What is MetaFilter?

March 2, 2008 4:14 PM

What is MetaFilter? (No, this isn't some crappy philosophical question.)

I was so enamored with Ask MeFi when I saw it that I signed up. And in the 1.75 years that I've been here (!), I've never understood "the blue."

Last night a friend of mine, who's a new user here, asked me what the 'main' MetaFilter was. I started to offer an explanation that it's a multi-user blog where people post links. But that's three-quarters of the Internet.

How would you have answered the question? Not just for him, but for my sake, too!

posted by fogster to MetaFilter-related at 4:14 PM (104 comments total)

But that's three-quarters of the Internet.

No it's not.
posted by dhammond at 4:16 PM on March 2 [5 favorites]

it's like digg, only smarter.

::hides::
posted by lunit at 4:23 PM on March 2

I started to offer an explanation that it's a multi-user blog where people post links.

... and discuss those links (or more accurately make short quips over them).

This isn't rhetorical: what's wrong or significantly incomplete, in your mind, about that description?
posted by dgaicun at 4:23 PM on March 2

The best of the web.

Anything not contained in that definition is incidental as far as I'm concerned.
posted by Skorgu at 4:24 PM on March 2

It's a place where people post links to other websites that they have found and that they think others might find interesting. This runs the gamut from niche websites about little/well known subjects, Youtube links, news stories, politics, language, sex, art, porn... you name it. Some think this is the best feature of 'The Blue'.

And then people comment on the links. They will either say it's great, it's crap, it's meh. They will post their thoughts, their own experiences on the subject matter, follow up links that expand on the original link. Some people think this the best feature of 'The Blue'. Some often just read the conversations rather than the link itself.

The point is Metafilter is both of these things, and more. It means different things to different people, and it is what we, the community, make it.

For me it's simply a great place to read often enlightening conversations/debates about stuff I know about or may never have seen before, moderated by three awesome people who give us a hell of a lot of freedom to keep doing just that. That's why I like it, and why I keep coming back.
posted by Effigy2000 at 4:30 PM on March 2 [2 favorites]

This isn't rhetorical: what's wrong or significantly incomplete, in your mind, about that description?

I guess I meant it more like, "What makes MeFi special?" My description as a multi-user blog was "right," I'm sure. But what sets us apart from any other "multi-user blog where people post links" on the Internet?
posted by fogster at 4:33 PM on March 2

For me, it's about the conversation. I know, I know that people always it's not about the conversation...

but for me, the conversation is what distinguishes MetaFilter from, say, Fark or Digg.

The conversation tends to be more intelligent, full of fewer trolls (although, we certainly have those, too), with, most of the time at least, interesting viewpoints and debate. The moderation keeps out the truly inane and insulting stuff (mostly), and what's left over can be pretty stimulating.
posted by MythMaker at 4:33 PM on March 2 [2 favorites]

I guess I meant it more like, "What makes MeFi special?"

I think it's the community. We are the ones we've been waiting for.
posted by dhammond at 4:36 PM on March 2

what sets us apart from any other "multi-user blog where people post links" on the Internet?

Older scotch and a more primitive interface.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 4:40 PM on March 2 [2 favorites]

What is MetaFilter?

It's a place where anyone can post interesting things. There are few restrictions to what said things can be; they just have to be sufficiently interesting -- 'the best of the web.' Then, people can discuss the links and branch off into discussions and (more and more frequently) spontaneous haiku.

What makes MetaFilter special?

For one, there's an entry fee, which does a fairly good job of keeping riffraff out. For two, there's rules about the place that are simple and yet sensical enough to keep the overall discussion civil. For three, it has a low level of moderation, replaced by a public area for meta discussion and callouts. For three, there's a large and established community that's amazingly easy to enter and great to be in. Finally, it's got me cameras quonsar many other worthwhile things that can't easily be described. It's only $5, why not check it out?
posted by flatluigi at 4:50 PM on March 2

MetaFilter: What is MetaFilter?
posted by sciurus at 4:58 PM on March 2

Just for fun, here are the Googlism results for "What is Metafilter?"

