Comments on: December Awesome Post Contest

December Awesome Post Contest

mathowie — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:05:17 -0800

A couple years back we did a best post contest in December (winners here). A couple days ago, anotherpanacea suggested we do it again, and it sounded like a good idea, so yeah, consider this the announcement of a December 2008 Awesomest Post of the Official Recession Contest. With Prizes.

It'll be much the same as last time, make awesome posts to MeFi, and near the end of the month, me, jessamyn, and cortex will come up with our own personal top 3-5 posts we liked. We'll confer and likely figure out which ones showed up on everyone's lists and pick out the order as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. We may even record the conversation for an early January podcast so you know our thinking on these things. It's basically make a great post -- and that's a nebulous thing that usually means awesome interesting out of the way sites and subject matter. It could be a one-line post, it could be a wikipedia-esque monster post, but good stuff is what we're after. We won't go off raw favorites counts alone, but we of course always check the popular favorites to guide us towards what the community likes best (but there's no reason to game it and sign up 10 accounts to post fake favorites to your thing because your post still has to be awesome to win). For prizes, I'll do like last time (mostly iPods) with some other options. So how about this for prizes: 1st: iPod Touch (16Gb model) or $299 cash or $299 donated to Creative Commons 2nd: iPod Nano (16Gb) or $199 cash or $199 donated to CC 3rd: iPod Shuffle (2Gb) or $69 cash or $69 donated to CC Sound good? Great, post your best stuff this month for everyone to enjoy.

By: Miko

Miko — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:09:55 -0800

I'm in! I would so love to upgrade....

By: anotherpanacea

anotherpanacea — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:26:51 -0800

"...it was always said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!"

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:30:03 -0800

Oh damn, now I have to make a GOOD post.

Sheesh.

By: cortex

cortex — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:40:52 -0800

Protip: DON'T BE LIKE ME.

By: ND¢

ND¢ — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:59:40 -0800

You should be like me cause I won last time.

By: An Infinity Of Monkeys

An Infinity Of Monkeys — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:01:04 -0800

Apple-ist.

By: anastasiav

anastasiav — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:12:10 -0800

Matt, thanks for doing this (again).

By: Tehanu

Tehanu — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:46:51 -0800

Awesome!

By: Quietgal

Quietgal — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:51:24 -0800

Metafilter: has to be awesome to win.

By: jessamyn

jessamyn — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:02:27 -0800

Yay!

By: Melismata

Melismata — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:17:41 -0800

How about best comments? I'm still laughing hysterically over Pastabagel's unfiltered conversation.

By: gman

gman — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:22:18 -0800

What do I get if I can craft the worst post, not just of December 2008, but of all time?

By: flatluigi

flatluigi — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:29:35 -0800

Well, time to get back to making FPPs.

Do we get anything if we make posts that get awesome comments?

By: jessamyn

jessamyn — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:30:34 -0800

You get what my Mom says about longass words in Scrabble that get you very few points: "moral victory"

By: gman

gman — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:39:07 -0800

jessamyn - flatluigi or me? OH PLEASE BE ME. PLEASE BE ME. I live for moral victories.

By: flatluigi

flatluigi — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:43:04 -0800

I love moral victories!

By: jessamyn

jessamyn — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:44:42 -0800

no gman, not you.

By: blue_beetle

blue_beetle — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:51:17 -0800

I read that as "best poster contest", and thought "yeah, I'd like to see some cool posters that I could hang on my wall". Reality was slightly more disappointing.

By: pompomtom

pompomtom — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:59:25 -0800

But the recession's been going since 12/07.

By: Potomac Avenue

Potomac Avenue — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:00:52 -0800

Man I'm so gonna win this when Obama gets elected in a few days I'm gonna post it before anyone else and it'll have 80 jillion favorites hahaha suckerz.

By: Artw

Artw — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:09:02 -0800

I'm going to make the best Kylie Minogue post EVAH! Suck it haters!

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:49:19 -0800

me, jessamyn, and cortex will come up with our own personal top 3-5 posts we liked

I knew I was sitting on that FPP about the secret Fallout 3 level where you ride a recumbent bicycle while lifeguarding for a reason.

By: lukemeister

lukemeister — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:07:07 -0800

What's le morte de bea arthur going to do about the rather patchy state of iPod design?

By: dg

dg — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:37:18 -0800

... Awesomest Post of the Official Recession Contest
This won't stop the recession, will it? It's just that, thanks to your recession, my mortgage payments have gone down almost $500 a month so far. If you're going to stop the recession, give me fair warning so I can fix my rate, please?

