Double, needs to go January 14, 2009 12:39 PM Subscribe
Three and a half years and a continuing boardgame renaissance hence, combined with a broader-than-just-board-game focus in the new question, made it seem like it'd be okay to leave the question up, that's all.
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:42 PM on January 14, 2009 [7 favorites]
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:42 PM on January 14, 2009 [7 favorites]
New one opens itself to videogames as well. And really, what does it matter if it stays or is deleted, in this instance?
posted by piratebowling at 12:42 PM on January 14, 2009
posted by piratebowling at 12:42 PM on January 14, 2009
Double, needs to go
Yeah, that's not really how AskMe works.
posted by dhammond at 12:43 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
Yeah, that's not really how AskMe works.
posted by dhammond at 12:43 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
(also, I assume because there are plenty of new answers and it's awesome?)
posted by ORthey at 12:43 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by ORthey at 12:43 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
Three and a half years and a continuing boardgame renaissance hence, combined with a broader-than-just-board-game focus in the new question, made it seem like it'd be okay to leave the question up, that's all.
You always have a very smooth explanation.
posted by Joe Beese at 12:48 PM on January 14, 2009
You always have a very smooth explanation.
posted by Joe Beese at 12:48 PM on January 14, 2009
According to the Askme guidelines, you're encouraged to search the archives (and google) to see if the question has been asked previously. c:\awesome obviously searched. However, the guidelines do not say anything about going ahead with your question after your search, on the assumption that the search (and any similar previous questions found) did not answer one's question satisfactorily.
As long as AskMe is easily referenced and appropriately cross-referenced (which it is...relatively), double entries are OK, no?
posted by carsonb at 12:50 PM on January 14, 2009
As long as AskMe is easily referenced and appropriately cross-referenced (which it is...relatively), double entries are OK, no?
posted by carsonb at 12:50 PM on January 14, 2009
Though oddly, you can tag a question 'double post'.
posted by carsonb at 12:53 PM on January 14, 2009
posted by carsonb at 12:53 PM on January 14, 2009
I think it's a great question. Sure board games don't really get old, but in three years more games get published plus the asker is specifically asking for stuff that wasn't covered in a previous related question.
posted by Science! at 12:55 PM on January 14, 2009
posted by Science! at 12:55 PM on January 14, 2009
To taunt you.
It just sits there, taunting you. Flaunting the fact that it's a double. Points it right out. It's like a well-endowed drag queen who didn't tuck her business, swiveling around a stool in your favorite bar. Those pouting, over-exaggerated lips dare you to mention it as your eyes meet in a shock of recognition. "Oh, you picked up on that, did you? Go ahead and do something about it, stud." It's unspoken, but it's just askmeing for it, isn't it?
I ... I must be going now.
posted by adipocere at 12:56 PM on January 14, 2009 [23 favorites]
It just sits there, taunting you. Flaunting the fact that it's a double. Points it right out. It's like a well-endowed drag queen who didn't tuck her business, swiveling around a stool in your favorite bar. Those pouting, over-exaggerated lips dare you to mention it as your eyes meet in a shock of recognition. "Oh, you picked up on that, did you? Go ahead and do something about it, stud." It's unspoken, but it's just askmeing for it, isn't it?
I ... I must be going now.
posted by adipocere at 12:56 PM on January 14, 2009 [23 favorites]
If he asked for some good books to read at the beach it would be a double because someone asked the same question back in 2001.
So he'd be stuck reading The Da Vinci Code because under no circumstances can a question be asked twice therefore making all books published since 2001 off limits?
posted by bondcliff at 12:56 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
So he'd be stuck reading The Da Vinci Code because under no circumstances can a question be asked twice therefore making all books published since 2001 off limits?
posted by bondcliff at 12:56 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
*learns to stutter*
Though oddly, you can tag a question 'double post'.