metafilter is moving
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metafilter is moving it seems metafilter has finally found a person that's willing to give mefi the
metafilter is moving » may 30
metafilter is down
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metafilter is too good at breaking news not to be used for that purpose
metafilter is impeccable; do what you feel is best
metafilter is a pretty good community
metafilter is being served from pyra now
metafilter is one of the sometimes confusing class of sites known as 'weblogs
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metafilter is implementing trackback on
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metafilter is slowly descending to the level of the other 99/100ths of the internet
metafilter is doing this using paypal and testing the waters since this is what i planned on doing in the future in order to keep daypop running
metafilter is on vacation but leaves us with this giant list of member
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metafilter is a weblog of the slashdot genre where anyone can post a link to a story or useful website
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metafilter is also now accepting trackbacks
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metafilter is highly targeted towards indy publishers and the blog community
metafilter is a
metafilter is a weblog that anyone can contribute a link or a comment to
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metafilter is down she's got nothing much else to do
posted by amyms at 4:59 PM on March 2 [5 favorites]

Every once in a while, we get a pony if we ask nicely.

No really, try it.
posted by Mikey-San at 5:00 PM on March 2

Five bucks, same as in town.
posted by zamboni at 5:02 PM on March 2 [11 favorites]

the plastic.com it's OK to like, ffs.
posted by bonaldi at 5:02 PM on March 2

metafilter is running fine
Jesus, Google
posted by bonaldi at 5:04 PM on March 2

For me, it's about the conversation. I know, I know that people always it's not about the conversation...

No, it's definitely about the conversation, but what keeps the conversation interesting is that the rules mandate a focus on good links. If you want conversation without links, MetaChat can be delightful, but a lot of it is just in-group chitchat. MeFi is... well, I still like my suggested ad from a few years ago.
posted by languagehat at 5:05 PM on March 2 [2 favorites]

I work at Stanford. MetaFilter is my secret mass psychology experiment.
posted by loquacious at 5:13 PM on March 2 [3 favorites]

Oh, shit.

*cancels account, raids office supply cabinet before they come to escort him from the lab*
posted by loquacious at 5:15 PM on March 2

The snark is snarkier here.
posted by langedon at 5:16 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]

A few weeks ago, I described MetaFilter as the worst general interest community on the internet, except for all the others.
posted by gsteff at 5:17 PM on March 2

It's, um, a filter. A filter for the internet.

It's like the internet is a scrap yard, and MeFi is that old guy who goes through the junk cars and picks out all the usable parts.
posted by Sys Rq at 5:17 PM on March 2 [4 favorites]

It's the primitive interface. Keeps the kiddies away.
posted by signal at 5:21 PM on March 2

metafilter is starting to feel like having sex with an ex

That's actually a pretty good summation. It's a pure timewaster that leaves you feeling slightly guilty about not having done something more productive & goal-oriented with your energies instead, but hot damn, it's a lot of fun!
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:22 PM on March 2

It's good, quality entertainment.
posted by not_on_display at 5:26 PM on March 2

No, it's definitely about the conversation

For sure. It's a great place for intellectual mass debating.
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:30 PM on March 2 [4 favorites]

From the wiki:

What is MetaFilter?

From the OED: "In Greek, the Meta prefix is joined chiefly to verbs and verbal derivatives; the principal notions which it expresses are: sharing, action in common; pursuit or quest; and, especially, change (of place, order, condition, or nature)".

And, from Merriam Webster: A filter is a "porous material through which a liquid or gas is passed in order to separate the fluid from suspended particulate matter".

So MetaFilter can be thought of as a shared pursuit or quest to separate the particulate matter of the web from the ubiquitous fluid it's suspended in. Put simply, it's a collaborative effort to point out (and discuss) the interesting stuff on the web.

Thanks, wiki!
posted by not_on_display at 5:31 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]

Metafilter is a boot stamping on a human face - forever.
posted by Justinian at 5:37 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]

How would you have answered the question? Not just for him, but for my sake, too!

Ask Clay Shirkey.

I'll boil it down for you: other sites that try to be as complete or large as MetaFilter is are dysfunctional in various ways that have to do with the issues Shirky describes. MetaFilter feels like more of a community because it is; it relies on social solutions to social problems instead of software "solutions".

Examples have already been given above... including charging $5 for an account, disabling new user registration, and the grey.

