Question resolution pony?

October 30, 2008 8:06 AM

About a month ago you asked a question on Ask MetaFilter:

Since then, your question has received 7 answers from 5 members. How did the answers work for you? If you have any follow-up information or a resolution, please comment in the thread.

Neato! Is this because of this old MeTa? In any case, I like it. (And yes, my question was sorta-kinda answered, and I said so & marked it resolved.)

posted by epersonae to feature requests at 8:06 AM (47 comments total)

I am continually freaked out at the short short time gaps between when we roll something out and when it gets into MetaTalk.

So, yeah, it's new, like it?

The basic idea is this..... one month after you ask a question, you get a MeMail followup just encouraging you to mark a best answer if you haven't, and to follow-up and/or mark with a resolved tag. We figured it might help nudge people and there's a link to the comment form in case people want to get ahodl of us.
posted by jessamyn at 8:11 AM on October 30, 2008

I'm not sure it's really because of that MeTa per se (I don't think we ever endorsed the "it's a Fuck You to everybody not to update your post" sentiment, for example) but the core idea of giving people a gentle prompt was a good enough one that Matt and pb went ahead and made it happen.

We'll see how folks like it; I'm guessing it'll be generally well received, but we might work on an opting angle if it ends up driving some people batty or whatever.
posted by cortex at 8:11 AM on October 30, 2008

(Not that "fuck you" is how amyms put it. That's my own ribald characterization, for the record.)
posted by cortex at 8:12 AM on October 30, 2008

This is a great idea! Awesome.
posted by Happy Dave at 8:20 AM on October 30, 2008

Does it work with anon questions?
posted by fixedgear at 8:24 AM on October 30, 2008

No. Anon questions are, as far as we can make them, anonymous. Anon questioners can't mark a best answer either.
posted by jessamyn at 8:26 AM on October 30, 2008

About a month ago you asked a question on Ask MetaFilter:

Did you eat it? Did you get sick? Have you DTMFA? Can you please confirm that any relationship question over five paragraphs in length is indicative of the asker being the problem all along? How is your cat adjusting to life without claws? Does your baby like the name Pancake?
posted by bondcliff at 8:27 AM on October 30, 2008 [21 favorites]

If the question is posted under "Medical" and the user never replies we should auto-post an "I am now dead" follow-up.
posted by DU at 8:30 AM on October 30, 2008 [24 favorites]

Whatever happened to that suggestion about adding recent posts to your recent activity? I get that there are two tabs, one for comments and one for posts, but I don't want them separated. I always forget to check My Posts.
posted by smackfu at 8:38 AM on October 30, 2008

If you have any follow-up information or a resolution, please comment in the thread.

And if not, then feel free to beg people to please someone please answer the question because not knowing the title of that story is still driving you nuts.
posted by headnsouth at 8:42 AM on October 30, 2008

This sounds like a great idea.
posted by grouse at 8:56 AM on October 30, 2008

cortex said: (Not that "fuck you" is how amyms put it. That's my own ribald characterization, for the record.)

Well, I used the "fuck you" characterization in the title of the old MeTa post, but perhaps I was being a tad overdramatic.

Thumbs up on the follow-up prompt. I think it's a great idea.
posted by amyms at 8:58 AM on October 30, 2008

You signed up to MetaFilter XX time ago. You have made XXX comments in the blue, XXX comments in MetaTalk, XXX answers in AskMe, posted XX FPPs, XX MetaTalk Threads and XXX questions in AskMe, yet you haven't ever posted a single comment in MetaFilter Music, what is wrong with you? Do you realize what you are missing?
posted by micayetoca at 8:59 AM on October 30, 2008

Well, I used the "fuck you" characterization in the title of the old MeTa post

Oh hey, you did! I clicked back through after my first comment to reskim your post text and didn't see it, but didn't check the title, and I thought I was just being a big free-associating jerk. I am mildly relieved now.
posted by cortex at 9:05 AM on October 30, 2008

"Ribald" is a great word.
The follow-up mail is a great idea too.
posted by bru at 9:12 AM on October 30, 2008

I am not so sure I need email telling me I posted a post I just posted and saw it posted.