Straight-up yeah-that's-a-double deletions do happen occasionally, it's just a whole lot rarer than on the blue. I'd say we probably nix like two or three a year on that basis, when someone asks a really precise question that was 100% answered in a previous go (etymology/usage stuff being a good example).
I don't think it's unreasonable to ask or anything.
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:57 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
Though oddly, you can tag a question 'double post'.
Straight-up yeah-that's-a-double deletions do happen occasionally, it's just a whole lot rarer than on the blue. I'd say we probably nix like two or three a year on that basis, when someone asks a really precise question that was 100% answered in a previous go (etymology/usage stuff being a good example).
I don't think it's unreasonable to ask or anything.
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:57 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
My favorite part of this call-out is the use of italics on clearly.
posted by kate blank at 12:59 PM on January 14, 2009 [3 favorites]
posted by kate blank at 12:59 PM on January 14, 2009 [3 favorites]
But multiple 'I'm looking for killer soup recipes!' questions are always welcome.
posted by fixedgear at 1:01 PM on January 14, 2009
posted by fixedgear at 1:01 PM on January 14, 2009
My favorite part of this call-out is the use of italics on clearly.
You can't blame them. I mean, it was so obvious!
posted by Joe Beese at 1:01 PM on January 14, 2009
You can't blame them. I mean, it was so obvious!
posted by Joe Beese at 1:01 PM on January 14, 2009
Yes, I agreed, debating things on the internet is a fine activity for two people.
posted by blue_beetle at 1:01 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by blue_beetle at 1:01 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
I'm glad this thread is here because I wanted to say TRY HAVING SEX n00b LOL in that askme so very badly.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 1:04 PM on January 14, 2009 [7 favorites]
posted by Potomac Avenue at 1:04 PM on January 14, 2009 [7 favorites]
Potomac Avenue, the classy move would be blue-eyed soul:
One on one, I wanna play that game to-nii-ii-ight ... one ... on one
posted by adipocere at 1:09 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
One on one, I wanna play that game to-nii-ii-ight ... one ... on one
posted by adipocere at 1:09 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
Straight-up yeah-that's-a-double deletions do happen occasionally, it's just a whole lot rarer than on the blue.
Personally I think these should only happen with questions that have exactly one undisputed answer, like this one. I know in my AskMe research for various things it's helped to have, say, a 2006 question about what I'm looking for and a 2008 repeat of the exact same question with different and more helpful answers.
posted by burnmp3s at 1:09 PM on January 14, 2009
Personally I think these should only happen with questions that have exactly one undisputed answer, like this one. I know in my AskMe research for various things it's helped to have, say, a 2006 question about what I'm looking for and a 2008 repeat of the exact same question with different and more helpful answers.
posted by burnmp3s at 1:09 PM on January 14, 2009
mkultra didn't want to get it deleted.
He wanted to send more people over there to get more responses.
posted by vacapinta at 1:11 PM on January 14, 2009
He wanted to send more people over there to get more responses.
posted by vacapinta at 1:11 PM on January 14, 2009
The morning star is not the evening star, is why.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 1:11 PM on January 14, 2009 [8 favorites]
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 1:11 PM on January 14, 2009 [8 favorites]
I know in my AskMe research for various things it's helped to have, say, a 2006 question about what I'm looking for and a 2008 repeat of the exact same question with different and more helpful answers.
I have to agree with this. There are always new developments in the world of non-consensual rectal exam porn.
posted by Joe Beese at 1:12 PM on January 14, 2009
I have to agree with this. There are always new developments in the world of non-consensual rectal exam porn.
posted by Joe Beese at 1:12 PM on January 14, 2009
There's definitely a lot more options for 2-player games -- it makes sense to consider context in these cases. I'm glad there's no solid rule about AskMe deletions.
posted by spiderskull at 1:17 PM on January 14, 2009
posted by spiderskull at 1:17 PM on January 14, 2009
A lot of AskMe questions could technically be deemed doubles. Namely: Every single "Why does my cat do this?!" question. (Best Answer: Your cat, like mine, is a dick.) There are umpteen thousand "recommend a bag" questions. And often, you'll see the asker say "I know someone asked this, butttttttttttttt... it's different!"