I've laughed out loud twice reading this thread btw. I live for the grey. is that wrong? please?
posted by tarheelcoxn at 5:38 PM on March 2

Metafilter is.... a warm puppy.
posted by amyms at 5:41 PM on March 2

Another LOL. Missed one.
posted by tarheelcoxn at 5:42 PM on March 2

"Metafilter is a weblog (what's a weblog? | comprehensive history of weblogs) that anyone can contribute a link or a comment to. A typical weblog is one person posting their thoughts on the unique things they find on the web. This website exists to break down the barriers between people, to extend a weblog beyond just one person, and to foster discussion among its members."

About MetaFilter
posted by carsonb at 5:46 PM on March 2

MetaFilter is a boot stamping on a warm puppy - forever.
posted by Sys Rq at 5:55 PM on March 2

It's true that Slashdot and BoingBoing 'ave ways that are winning
And Reddit and del.ici.ous'll set your 'eart spinning
memepool's delightful, digg is disarming
Twitter, Flickr, Last.fm - charming!
Wikipedia's dashing, kuro5in's sweet
Technorati's smashing, 4chan a treat
Ars Technica, Gizmodo, Engadget, and Fark
Convival company, alone in the dark
Facebook and MySpace and LinkedIn are sorts
I'll agree are three jolly good sports
But cream of the crop, tip of the top
It's Metafilter, and there we stop!

Oh, it's a jolly 'oliday with Mefi
Mefi makes your 'eart so light!
If traditional internet wankery you can defy
Mefi makes the sun shine bright!
Oh, wittiness is bloomin' all around 'it
The daffodils are snarkin' at the doves!
When Mefi's on your screen, you feel so keen
Your 'eart starts throbbin' like a thing obscene,
It's a jolly 'oliday with Mefi
No wonder that it's Mefi that we love!
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 5:59 PM on March 2 [11 favorites]

[waits for a Dick Van Dyke cockney to hit Music...]
posted by Sys Rq at 6:03 PM on March 2

MetaFilter simply is.
posted by Sailormom at 6:06 PM on March 2

MetaFilter is a pancake sitting on a warm bunny - forever.
posted by UbuRoivas at 6:07 PM on March 2 [3 favorites]

Reader's Digest for hipsters, nerds, and me.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 6:08 PM on March 2 [2 favorites]

It's a dumping ground for the pointless and dull minutiae of US election campaigns accompanied by a kind of Confucian ritual where a familiar cast perform their allotted roles in accordance with tradition-sanctioned type.
posted by Abiezer at 6:18 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]

MetaFilter used to be cool, til the theater people started signing up.
posted by ibmcginty at 6:23 PM on March 2

MetaFilter is the ass of the internet.

AskMe, naturally, is the boil on that ass.
posted by yhbc at 6:29 PM on March 2

For one, there's an entry fee, which does a fairly good job of keeping riffraff out.

Who are you Warren Buffett ?
posted by nola at 6:30 PM on March 2

For sure. It's a great place for intellectual mass debating.

What the fuck have you been drinking?
posted by 1 at 7:02 PM on March 2

But what sets us apart from any other "multi-user blog where people post links" on the Internet?

How about this? (hat tip xkcd)
posted by dgaicun at 7:04 PM on March 2 [9 favorites]

Metafilter is epic comments that are apt to get deleted.
posted by Dave Faris at 7:06 PM on March 2

what sets us apart from any other "multi-user blog where people post links" on the Internet?

I think tarheelcoxn has it.

There are loads of sites (now) that go for the multi-user-blog / best-of-the-web aggregation thing. People often bring up Digg. The thing about most of those sites is that the aim for:

1) Quantity
2) Automated voting / sorting / judging / moderation
3) Anyone can drive-by and put in their 2-cents

The thing about Metafilter is that we're actually mostly a bunch of arrogant pricks. We don't suffer fools lightly. We expect a certain level of discourse, respect, even spelling and grammar. There's a barrier of entry. The moderators actually look at what's going on, instead of everything being determined by how many thumbs up or thumbs down your comment gets. So we very rarely get Digg / Youtube style discourse, ie. "OMG that fkn sux LOL why dont u go back to ur own contry FAG!!". On those sites that would just get "modded down" as noise. Here, it means you've just lost $5.

And, in terms of making posts, it's definitely not about quantity. You don't post something here by clicking on a "DIGG THIS" button. You actually have to think carefully about things because the users, the mods, are watching like a hawk and you will be ridiculed if what you post is crap, or banned if what you post breaks the rules. We're a bunch of nasty, mean, enforcers, really.

