Musings

July 21, 2008 6:24 PM

"Muse" is romantic?

I hadn't added a new contact in awhile, and didn't realize that "muse" had been categorized as "romantic." In the past, before there were quite so many choices, I always took it to mean that you considered the person to be like a classical Muse, in that their skills and graces inspired you. I feel kind of awkward now about some of my muses, for whom my feelings, though admiring, are decidedly Platonic. Why the change?

Hope I'm not creeping people out, goin' around musin' them.

posted by Miko to MetaFilter-related at 6:24 PM (112 comments total)

I don't think so. They never write, they never call, and they don't have the common decency to give you a reaacharound.
posted by jonmc at 6:31 PM on July 21, 2008

a reaacharound

With the extra letter suggesting that one is of a more ample girth, and hence there is further to reach?
posted by Forktine at 6:33 PM on July 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

Yeah, I de-mused a couple of my contacts because of this.
posted by BrotherCaine at 6:35 PM on July 21, 2008

"Muse" in the romantic sense? Meaning, inspiring romantic thoughts and deeds? The likes of which are unprintable and require one-handed typing?

Sounds more like a crush to me.
posted by Eideteker at 6:39 PM on July 21, 2008

This is why my only contact is "met". No chance of any misunderstanding (except for those of you who I may have met and didn't know about, and those of you who I didn't and thought I did ...)
posted by yhbc at 6:39 PM on July 21, 2008

How a-muse-ing!
posted by dhammond at 6:40 PM on July 21, 2008

Prior to favorites being implemented, if I particularly liked someone's comment, I'd add him or her as a contact. If I liked the comment, I'd add the author as a "crush", if I really liked the comment as a "date", if I liked a series of comments by an author, as a "muse".

In no case was their amorous intent; while some of you are hawt, I'd never wear my heart on my sleeve contacts page. If anyone I listed thought otherwise, my bad.

Since the implementation of favorites, I add contacts less often, and only after I've been consistently impressed by several a user's comments.
posted by orthogonality at 6:42 PM on July 21, 2008

(Oh, if anyone I've listed in contacts dislikes the contact label I've given you, mefimail me and I'll change it.)
posted by orthogonality at 6:43 PM on July 21, 2008

"Muse" is romantic?

Ya takes what you can get.
posted by Dave Faris at 6:49 PM on July 21, 2008

I'm just excited when someone adds me as a contact. I'm not going to complain even if you say you're my kin and my sweetheart.
posted by sugarfish at 6:49 PM on July 21, 2008 [5 favorites]

Maybe it falls under the category "romantic" because you LOVE the way they write and what they write about.

And just so's you know, Miko, you've been a muse of mine for a while. And now that I've typed it, it sounds stalkerish. Maybe I'd better change that...
posted by ikahime at 6:53 PM on July 21, 2008

I've been operating under the assumption that "muse" is just one of those boxes you tick because sitting down and thinking about the specifics of your relationship as contacts on an internet website is really too much effort so labelling a perfect stranger as your "sweetheart crush muse date" is perfectly OK even if you aren't fucking them.
posted by cmonkey at 6:54 PM on July 21, 2008 [3 favorites]

Oh shit, didn't catch this bit. Sorta awkwardizes the couple of sibling/muse relationships. Sorry guys!
posted by carsonb at 6:58 PM on July 21, 2008

I've been operating under the assumption that "muse" is just one of those boxes you tick because sitting down and thinking about the specifics of your relationship as contacts on an internet website is really too much effort...

I think if you've even made it to the "contacts" page, you've already jumped the "too much effort" shark and lost claim to any sort of cool, distanced perspective on the internet.
posted by Miko at 7:02 PM on July 21, 2008 [6 favorites]

I always marked muse in the classical sense. I guess the XFN folks lumped it in with crushes, but anyone that has done impressive stuff on the web here ends up as my muse.
posted by mathowie at 7:08 PM on July 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

Like all other issues with contacts, it's because XFN sucks.
posted by smackfu at 7:10 PM on July 21, 2008 [2 favorites]

Ahhhh.
posted by Miko at 7:11 PM on July 21, 2008

Here you go, from the horse's mouth:

Muse describes a person who inspires you in some way. This may not be a strictly romantic or erotic type of inspiration, but might also be used to describe a person who has provided you with professional inspiration. The value landed in the romantic section because inspiration is a romantic concept in the general sense (rather than a rational concept).