And yeah, situations arise that do call for new AskMe responses.
What really should be deleted are the double "relationship" filter posts. Every single "I think my partner is doing x and OMIG-D, what do I DOOOO??? [More Inside]" where the More Inside is novella length and provides details that just serve to obfuscate the answers and irritate the OP when the answerers reference details that they have since decided aren't the "important" details.
YES. HE'S CHEATING ON YOU. HAVE MORE SEX. USE MORE LUBE. DTMFA. TRY TALKING TO HER INSTEAD OF ASKING METAFILTER. HAVE MORE CONFIDENCE. HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU. SHE MEANT WHAT SHE SAID. JUST DROP IT ALREADY. TELL HIM WHAT YOU JUST TOLD US.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 1:37 PM on January 14, 2009 [8 favorites]
And yeah, situations arise that do call for new AskMe responses.
What really should be deleted are the double "relationship" filter posts. Every single "I think my partner is doing x and OMIG-D, what do I DOOOO??? [More Inside]" where the More Inside is novella length and provides details that just serve to obfuscate the answers and irritate the OP when the answerers reference details that they have since decided aren't the "important" details.
YES. HE'S CHEATING ON YOU. HAVE MORE SEX. USE MORE LUBE. DTMFA. TRY TALKING TO HER INSTEAD OF ASKING METAFILTER. HAVE MORE CONFIDENCE. HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU. SHE MEANT WHAT SHE SAID. JUST DROP IT ALREADY. TELL HIM WHAT YOU JUST TOLD US.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 1:37 PM on January 14, 2009 [8 favorites]
I couldn't agree with you more, grapefruitmoon. I even posted about it in MetaTalk here. Though I think my best idea was to just have a separate relationship filter, and call it "ReFi".
posted by Eekacat at 1:57 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by Eekacat at 1:57 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
Do you have any idea how many double posts there are in AskMetafilter, mkultra?
No, really. Do you? I want to know. I want you to count them all and make a detailed, categorized and cross-referenced list. If it takes you longer than 30 days to compile the list - as it likely will - you may make a new MetaTalk post to present your findings.
Bonus points for entering the data into a relational database and designing a user-friendly front end in ColdFusion, AJAX, Python, PHP, Ruby, Haskell, Perl, Lisp or whatever trendy scriptable-whoosit of your choice.
posted by loquacious at 1:57 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
No, really. Do you? I want to know. I want you to count them all and make a detailed, categorized and cross-referenced list. If it takes you longer than 30 days to compile the list - as it likely will - you may make a new MetaTalk post to present your findings.
Bonus points for entering the data into a relational database and designing a user-friendly front end in ColdFusion, AJAX, Python, PHP, Ruby, Haskell, Perl, Lisp or whatever trendy scriptable-whoosit of your choice.
posted by loquacious at 1:57 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
Best Answer: Your cat, like mine, is a dick.
Seriously, this isn't worth an AskMe, but my cat--two weeks ago, give or take--started kneading and vibrating his hindquarters all the time. This is new for him. If you lie down on the bed, he'll walk the perimeter of your body, kneading and butt-shaking. I think it's because he loves us, and also is crazy, but not because he is a dick. Which he is, of course, being that he's a cat, but I don't think that's the source of this particular behavior.
Also, watching two cats fight over a paper bag is a good game for two.
posted by uncleozzy at 2:12 PM on January 14, 2009
Seriously, this isn't worth an AskMe, but my cat--two weeks ago, give or take--started kneading and vibrating his hindquarters all the time. This is new for him. If you lie down on the bed, he'll walk the perimeter of your body, kneading and butt-shaking. I think it's because he loves us, and also is crazy, but not because he is a dick. Which he is, of course, being that he's a cat, but I don't think that's the source of this particular behavior.