Metafilter dates back to a time when blogs were something new - and so it attracted a pretty specific, savvy group of users. Over time, the influx of new users has been managed extremely, extremely well, and the moderators have been excellent. It's not a system that scales very well - I can't imagine Metafilter could exist if it had 500,000 users, but then I was convinced it couldn't exist with more than 14,000 users, so maybe it could in some form.
posted by Jimbob at 7:13 PM on March 2 [2 favorites]

I was convinced it couldn't exist with more than 14,000 users

Hey! I resemble that remark!
posted by yhbc at 7:19 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]

You're the one that convinced me of the bright future in store for Metafilter, yhbc. You, and you alone.
posted by Jimbob at 7:21 PM on March 2

One time I tried to come up with a fast and accurate way to explain what Metafilter users were like. What I finally came up with was this:

The majority of active MeFi users own Macs.

And that pretty much tells you all you need to know about them.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 7:25 PM on March 2

What the fuck have you been drinking?

Smart drinks. You should try some.
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:30 PM on March 2

The majority of active MeFi users own Macs.

Stats, please?
posted by Jimbob at 7:31 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]

Its like a website. On the internet.
posted by ND¢ at 7:31 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]

If you were a Metafilter, what kind of a Metafilter would you be?
posted by miss lynnster at 7:32 PM on March 2

A crowded room full of ndividuals odds on likely to be the smartest persons in their own and the next several in-real-life rooms, or, at the very least, in their next several own minds.
posted by y2karl at 7:35 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]

Before I started calling MetaFilter "my job" I tried to explain it to people like this "You know blogs? You know how I have one? Well this is a group blog except instead of having stuff by one or two people it has stuff by hundreds of not thousands of people.... People post links to interesting things they find on the web and then people talk about it and sometimes fight about it. It's often strange but never dull."

My favorite thing about it though, and why it seems different to me than other websites, is that there is a really high quotient of people here who have done something else or are doing something else besides nerding around online all the time. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love the Internets, but I think the people here at least a good chunk of them see the Internet as merely a delivery mechanism for interesting things, not the end result in and of itself. So, I find the people here do things that I like to hear about and often have insights that are worth hearing and I find that MeFi is a good mechanism [along with AskMe and Music and Projects and here] for finding out what it interesting about other people.

SCDB I don't think Macs are in the majority here, I just don't think they're as teeny a minority as they are in the larger picture.
posted by jessamyn at 7:36 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]

Sometimes we make chessboards with life size chess pieces.
posted by ND¢ at 7:38 PM on March 2

Many of us have cats.
posted by ND¢ at 7:38 PM on March 2 [2 favorites]

Many of us can't stand cats or the people who tolerate them.
posted by Jimbob at 7:40 PM on March 2

I don't think people who can't stand cats or the people who tolerate them are in the majority here, I just don't think they're as vast a minority as they are in the larger picture.
posted by ND¢ at 7:42 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]

True that.
posted by Jimbob at 7:44 PM on March 2

It's just that the idea of Metafilter users as Mac-owning, cat-loving, apartment-dwelling types makes my Linux-running, dog-owning, suburb dwelling self feel like the kid who always gets picked last for the baseball team.

I think Jess's analysis of Metafilter users works better:

"My favorite thing about it though, and why it seems different to me than other websites, is that there is a really high quotient of people here who have done something else or are doing something else besides nerding around online all the time."
posted by Jimbob at 7:47 PM on March 2

there's also this "MetaFilter is the only place where people who have never met me call me Jess. The only other people who call me Jess are my family. It's weird how that works."
posted by jessamyn at 7:49 PM on March 2

Many of our cats are declawed.
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:54 PM on March 2

the kid who always gets picked last for the baseball team

No, I think you get picked last because you obviously can't tell the difference between baseball and cricket.
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:59 PM on March 2

The spelling, punctuation, capitalization and grammar are what really makes MeFi a special place for me. I'm not even a very good writer and I have to rely on Firefox's spell checker for about one out of ten words but I cringe when I read comments on Digg or Youtube or IMDB or most other forums.
posted by octothorpe at 8:03 PM on March 2

MetaFilter is not a thing.
It's people.
It's Matt' place and Matt's kind of place, Matt's choices of openness, topics and tone.
And Jess' and Cortex'.
Built one member at a time.

