No right name for that bucket of bolts October 9, 2007 3:58 PM   Subscribe

What makes this kind of ask.me post not chatfilter? There is no real answer to this kind of thing, it's just "hey, we got a new car, help us be cute!"
posted by zadcat to Etiquette/Policy at 3:58 PM (42 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite

There is a real answer, though. The car should be named "Todd".
posted by psmealey at 4:12 PM on October 9, 2007 [2 favorites]


What makes people think that simply flagging a post that offends them isn't enough?
posted by nomisxid at 4:12 PM on October 9, 2007


I think someone proposed once that the Wiki or the FAQ should include something along the lines of "The answer to every 'Name my _____' thread is 'Frank'."
posted by amyms at 4:12 PM on October 9, 2007


I wasn't offended. I actually wanted to know.
posted by zadcat at 4:16 PM on October 9, 2007


It's fucking chatfilter. It's just chatfilter that hasn't been deleted.
posted by crush-onastick at 4:20 PM on October 9, 2007 [1 favorite]


Ugh, I dislike name-this-or-that questions enough but it's even worse that this is one is about a car.
posted by puke & cry at 4:35 PM on October 9, 2007 [1 favorite]


"There is a real answer, though. The car should be named "Todd"."

Todd Lokken.
posted by klangklangston at 4:39 PM on October 9, 2007 [1 favorite]


There is no real answer to this kind of thing

It might seem silly to you, but there is a definite and specific question and possible answer.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:48 PM on October 9, 2007


Actually, there are an infinite number of equally plausible answers. Therein lies the problem.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 4:53 PM on October 9, 2007


It might or might not be chatfilter, but it should be deleted. Or all the roombas without names will cry.
posted by bigmusic at 5:01 PM on October 9, 2007


It should be deleted on general principle just for use of the "for" tag.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 5:03 PM on October 9, 2007 [2 favorites]


What makes people think that simply flagging a post that offends them isn't enough?

The 8-year history of Metafilter.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:04 PM on October 9, 2007 [1 favorite]


But it's a Prius. That gives it MeFi blue-state immunity. Because all those hybrid batteries are so environmentally friendly.
posted by Eideteker at 5:04 PM on October 9, 2007 [1 favorite]


I really hope they name they car Todd Lokken.
posted by trip and a half at 5:07 PM on October 9, 2007


...er, the car
posted by trip and a half at 5:08 PM on October 9, 2007


I liked "they car." It had flava.
posted by klangklangston at 5:14 PM on October 9, 2007


Pri-tentious.
posted by yerfatma at 5:14 PM on October 9, 2007


I was watching an episode of Law and Order tonight and I thought one of the incidental characters was named Todd Lokken. This pleased me. But I was wrong. Turns out I'm deaf instead.
posted by hot soup girl at 5:25 PM on October 9, 2007


They should call it the chatmobile.
posted by Devils Slide at 5:37 PM on October 9, 2007


I think the way an AskMe question should be judged is:

Could this question be fully resolved in just one answer? In other words, if the first person who replies knows his or her stuff, could they provide a full and complete answer that removes the need for any further answers?

Thus, "What does this Windows Error mean?" is a good question because the first person could provide the correct, full information with supporting links. On the other hand, "Name my Cat!!!!1!!11!!" is not a good question because the answers are all opinions. There is no one truly correct answer.
posted by Justinian at 5:45 PM on October 9, 2007


I think someone proposed once that the Wiki or the FAQ should include something along the lines of "The answer to every 'Name my _____' thread is 'Frank'."

Oh, i thought the answer was "Christ, what an asshole."
posted by b33j at 5:51 PM on October 9, 2007


"I was watching an episode of Law and Order tonight and I thought one of the incidental characters was named Todd Lokken. This pleased me. But I was wrong. Turns out I'm deaf instead."

Dude, I know exactly the one you mean. I got all gleeful on that too.
posted by klangklangston at 5:52 PM on October 9, 2007


I thought they named the car 'chatfilter'.
posted by KokuRyu at 6:11 PM on October 9, 2007


I thought they named the car 'chatfilter'.

No, they already have one kid named 'chatfilter'. They'll have to name the car something else, if only to save money on future therapy bills.
posted by loquacious at 6:23 PM on October 9, 2007


There is no one truly correct answer.