Um, OK.
posted by smackfu at 7:13 PM on July 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

What was that movie where Sharon Stone played somebody's muse? Man, she used to be so hot. I mean, before that movie--I think she was already old and busted in the movie I'm thinking of.
posted by Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America at 7:15 PM on July 21, 2008

What was that movie where Sharon Stone played somebody's muse?

The Muse. Man, I had forgotten all about that movie.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:16 PM on July 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

So does "amuse" mean "without muse"? Or is it the anti-muse?
posted by blue_beetle at 7:17 PM on July 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

The value landed in the romantic section because inspiration is a romantic concept in the general sense (rather than a rational concept).

Puh-leeze! Now there's a plate of beans.

By that logic, wouldn't "friend" be there also? No one can be shown to be someone's friend using a rational argument.

I guess I'll keep using "muse" in the old way.
posted by Miko at 7:20 PM on July 21, 2008

I think if you've even made it to the "contacts" page, you've already jumped the "too much effort" shark and lost claim to any sort of cool, distanced perspective on the internet.

I'd say there's a pretty big canyon between "being interested in keeping up with what people you think are neat are saying because you enjoy reading their perspectives" and "feeling awkward because marking them as a muse might convey romantic interest".
posted by cmonkey at 7:21 PM on July 21, 2008

The Muse. Man, I had forgotten all about that movie.

See, I probably should've been able to figure that out.
posted by Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America at 7:22 PM on July 21, 2008 [2 favorites]

cmonkey: I really, really don't think so. Maybe one day you'll have an incident that convinces you otherwise.
posted by Miko at 7:22 PM on July 21, 2008

Or like, "my cat muse when it wants milk"?

OK, I got nuthin'.

But that explanatory bit from XFN that smackfu linked to above is stupid. That's a stupid piece of writing there. Just stupid. Why? Because all other "romantic" category entries are specifically "romantic" in the "I love you" sense of "romantic". Then there's suddenly this-is-romantic-as-opposed-to-rational... That just doesn't fly. And "professional inspiration" is a stupid term, as well.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:29 PM on July 21, 2008

I lost my virginity to Knights of Cydonia...
posted by My Bloody Pony at 7:36 PM on July 21, 2008

Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America writes "What was that movie where Sharon Stone played somebody's muse?"

I prefer the one where Salma Hayek is the muse.
posted by Mitheral at 7:39 PM on July 21, 2008

I always took it to mean that you considered the person to be like a classical Muse, in that their skills and graces inspired you.

I just "mused" you, Miko, for that definition exactly describes my regard for you.
posted by ottereroticist at 7:48 PM on July 21, 2008

Why the change?

Did something change; hasn't it always been like that? I have a few people who I marked as a muse and I swear I can't remember why.
posted by jessamyn at 7:49 PM on July 21, 2008

I lost my virginity to Knights of Cydonia...

tmi.
posted by clearly at 7:53 PM on July 21, 2008

Indeed it is. Sweetie.
posted by LarryC at 7:57 PM on July 21, 2008

You are all my amuse bouche, sorry that was gross, also true and also double gross, fuckit you have to live with it. Lean into it.
posted by Divine_Wino at 7:57 PM on July 21, 2008

Snootchie Bootchies!
posted by Eideteker at 7:59 PM on July 21, 2008

We are not amused.
posted by wendell at 8:04 PM on July 21, 2008

hasn't it always been like that?

Not that long ago there were fewer choices and they weren't in categories. I think the options were only friend, acquaintance, met, crush, muse. I'm not sure when the options expanded.
posted by Miko at 8:04 PM on July 21, 2008

I have a few people who I marked as a muse and I swear I can't remember why.

I just noticed I have you tagged as a Muse, jessamyn. Please don't be offended. :)

Put me in the classical column, as well. I have a (very few) people marked as 'muse', and it's almost certainly because they've written something here that was either thought-provoking, or I found profound.
posted by pjern at 8:04 PM on July 21, 2008

Not that long ago there were fewer choices and they weren't in categories

Muse has been categorized as "romantic" since at least December 2006, when this was the very first question added to the XFN FAQ.
posted by scottreynen at 8:10 PM on July 21, 2008

Duh, it's not romantic, it's Romantic, you know, like late 19th century decadence and melodrama. They were all about having muses back then.
posted by speicus at 8:13 PM on July 21, 2008

I can't remember why I checked ZachsMind down as spouse, but it better be a damn good story.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:14 PM on July 21, 2008

The value landed in the romantic section because inspiration is a romantic concept in the general sense (rather than a rational concept).