It's not self sustaining.
It's cared for.
Everything (and everyone) that doesn't fit is pruned.
Everything (and everyone) who does is encouraged.
It's a never ending process.
It's a creation.
It's changing with time, events, ideas.
It's a live thing.
It's alive.
posted by bru at 8:07 PM on March 2

Put down the bong. It's just a website.
posted by Dave Faris at 8:21 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]

MetaFilter is a warm puppy.
posted by KokuRyu at 8:25 PM on March 2

FYI, Ubu, I did play baseball. And I was shithouse at it.
posted by Jimbob at 8:33 PM on March 2

I have no cats, 2 dogs, I have 6 PC's in my house, I hated the mac I had for a few months, I'm fairly conservative, I'm a Christian, I'm a southerner, I'm female...

I AM Metafilter!!
posted by pearlybob at 8:48 PM on March 2

What is MetaFilter, you ask? One may as well ask, "What? Is MetaFilter?" Or, "What is? MetaFilter?" Or, more simply, "What?"
The question I usually ask is, "Hello? Is this thing on? [tap, tap] Test, one two..."
posted by not_on_display at 8:57 PM on March 2

MetaFilter is not a thing.
It's people.

No, man, Soylent Green is people.
posted by y2karl at 9:01 PM on March 2

It's a message board that costs $5 to join.
posted by empath at 9:04 PM on March 2

And that pretty much tells you all you need to know about them.

Christ, what an asshole.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:13 PM on March 2

Metafilter is what prevents me from being utterly bored *all the time.*
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:15 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]

Metafilter, `Prend moi tel que je suis.'
posted by johnjoe at 9:38 PM on March 2

*Secretly likes lolcats*
posted by Phire at 9:51 PM on March 2

Metafilter is not the same since [member] left.
posted by blue_beetle at 9:56 PM on March 2

It's a great place to hang out if you can settle in, and even better if you can make friends. It truly is special that way.
Also, it's highly addictive; you might want to be wary of that.
posted by hadjiboy at 10:14 PM on March 2

When I do a Google search on Metafilter, I get

Previously on Metafilter, because he linked here. How could a seemingly normal, albeit "single, bored and lonely", young man become a cannabalistic child ...

That, for me, is the Metafilter experience.
posted by lukemeister at 10:30 PM on March 2

It's the only general interest website I'm aware of that has a membership that I'd want to meet in the real world. Can you imagine a Digg meetup? A meetup of Youtube commenters?
posted by Bookhouse at 10:37 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]

Metafilter is not the same since [member] left.
posted by blue_beetle
Have faith, b_b. [member] will be back with a new [nickname].
Can you say"faith" on MetaTalk?
posted by Cranberry at 11:19 PM on March 2

Can you imagine a Digg meetup? A meetup of Youtube commenters?
That's what the Homeland Security Department should be working to prevent.

Can you say "faith" on MetaTalk?
We will tolerate no old George Michael songs here!

As for the 'typical' MeFite:

No Mac here. Never owned an Apple anything (my first PC was a COMMOfreakingDORE 64) and intend to keep that streak going. Used to be satisfied with HP hardware and Windows XP, but two dead-before-their-time notebooks are enough to change my mind and I am definitely avoiding Vista at all costs, including investigating that wacky Linux stuff. No cats, grew up allergic, took a bunch of shots and finally outgrew it, but I'm still a Dog Lover at heart (and frustrated at conditions currently keeping me from getting my own canine pal). I'm older than 99.something percent of you (born the same day James Dean died, look it up), and my greatest pre-web claim to fame was being a Professional Sidekick on Los Angeles AM Radio in the '70s. I don't know (or care) about the rest of you, but after denying it for most of my first 50 years, DAMMIT, I AM A SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE.

It's the collection of genuinely unique characters who are in the forefront that make this site the most fun I have online (geez, that sounds pathetic). And even when a group of them seem to be marching in lockstep about one thing or another, I can still see so many fascinating variations and I really pity those who can't. (But then, that's one of their unique traits too, I guess).

And the number of 'disabled account' MeFites who come back either with a new name of a mod-approved restoration make me think of this tagline.
MetaFilter: I just can't quit you (for more than 2 months)

OK, come on, "everyone needs a hug", so GROUP HUG! GROUP HUG! (But some of you please empty your pockets first, thank you)
posted by wendell at 11:48 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]

Unfortunately, no one can be told what Metafilter is. You have to see it for yourself.