That is all.
posted by xmutex at 9:14 AM on October 30, 2008

I got one of these last night. My first thought was, "Wow, I got email from mathowie!"

My next thought was, "Oh, man, I'm in trouble."

Then I read the email, which was regarding an askme post I did about how I could suck less at FPS games on the Xbox360.

And I had to slink back into the thread and admit that after all the good, well-intentioned, and insightful advice that was offered in that thread, I still suck.

So thanks. Thanks a lot. Nice pony.
posted by MrVisible at 9:16 AM on October 30, 2008

Or, rather, can I opt out of this? That would be awesome.
posted by xmutex at 9:17 AM on October 30, 2008

I am not so sure I need email telling me I posted a post I just posted and saw it posted.

Agreed and personally I feel the same way. If there are a lot of people who really hate the feature we can have an opt out option to be sure. Many people -- judging from the emails we get -- do NOT see their question posted or don't know how to find it later, especially if it's been deleted. I sort of wish this were not the case but the world is rarely exactly as I wish it to be.
posted by jessamyn at 9:17 AM on October 30, 2008

It's always so much nicer when people respond with what happened or what worked, so I definitely appreciate this new feature. (This post also reminded me to go back and put the resolved tag in my old Ask questions, so thanks!)
posted by gemmy at 9:20 AM on October 30, 2008

I am not so sure I need email telling me I posted a post I just posted and saw it posted.

I think it's also to keep track of your posts, in cause it's deleted or some such.

I haven't got one of these yet, so I don't know if it's being done, but I would suggest that these notification all come a single email address or have a marker in the subject line, such as "MF:", so they're easy to automatically file in folder. A neat and organized inbox is a good inbox.

The gentle nudge from Askme? Me no like, just 'cause I tend to respond and tag a best answer anyway and hate being nagged, even if by sites I like. But if it helps others, fine.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:25 AM on October 30, 2008

*resisting urge to come up with fake AskMe just to get MeMail*
posted by lunit at 9:28 AM on October 30, 2008

*Forwards lunit the AskMe confirmation I got yesterday*
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:42 AM on October 30, 2008

I'd likely opt out were that an option.
posted by dawson at 9:50 AM on October 30, 2008

I don't know about the "the post you posted has posted" email, but I love the AskMe reminder. As a reader of other people's questions, it's always interesting to see whether the advice given was helpful. For myself, it's useful to sum up how I was able to resolve my question. (again, jessamyn, thanks for the "perpetual calendar" tip. hopefully I will remember to get my cats their shots & send bday cards to my friends in 2009 and thereafter.)
posted by epersonae at 9:58 AM on October 30, 2008

"You posted a single link to a Flickr video of your wang. It got 33 comments and was more popular than any of that regular art stuff you post, but was then deleted. Perhaps you'd like to post about Palin instead?"
posted by klangklangston at 10:11 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]

can I opt out of this? That would be awesome.

You can change your MeFi Mail preferences. Click Preferences at the top of the page and then uncheck either "Forward MeFi Mail to email?" to stop getting MeFi Mails in your email inbox or "Opt-out of MeFi Mail?" to completely stop all MeFi Mail activity.
posted by pb at 10:19 AM on October 30, 2008

You signed up to MetaFilter XX time ago. You have made XXX comments in the blue, XXX comments in MetaTalk, XXX answers in AskMe, posted XX FPPs, XX MetaTalk Threads and XXX questions in AskMe. What is wrong with you? Don't you have a life?
posted by desjardins at 11:03 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]

What is wrong with you?