Yes, this is totally more about Ode on a Grecian Urn than about falling in love, and I support this usage.

Duh, it's not romantic, it's Romantic, you know, like late 19th century decadence and melodrama.

Romantic is, in my mind, quite a bit removed from Decadent. There are similarities, but the Decadents were just much more hardcore.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 8:21 PM on July 21, 2008

at least December 2006,

which is "not that long ago" in my head. For someone used to the way it used to was for a long time, this is definitely an 18-month-young change. I can roll with it, just wondered when it came about and why.
posted by Miko at 8:24 PM on July 21, 2008

anyone that has done impressive stuff on the web here ends up as my muse

*checks contacts*

Why do I suddenly feel like mathowie just dissed me?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 8:28 PM on July 21, 2008

A good literary dating site would be eMuse.
posted by turgid dahlia at 8:30 PM on July 21, 2008

A good cat naming site would be eMews.
posted by UbuRoivas at 8:44 PM on July 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

I wish there was a notification when a contact decontactifies.
I NEED CLOSURE!!!
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 8:45 PM on July 21, 2008

Yeah - Somebody dropped me as a contact last week. I assumed it was because I'm an asshole.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 9:09 PM on July 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

A good fluffy chocolate dairy dessert recipe site would be eMoose.
posted by turgid dahlia at 9:15 PM on July 21, 2008

Flightless birds, as named by Apple or imitators with stupid corporate internet speak, are eMus.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 9:22 PM on July 21, 2008

Yeah - Somebody dropped me as a contact last week. I assumed it was because I'm an asshole.

I'm more about the who than the why*. It's sort of like some guy on the street walking up to you and yelling that you're a stinking piece of crap and they've never liked you and would have had a better life without you in it. Then he storms off into the faceless crowd, leaving you to wonder who he was and how he knows you.



*I'm guessing it's because I'm an asshole, too. We should start a club, jerkface!
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:24 PM on July 21, 2008

I lost my virginity to Knights of Cydonia...

tmi.

If only I were IRFH people would've gotten the joke...

Oh, y'all just wait until I finally realize my dream of being IRFH! You'll never know what hit you!

BWAHAHA!
posted by My Bloody Pony at 9:32 PM on July 21, 2008

The faces I am making at you right now? E-Moues.
posted by jessamyn at 9:33 PM on July 21, 2008 [2 favorites]

I only apply it to contacts that live in an alley where there are stables.
posted by tellurian at 9:41 PM on July 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

Jessamyn wins at vocabulary. I shouldn't self-aggrandize but I am not at all used to being defeated with vocabulary, so kudos.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 9:44 PM on July 21, 2008

Social ineptworking? eMos.
posted by UbuRoivas at 9:53 PM on July 21, 2008

Cybernetic cows? eMoos.
posted by UbuRoivas at 9:54 PM on July 21, 2008

A good fluffy chocolate dairy dessert recipe site dating site for Canadian furries would be eMoose.
posted by UbuRoivas at 10:00 PM on July 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

Here's timeistight quoting that muse definition back in June, 2004, in the thread announcing the XFN-y contact feature in the first place. So the "romantic" explanation has been part of the XFN spec (and, nominally at least, the mefi discussion of same) since inception.

Whole thread is kind of a fun read, regardless.

I don't really remember what the contact page did-vs-does look like; I don't think I more than glanced at it until probably 2006 at some point, so I'm no help there.

There was a "relaunch" thread the next day, 6/16/04. Here's Matt prophecizing hazily about contacts (and the yet-unborn, unnamed favorites feature). And here's reklaw gazing into the murky crystal as well:

Like all programs, MeFi will expand until it can read email. And then maybe someone'll get round to fixing the bugs, but don't count on it.

*hugs pb*

There's some explicit mention of option groups in this comment from filmgoerjuan:

The Friendship radio buttons are working for me, but the Geographical and Family are still not taking.