You take the red pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the blue pill, you stay in Metafilter, and I show you how deep the Oolong hole goes.
posted by juv3nal at 12:20 AM on March 3

Oolong and mushrooms and elephants pissing,
pantsfish and longboats and fedora dissing,
meetups and shoutouts and favorites too,
this is my MeFi but what's it to you?
posted by ooga_booga at 1:34 AM on March 3 [1 favorite]

MetaFilter is a short guy playing guitar, another guy dressed up like a mix of Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan, and another guy who can't figure out how to tear off his shirt.

Oh wait, I was thinking of the bWo, nevermind.
posted by Cyclopsis Raptor at 1:34 AM on March 3

|m|e|t|a|f|i|l|t|e|r|
MY ANTI-DRUG.
posted by Rhaomi at 2:53 AM on March 3

It's the tab I click over to after I've finished watching all the new uploads on Pornotube.
posted by scose at 4:10 AM on March 3

A meetup of Youtube commenters?

Or, "The Food Court at the Mall"
posted by Greg Nog at 4:49 AM on March 3

MeFi is a cool new BBS everyone should check out.
posted by breezeway at 8:05 AM on March 3

Metafilter (MeFi) is a very inexpensive MMO game where players farm SPP (self policing points) which are used for the "Bluff and Bluster" mini-game. Traditional MMO raiding is available in instances like LOL Xians, and Mount Bush. Questing is available in the green and fructiferous AskMe zone, where extra SPP are earned. PvP combat is found everywhere, but is typically concentrated in the grey and cold-blooded MeFi zone. Character level is set when your account is created and has little effect on game play. Like other MMOs, MeFi is never really "won" like traditional games - It just goes on and on forever.
posted by Ragma at 8:22 AM on March 3 [1 favorite]

Metafilter (MeFi) is a very inexpensive MMO game where players farm SPP (self policing points) which are used for the "Bluff and Bluster" mini-game.

And then there's the premium pay-for-view "Buff and Buster" Mathowie jello wrassling the Suicide Girls in Sudden Death Shorts vs. Skins Overtime, which was previously only available in those grainy YouTube clips that keep getting yanked the second they're posted,,,,,
posted by y2karl at 9:10 AM on March 3

"...Mount Bush..."
LOLDOUBLEENTENDRES
posted by not_on_display at 9:30 AM on March 3

Metafilter is just basically memepool with comments is what.
posted by cortex at 9:56 AM on March 3 [1 favorite]

Well given that memepool has had 18 links in the last 12 months (and a whopping 0 links in the last four months), I'd say MeFi is different in a few more important ways.

Memepool is a decomposing corpse, while MeFi is the corpse you would take home to mom and dad.
posted by dgaicun at 11:14 AM on March 3

er...0 links in last three months. 1 link in nearly four months. 2 links in the last 5 months.
posted by dgaicun at 11:18 AM on March 3

Man, there are some pretty stark differences between mefi and memepool when you lay it out like that. The comparison between the two sites is absurd!

I wonder if that guy was joking or something.
posted by cortex at 11:25 AM on March 3 [1 favorite]

Yeah, but what great links they were.
posted by Dave Faris at 11:38 AM on March 3

Metafilter is a little bit of Fark,
Plus a tad of Gawker-comment savagery by snark.
posted by notoriousbhc at 12:29 PM on March 3

amyms: "Metafilter is.... a warm puppy."

... lightly sautéed and cooked slowly over an open flame until the meat literally falls off the bone.
posted by dg at 1:20 PM on March 3 [1 favorite]

It's just a website.
posted by Dave Faris

You can see it that way as long as you don't try to create a community. If you did, you would have to be curious about how it works.

(...) this power of the hive mind is intensely messy and full of the wild territory of personality and humanity. The crowd is both wiser and more irrational in aggregate. The tools to make this crowd useful are primarily the tools of dealing with people. Kevin Kelly

posted by bru at 1:31 PM on March 3

Sometimes, it's variations on a poem.
posted by ersatz at 4:20 PM on March 3

Metafilter lent you its jacket.
Metafilter gave you a puppy.
Metafilter baked you a pie.
Metafilter made you a mixtape.

Wait, that thread was deleted. Never mind.
posted by notoriousbhc at 4:49 PM on March 3

MetaFilter: The corpse you would take home to mom and dad.
posted by klausness at 3:51 AM on March 7