymore as well...heh
posted by dangerman at 12:58 PM on December 11, 2001

You guys remember when I could read?

Me neither.

*Dons hairshirt*
posted by Skot at 1:15 PM on December 11, 2001

To be honest, eBay auction links and the occasional flash game link are the only thing that keep me coming back here. It seems that every second post is "What's your favorite color?" or "OMFG! This band is SOOO kewl!"
People are afraid to post even the latest memes in fear of being accused as a "link-stealer." They're afraid to post newsfeeds because "that's not what MeFi is about!" I was completely astonished by the fact that nobody posted anything about the Illinois (?) factory shooting a couple weeks ago.
If you find it interesting, post it. It doesn't matter if it's posted on another site.
posted by starduck at 1:40 PM on December 11, 2001

I dunno what you're talking about. there are plenty of worthwhile links being posted everyday that aren't zany ebay auctions, flash games, or "whats your favorite?" I prefer quantity over quality, and mefi's bandwidth is bad enough without crappy links using up more.
posted by mcsweetie at 5:09 PM on December 11, 2001