That lines up pretty well as a partial description of what's on the current add-a-contact page, so while it's not conclusive it does suggest the possibility this hasn't changed so much as Miko is just misremembering it as having once been different. Again, I just don't know regardless.

Anyway, there's a couple more Classic Metatalk threads re: contacts in the June '04 archives, if you're feeling nostalgic:

- angry modem is linking everybody
- quonsar wants shit fixed now
posted by cortex at 10:05 PM on July 21, 2008

The Friendship radio

This is the frequency I am tuned to all the time. Lalala.
posted by jessamyn at 10:07 PM on July 21, 2008

WHAT'S
THE
FREQUENCY
JESSAMYN?!
posted by cortex at 10:13 PM on July 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

This is what muse means to me.

I call dibs on Terpsichore
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 10:18 PM on July 21, 2008 [2 favorites]

Newest micro-blogging site? eμs
posted by carsonb at 10:37 PM on July 21, 2008 [2 favorites]

'Muse' is not romantic, goddamn it.

Fuckin' failure of public education makes me want to start punching throats. Every day. So I guess that means that I'm not so much wanting to start as wanting to continue. Punching throats.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 10:47 PM on July 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

*insert XFN-developers-are-Aspies joke here*
posted by nasreddin at 11:07 PM on July 21, 2008

Yeah, XFN never took off for a very good reason. No two groups of people are going to agree with each other's bullshit categories. Even if you force a single set of categories down everyone's throats, they'll still 'misinterpret' them, especially if they are exposed directly to humans to use.

Even defining a machine-readable format for describing human relationships is untenable. Getting people to use them to the point where it is worthwhile to have a machine index them across sites is totally intractable.

Since the actual contact links were moved from /user/X to /usercontacts/X, they're pretty much worthless for indexing, since you now effectively have two profile pages.

• Indexing http://metafilter.com/user/1 finds mathowie's contacts on other sites, but not contacts on Metafilter. The /usercontacts/ URL shows up as a weird phantom contact.
• Indexing http://metafilter.com/usercontacts/1 finds only contacts from Metafilter, decapitating the cross-site 'social graph'.
• The XFN links on /usercontacts/X point to /user/Y pages, which do not contain more XFN links to other mefites, preventing a proper circle-jerk and making the whole thing even more useless.

If the whole XFN-compliance thing is going to be useful (not that it will ever be), you'll probably have to remerge the contacts page back into the user page, and just set display:none by default with a widget to expose it.

It also might be a good idea to link to /username/mathowie instead of /username/1 for the XFN links to make them remotely human readable.

At least it's not the wankfest that is FOAF!
posted by blasdelf at 1:59 AM on July 22, 2008 [1 favorite]

Miko is just misremembering it as having once been different.

I really don't think I am (little help)? I can definitely believe the change was post-2006, but I'm very sure that when I was a new member there were fewer options - before the contact page got so elaborate, with pictures, etc.
posted by Miko at 5:55 AM on July 22, 2008

I really don't think I am (little help)

I don't know if I can supply specific information, but I'm right there with you on the whole "Things were simpler once and we all had to climb uphill both ways to get to MetaTalk and noobs respected the cabal and all that nostalgia jazz." Not that I've earned it, but I like nostalgia.
posted by anotherpanacea at 7:03 AM on July 22, 2008

Also, lawns were sacrosanct. Those were the days.
posted by anotherpanacea at 7:04 AM on July 22, 2008

Oh, that night when we made out to "Supermassive Black Hole" that awkward silence that huh wasn't all that awkward after all and then you said really do they make all that with guitars and I said uh-huh but thought come on let's kiss some more but instead I went all NME on you blabbering on about Cobain and Mahler and Kafka and you said uh but it's just a band and I was all no this is important and I don't think I've ever seen you again
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 7:28 AM on July 22, 2008

Of course Muse is romantic. I've slept with everyone I have ever inspired. Unless there are people out there who I have inspired and don't know about.

In which case, call me.
posted by Astro Zombie at 7:35 AM on July 22, 2008

Why are there no "none" choices after Physical, Professional, or Romantic? 'Cause I haven't been any of those in quite some time.
posted by steef at 7:39 AM on July 22, 2008

I find it pleasantly ironic that we can provide so much categorization to a group of people we've for the most part not met IRL, but are still limited to our drop-down defaults for our real-life partner relationships.
posted by allkindsoftime at 7:42 AM on July 22, 2008

I always took it to mean that you considered the person to be like a classical Muse, in that their skills and graces inspired you.