Don't judge me, it was college and I needed the money.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:09 AM on October 30, 2008

Besides, my mom's basement's rent isn't gonna pay itself.
posted by cortex at 11:11 AM on October 30, 2008

You can change your MeFi Mail preferences. Click Preferences at the top of the page and then uncheck either "Forward MeFi Mail to email?" to stop getting MeFi Mails in your email inbox or "Opt-out of MeFi Mail?" to completely stop all MeFi Mail activity.

But I like that. I like getting notifications when someone emails me. What will quickly become really annoying are post-related automated notifications.
posted by xmutex at 11:17 AM on October 30, 2008

For now you could block mathowie with the MeFi Mail blocking features. Then you won't get any more automated messages.
posted by pb at 11:22 AM on October 30, 2008 [2 favorites]

The only automated notification I've gotten recently was "we noticed you're using a sockpuppet to post in AskMe, if you're trying to get around the rules, cut it out or we'll delete you AND your socky little friend" (paraphrase)

I thought that was a cool automated email.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 11:29 AM on October 30, 2008

For now you could block mathowie

Dude, I can't risk that. I might miss his MeMail about how awesome I am.
posted by graventy at 11:52 AM on October 30, 2008

I thought that was a cool automated email.

That one's actually manual. And you never wrote back. Ahem.
posted by cortex at 1:15 PM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]

I sort of wish this were not the case but the world is rarely exactly as I wish it to be.

We'll get right on that. :)
posted by pjern at 1:53 PM on October 30, 2008

I'd like to be able to add a follow-up comment to some of my long-closed AskMes.
posted by C17H19NO3 at 2:30 PM on October 30, 2008

There's a new preference in your site preferences for opting out of automated announcements and reminders. Click Preferences above, check the box next to "Opt-out of MeFi Mail reminders?", and click 'Save Your Preferences'. Once set you shouldn't get any more MeFi Mails about new posts or about returning to your questions.
posted by pb at 2:57 PM on October 30, 2008

I want to mark a best answer, but so far all my question has gained is half a dozen people saying "That sounds awesome! Now I want to find out too!"
posted by the latin mouse at 3:51 PM on October 30, 2008

Even if folks are be able to opt out of the "you just posted" immediate notification, no one should be able to opt out of the month-later followup reminder to update or mark the thread resolved. xmutex, are you objecting to the month-later followup, too?
posted by mediareport at 4:45 PM on October 30, 2008

This is a great idea. Now I'd like to suggest (in all seriousness) that the text of the e-mail be amended to this:

"About a month ago you asked a question on Ask MetaFilter. Since then, your question has received x answers from x members.

How did the answers work for you? If you have any follow-up information or a resolution, please consider:

* Commenting in the thread with a follow-up
* Adding the resolved tag (or, if your question remains unresolved, adding the stumped tag)
* Marking an answer as a 'Best Answer'

Please note that none of this is compulsory, but your feedback will help make Ask Metafilter a more useful resource for everyone.

Please contact one of the mods if you have any questions by using this contact form."
posted by Effigy2000 at 10:57 PM on October 30, 2008

And now I'd like to present another in my ongoing series of 'What this thread looks like when you're not logged in' pictures.

I wonder if this is the sinister first step in mathowie's plan to create a virtual jessamyn and cortex and cut some costs while he's at it...
posted by Effigy2000 at 11:30 PM on October 30, 2008

Holy sweet episodic video donkey fuck, folks will complain about anything, won't they?
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 1:19 AM on October 31, 2008

Yeah, even other folks complaining about stuff ;-)
posted by dg at 2:26 AM on October 31, 2008 [2 favorites]

xmutex, are you objecting to the month-later followup, too?

No, I don't care much about this.
posted by xmutex at 9:56 AM on October 31, 2008

I look forward to the first MeTa post that says "I turned off my notifications of my new posts, and then I posted, and now I can find my post. Which of you nazi's deleted it, and why do you hate me?!?!?"
posted by blue_beetle at 2:21 PM on October 31, 2008

(ahem) can't find my post
posted by blue_beetle at 2:21 PM on October 31, 2008