I think that's a rather limiting barometer of what makes a good AskMe. For instance, "I'm going to be in Prague next weekend; what's a good sushi place" is a perfectly fine question even though "there is no one truly correct answer."
posted by dhammond at 6:26 PM on October 9, 2007


On the other hand, "Name my Cat!!!!1!!11!!" is not a good question because the answers are all opinions.

Asking for opinions is regularly done in AskMefi.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:34 PM on October 9, 2007


Asking for opinions is regularly done in AskMefi.

And it sucks every time.
posted by blacklite at 7:24 PM on October 9, 2007


Oh I'm so out of the internet loop....

who is todd lokken??

See? I've even forgotten my html. that would have been in small letters, but I can't remember if the <> would have worked, and I'm too lazy to find out. Once upon a time I used to be able to code a website with frames in notepad - yeah, I was cool.

now I read mills and boon and have lost all my nerdiness in the computer way to become a sad sack!
posted by jonathanstrange at 7:24 PM on October 9, 2007


(Disclaimer: I am a hypocrite, I've asked for opinions before, but I still don't think it's a good idea. I also used to think that "chaos" was pronounced like "chay-ose". Things change.)
posted by blacklite at 7:26 PM on October 9, 2007


People who can't name things lack creativity.
posted by scarabic at 8:17 PM on October 9, 2007


From the ask.metafilter guidelines:
What makes a bad question on Ask MetaFilter?

(bunch of stuff)
- Please avoid "help me name my kitten/computer/website" and "help me make a mix CD" questions.
They don't tend to be deleted as far as I've noticed, although I could just be too slow. You all could just flag it as 'breaks the guidelines'.
posted by shelleycat at 8:20 PM on October 9, 2007


nomisxid: "What makes people think that simply flagging a post that offends them isn't enough?"

Because it doesn't magically go away when you flag it.

It's like Craigslist. You flag and flag and nothing happens. Then you post something perfectly innocuous and it's gone within 30 seconds for some inexplicable reason.
posted by who squared at 9:30 PM on October 9, 2007


Chatfilter posts are only deleted if they are hypotheticals or if the poster says "let me go first."
posted by afu at 11:10 PM on October 9, 2007


I flagged it as "breaks the fundamental covenant between God and His Creation."
Man gave names to all the animals, but he never said a peep about any mode of transport (and don't come that sectarian heresy about the horse with me, sonny Jim).
If any MeFites would like to join me and my spit-flecked brethren from the First Church of Christ What-An-Asshole to protest by the slipway at the next launch of a naval vessel, email's in my profile.
posted by Abiezer at 12:50 AM on October 10, 2007


"What makes people think that simply flagging a post that offends them isn't enough?"

Because, in the past, naming questions have not been considered chatfilter. You need a Meta thread to try to change policy.
posted by smackfu at 5:44 AM on October 10, 2007


I HATE naming posts. I don't think it's good for AskMe and goes against the spirit of the damn thing. And how hard is it to come up with a name yourself? It's chatty and bizarre.
posted by agregoli at 7:35 AM on October 10, 2007


who^2, I have the opposite problem with craigslist, where the amusing sounding ad is still listed in the index, but has been deleted when I go clicky.
posted by nomisxid at 11:32 AM on October 10, 2007


I have flagged more than one "name my [something]" post in the past, especially given how the FAQ has an explicit guideline against it. However, none of my flagged posts has ever been deleted.
posted by madman at 1:52 PM on October 10, 2007


Unless they give the car two names, there is only one correct answer. Don't attempt to name everything in the multiverse, just this one.
posted by blue_beetle at 3:31 PM on October 10, 2007


Why doesn't someone make a "name my x" website, post it to projects, then we could point everyone there when they ask these types of questions. The revenue from the Google Ads alone would be monstrous.
posted by blue_beetle at 3:32 PM on October 10, 2007


"A person is rich in proportion to the number of things which he or she can afford to let alone." -- Thoreau

If you don't like Naming Threads and you see a Naming Thread, ignore it and move on. (Yeah, I'm as guilty of trolling as the next person, but I'm trying to be better.)
posted by neuron at 7:18 PM on October 10, 2007


jonathanstrange: a user who "signed" all his posts with Todd Lokken. Like this.
posted by O9scar at 11:12 PM on October 10, 2007


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