Plus, I look forward to the awesome posts.

By: le morte de bea arthur

le morte de bea arthur — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 03:31:43 -0800

What's le morte de bea arthur going to do about the rather patchy state of iPod design?

Don't make me picky. You wouldn't like me when I'm picky.

By: grapefruitmoon

grapefruitmoon — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 03:49:01 -0800

Awesome! Now, if I only I read things *other* than MetaFilter, so as to have material for an FPP. Hrm. I hear the internet's a big place, but I'm afraid of getting eaten by a grue.

By: dirty lies

dirty lies — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:09:30 -0800

You have been eaten by a grue.

By: grapefruitmoon

grapefruitmoon — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:14:21 -0800

DAMNIT.

By: ersatz

ersatz — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:39:26 -0800

Not really. It's just pitch gray in here.

By: wheelieman

wheelieman — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:08:45 -0800

New Years Day, Pitchfork Power baby!

By: ardgedee

ardgedee — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:08:57 -0800

What would the most awesome Askme post look like?

By: allkindsoftime

allkindsoftime — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:22:42 -0800

Why doesn't vacapinta get a say too? He works just as hard when you guys are dreaming about plates of beans.

By: vacapinta

vacapinta — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 06:04:09 -0800

Why doesn't vacapinta get a say too? He works just as hard when you guys are dreaming about plates of beans.

Hmm. It might be awkward for anyone else to respond, so let me do so. I've also been meaning to say this before.

There are three moderators here at Metafilter. They are Matt, Jessamyn and Cortex. That's it. In the background is PB of course but I believe he prefers to stay in the background. You'll notice that he never weighs in on policy for example except perhaps as just the opinion of another metafilter member.

Anyways, I am not a mod either. I like the title 'Midnight Mod' for its alliterative qualities but the truth is, I'm closer to a night watchman. I usually check the site in the morning (here in London) anyways and so Matt, I assume, felt he could trust me to hand me the power to delete posts or comments that, left unattended, would turn into major headaches for them in the morning. I'm happy to do this and it allows me the privilege of giving back a little to a site that has given me so much.

When jessamyn first introduced me you'll notice she referred to me as 'the "in case of emergency" midnight mod.' What that means is that, yes, I deal with emergencies but if there's something that can wait until the morning, then it waits. I do not deal with user queries or issues. I do not deal with general site problems or modifications. I do not deal with account issues or security issues or external issues. I have no more influence than any other user in determining the site's future direction. I do not deal with a huge number of things which Jessamyn or Cortex could explain better than I can. In all of those very important senses, I am not a moderator.

Most importantly here, I guess, is that I have no inclination to do so. I'm flattered that I was given some mod superpowers. But the truth is, as I've said, that I dont use them unless I have to.

The judges for this contest are, aptly, the three mods. Not PB. Not me. Not any number of trusted senior members. If you think more judges should be added, thats a fair general point. If you're nominating me, I politely decline. But, thank you, allkindsoftime.

The real question is: Can I compete in this contest too? :)

By: lukemeister

lukemeister — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:24:53 -0800

What would the most awesome Askme post look like?

Something like this.

By: Spatch

Spatch — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:04:32 -0800

How about best comments?

Speaking as one who pretty much only gets his kicks through comments, I second this. Even an iTunes gift card would be a nice Honorable Munchin.

By: vronsky

vronsky — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:05:23 -0800

I'm putting together a Space Hippies post, so you might as well just send the Touch to me. (and if I don't win, it proves you are all a bunch of Herberts!)

By: mathowie

mathowie — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:12:01 -0800

How about best comments?

The bar isn't very high for making a comment, so I don't want to set up a possible reward system for rampant commenting. It's tough to make a front page post, you only get one per 24 hours, and you get the scrutiny of everyone looking at it. With comments, you could be an obnoxious ass and spew all over the site fishing for a reward and as long as you have the occasional lucid story, you could be considered for some sort of comment contest, but I don't want to encourage that kind of behavior on the site.

By: Deathalicious

Deathalicious — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:35:24 -0800

Yay another opportunity to feel mediocre.