This is how I've always read the term. Which is to say, the one time I've used it, it was in the inspirational sense.

Because Astro Zombie 3 always seems to be able to articulate himself in a way that when I look at it, I think, "Damn. That's a good way of phrasing that, I wish I had been able to express that point."
posted by quin at 7:51 AM on July 22, 2008

Sick muse.
posted by Burhanistan at 7:58 AM on July 22, 2008

The value landed in the romantic section because inspiration is a romantic concept in the general sense (rather than a rational concept).

I know flapjax already said this, but damn, that's stupid.

And I was horrified, on checking, to see that I didn't have Miko marked as a muse. I've corrected that now.

(But I think you're wrong about the categories changing; I don't remember their being any different, and I've been here since the Late Cretaceous.)
posted by languagehat at 8:13 AM on July 22, 2008

It's true! Here's the hat in action!
posted by UbuRoivas at 8:22 AM on July 22, 2008 [1 favorite]

I wish I had such an extensive network of contacts that I had to assign unto them categories.

Well, I don't, but it might help me fit in!
posted by oxford blue at 9:05 AM on July 22, 2008

I save it for contacts that on the secret top of Oreb, or of Sinai didst inspire the odd shepherd or two. Like Quid.
posted by Abiezer at 9:12 AM on July 22, 2008 [1 favorite]

"Somebody dropped me as a contact last week. I assumed it was because I'm an asshole."

Funny, that's why I added you.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:12 AM on July 22, 2008

Why the change?

There hasn't been a change since Matt cracked down on freeform categories, mere days after contacts were implemented. They haven't even been updated to XFN 1.1, which is four years old now.

Like all other issues with contacts, it's because XFN sucks.

That seems to be the consensus. So, what social networking protocol doesn't suck?
posted by timeistight at 10:04 AM on July 22, 2008

That seems to be the consensus. So, what social networking protocol doesn't suck?

Having some real friends in real life.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 10:10 AM on July 22, 2008 [1 favorite]

You know who else liked real-life protocols?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:17 AM on July 22, 2008 [1 favorite]

OK, I'll chalk this up to an overactive imagination. But I coulda sworn...
posted by Miko at 10:19 AM on July 22, 2008

Let's make love and listen Death From Above.
posted by signal at 10:28 AM on July 22, 2008 [1 favorite]

Having some real friends in real life.

This is, in fact, real life. To the extent that most of us are real, and many of us are alive. Some of us are even friends. And flesh and blood relationship protocols are certainly not beyond suckage.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:29 AM on July 22, 2008 [1 favorite]

"Romantic", definition 4a, Merriam-Webster. "marked by the imaginative or emotional appeal of what is heroic, adventurous, remote, mysterious, or idealized".
posted by kidbritish at 11:02 AM on July 22, 2008

I agree with Miko - I put a few people down as "muse" because they inspire me creatively, not because I want to bone them. Please don't sully these pages with incromulent protestations as to the "true" or "original" meaning of the word "romantic" either.
posted by Mister_A at 11:26 AM on July 22, 2008

Yay, the selection of XFN relationships is totally arbitrary!
posted by zsazsa at 12:11 PM on July 22, 2008

Boy, that Meatbomb sure orks a lot of cows. And I thought mine was the only cow he orked.

Why isn't that romantic?
posted by not_on_display at 12:24 PM on July 22, 2008

I put a few people down as "muse" because they inspire me creatively, not because I want to bone them

As for me, I want to creatively bone many people. What category is that?
posted by never used baby shoes at 1:10 PM on July 22, 2008

Well, I like this because now I can pretend that those couple of people who de-mused me from their contacts did it because they didn't want me getting the wrong idea, not because they read something stupid I wrote and decided I was horrible.
posted by nanojath at 1:23 PM on July 22, 2008

Muse and squirrel!
posted by tommasz at 1:40 PM on July 22, 2008

Jessamyn wins at vocabulary.

And I was afraid the plural of moue was something like mieaux or something and all the its/it's spazmos would lose it.

friendship radio says creative boning is due out in the 2.0 XFN spec, but I just use "Geographical: none" since it's invisible and all.
posted by jessamyn at 1:50 PM on July 22, 2008

I think this means Interrobang and I have to sit down and talk to our respective partners.

Dammit.
posted by beaucoupkevin at 1:52 PM on July 22, 2008

Boy, that Meatbomb sure orks a lot of cows. And I thought mine was the only cow he orked.

The same planet, the same mission - onwards towards the Singularity, my sisters and brothers! Into the breach!
posted by Meatbomb at 4:06 PM on July 22, 2008 [1 favorite]

I hadn't noticed the change until now, but yeah, all my muses are in the classical sense. It doesn't eep me out or anything, but it does not seem to be a rational placement for muse...
posted by schyler523 at 4:16 PM on July 22, 2008

Wait, muse means what now?
posted by TwelveTwo at 4:19 PM on July 22, 2008

Reading "its/it's spazmos" totally inspired me to laugh. Now my wife knows I'm weird! Thanks a lot jessamyn.
posted by Mister_A at 6:59 PM on July 22, 2008

And I was afraid the plural of moue was something like mieaux

No that's the French collective noun for kittens.
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:10 PM on July 22, 2008

I made a goof with contacts in my early MeFi days and it led to me having several spouses. Interestingly enough, the one who was actually married to me has since divorced me.

I'm now accepting applications to refill the position. Please include references, a headshot, and a cover letter addressed to my cat, who will act as my secretary in this process.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 7:21 PM on July 22, 2008 [1 favorite]

...and a cover letter addressed to my cat

Only if I can add your cat to my contacts.

As a muse, of course.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:09 PM on July 22, 2008

ah, the classic game of cat-and-muse...
posted by jonmc at 8:14 PM on July 22, 2008

eMews is already taken.
posted by BrotherCaine at 8:27 PM on July 22, 2008

I wanna spread the news
that if it feels this good gettin' mused
just keep on musing me
until you muse me up...
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:35 PM on July 22, 2008 [1 favorite]

We are not a muse.
posted by Miko at 9:02 PM on July 22, 2008

>> ...and a cover letter addressed to my cat
> Only if I can add your cat to my contacts.
> As a muse, of course.

omg guise, cat's cant talkor read!!! b srs!

ok srsly u guis shd totaly add me as yr friend,,,,,,,,,
ill be youre best frnd "EVAH"!~
that be the best! and more smilys on the ciontacts pg pls!!!!!!!
and add me as yr frend! srsly!!!!! lol i fukin wicha. no rlly addd me!
posted by not_on_display at 7:07 AM on July 23, 2008 [1 favorite]

MikoPoster: "Miko is just misremembering it as having once been different.

I really don't think I am (little help)? I can definitely believe the change was post-2006, but I'm very sure that when I was a new member there were fewer options - before the contact page got so elaborate, with pictures, etc."

Yup - I'm sure there used to be only a small handful of choices. Something like "met", "co-worker", "friend" and "crush". Anyway, about that many, I'm sure. At least, I think I'm sure.
posted by dg at 1:56 AM on July 24, 2008

I'm quite sure that there was an option for muse that wasn't labeled as romantic at some point.

I had to delete 70 muses at some point when I noticed that it had changed, least anyone get the wrong idea.
posted by Richard Daly at 12:45 PM on July 24, 2008

Yeah, despite everyone saying that the XFN standard has always had muse in the romantic category, I'm certain that the categories didn't use to be displayed on the MeFi add contact page. Maybe they could be removed again? There's no reason to display the categories, is there? We'll use them how we want. I've got a couple of muses, and I'm not changing them just because XFN has improperly labeled them as romantic.
posted by team lowkey at 1:04 PM on July 24, 2008 [1 favorite]

Late, as usual. My selections as Muse are the ones that I consider inspirations or those I'd care to emulate. No sexual desire involved, but much respect.

I know folks have said this previously, and I agree, if anyone would like for me to change how they are listed in my contact status, I'm happy to do it. Just shoot me a MeMail.
posted by lilywing13 at 11:05 PM on July 25, 2008

It should be clear from my muses that I prefer the classical definition.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:37 AM on July 28, 2008 [4 favorites]

Sir, you are a poet and a scholar.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 4:42 PM on July 29, 2008