By: Mastercheddaar

Mastercheddaar — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:44:26 -0800

Argh all my posts suck and are often deleted! I am going to have to redouble my efforts. Twice as many deletions here I come. :>)

By: never used baby shoes

never used baby shoes — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:53:05 -0800

sorry, I have to

Metafilter: spew all over

Metafilter: the occasional lucid story

By: gman

gman — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:54:55 -0800

...he could trust me to hand me the power to delete posts or comments that, left unattended, would turn into major headaches for them in the morning.

The real question is: Can I compete in this contest too? :)

Only if you agree to relinquish your powers for the month of December.
*if this occurs, all my contributions will be posted between, say, 3 and 5am EST.

By: Mister_A

Mister_A — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:04:42 -0800

If anyone can do this, so can I.

By: Joe Beese

Joe Beese — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:14:39 -0800

This contest is over as soon as my first-week probation is up. Just warning y'all in advance.

By: backseatpilot

backseatpilot — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:28:23 -0800

They didn't tell you about the parole hearing, though.

By: gman

gman — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:43:26 -0800

CONTEST OVER.

By: It's Raining Florence Henderson

It's Raining Florence Henderson — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:05:37 -0800

an obnoxious ass... spew all over the site fishing for a reward... the occasional lucid story...

This is going in my profile! No wonder my ears were burning!

By: jason's_planet

jason's_planet — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:17:28 -0800

I should dust off that underwater sex post of mine and give it a second try.

I hear opportunity knockin'; Ipod, here I come!

By: lukemeister

lukemeister — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:19:46 -0800

If this iPod's a-rockin',
Don't come a-knockin'

By: cortex

cortex — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:32:14 -0800

If the iPod's a-dockin;,
Don't come a-disconnectin' it without first safely disconnecting the USB device

By: lukemeister

lukemeister — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:59:46 -0800

Yeah, you don't want to mess up your dongle.

By: vronsky

vronsky — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:00:11 -0800

Here this gets my vote. via flimsy.

By: ersatz

ersatz — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 05:57:04 -0800

If the iPod's a-dockin;,
Don't come a-disconnectin' it without first safely disconnecting the USB device

If I'd known mods get to learn how our first iPod was destroyed, I'd never have signed up!

By: Deathalicious

Deathalicious — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:32:29 -0800

With comments, you could be an obnoxious ass and spew all over the site fishing for a reward and as long as you have the occasional lucid story, you could be considered for some sort of comment contest, but I don't want to encourage that kind of behavior on the site.

What if you use this following rubrik: (number of favorites or overall awesomeness)/(number of total comments in December)^2?

By: bicyclefish

bicyclefish — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:57:05 -0800

never used baby shoes:
Metafilter: spew all over the occasional lucid story?

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:25:21 -0800

Okay, I threw my hat in.

By: Artw

Artw — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:29:37 -0800

I nominate the metatalk civility thread.

By: Samizdata

Samizdata — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:57:29 -0800

Well, as I undeniably suck at posts, I will kick back and watch the rest of the peons happily debase as they happily scrabble in the muck, backstabbing each other for the prize, while I watch from afar, chuckling deeply to myself at their desperate attempts for self validation, meanwhile realizing my position is hollow and meaningless, as I stopped posting long ago, due to my inability to make good posts...

By: SpiffyRob

SpiffyRob — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:12:50 -0800

Scruffy seconds that nomination. Blurst of the web.

By: never used baby shoes

never used baby shoes — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:23:19 -0800

Metafilter: spew all over the occasional lucid story?

I see that, and I'll raise you:

Metafilter: Lucid spew all over the occasional story.

By: lukemeister

lukemeister — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:51:35 -0800

I'd like to learn lucid spewing. Can you recommend a blog?

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:50:59 -0800

My post is floundering! floundering! Oh what a world what a world oooooohhh...

By: lukemeister

lukemeister — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:01:14 -0800

The Whelk

Geez, throw us a buck or two. TANSTAAFL.

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:26:17 -0800

All I have are shiny, shiny beads.

By: not_on_display

not_on_display — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:14:58 -0800

4th place is the banhammer!

By: pxe2000

pxe2000 — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 07:08:24 -0800

Is this for posts made all year, or just for posts made in December?

By: mathowie

mathowie — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 15:58:38 -0800

Is this for posts made all year, or just for posts made in December?

All posts made from midnight December 1 to December 31 at midnight. It's why it's called the December post contest.

By: andoatnp

andoatnp — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 12:59:13 -0800

I wanted to thank metafilter for doing this contest because it helped inspire me to make my first post.

Hopefully many more to come...

By: zerobyproxy

zerobyproxy — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:52:52 -0800

Seems done to me.