Also, watching two cats fight over a paper bag is a good game for two.
posted by uncleozzy at 2:12 PM on January 14, 2009
Joe, you seem pretty taken with that whole nonconsentual rectal porn thing. I ain't going to call you out, but at some point it goes from funny-ha-ha to funny-guy-naked-in-the-bushes.
posted by GuyZero at 2:16 PM on January 14, 2009 [4 favorites]
posted by GuyZero at 2:16 PM on January 14, 2009 [4 favorites]
The other post was from three and a half years ago.
Every time you read Metafilter, do you immediately search for similar posts in the hope of catching someone out?
posted by idiomatika at 2:28 PM on January 14, 2009
Every time you read Metafilter, do you immediately search for similar posts in the hope of catching someone out?
posted by idiomatika at 2:28 PM on January 14, 2009
I'm an avid boardgamer. The only games I see mentioned in that thread that were published since the original question are Dominion, Hive, and Bananagrams. The OP is just coming up with a lazy excuse.
loquacious: Do you have any idea how many double posts there are in AskMetafilter, mkultra?
Yeah, I do. It's crazy to me how people can be either too lazy to search, or so egotistical to think that noooo, their question is different.
ORthey: (also, I assume because there are plenty of new answers and it's awesome?)
I recently had a post on the Blue deleted for being a "double", even though it had more, more interesting comments than a post over 4 years earlier that wasn't even the same link.
posted by mkultra at 2:30 PM on January 14, 2009
loquacious: Do you have any idea how many double posts there are in AskMetafilter, mkultra?
Yeah, I do. It's crazy to me how people can be either too lazy to search, or so egotistical to think that noooo, their question is different.
ORthey: (also, I assume because there are plenty of new answers and it's awesome?)
I recently had a post on the Blue deleted for being a "double", even though it had more, more interesting comments than a post over 4 years earlier that wasn't even the same link.
posted by mkultra at 2:30 PM on January 14, 2009
Mark it zero!
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:32 PM on January 14, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:32 PM on January 14, 2009 [2 favorites]
Board-gamist much?
Consider how desolate AskMe would be without a few doubles here and there.
WHERE WOULD THE KNOW-IT-ALLS GO TO DISPLAY THEIR SUPERIOR LEARNINGS?
It's like, when I get a bad cold, I go to the doctor. I get a bad cold every year and I know all the remedies, effective or no, and there's probably not going to be anything to help me this year, but still I go to the doctor, because Reiner Knizia boardgame design and global medical science vent product at a nominally equal rate, and there's a good chance that something new and amazing might be on the market, and how would I know about that if I didn't ask? Who's going to tell me? This guy? That one? That one, right there, sucking on his beard and pointing at ducks? Him? I don't think so, Humphrey.
posted by turgid dahlia at 2:34 PM on January 14, 2009
Consider how desolate AskMe would be without a few doubles here and there.
WHERE WOULD THE KNOW-IT-ALLS GO TO DISPLAY THEIR SUPERIOR LEARNINGS?
It's like, when I get a bad cold, I go to the doctor. I get a bad cold every year and I know all the remedies, effective or no, and there's probably not going to be anything to help me this year, but still I go to the doctor, because Reiner Knizia boardgame design and global medical science vent product at a nominally equal rate, and there's a good chance that something new and amazing might be on the market, and how would I know about that if I didn't ask? Who's going to tell me? This guy? That one? That one, right there, sucking on his beard and pointing at ducks? Him? I don't think so, Humphrey.
posted by turgid dahlia at 2:34 PM on January 14, 2009
I recently had a post on the Blue deleted for being a "double", even though it had more, more interesting comments than a post over 4 years earlier that wasn't even the same link.
Ah, the plot thickens, like a delicious custard, or a scabby knee!
posted by turgid dahlia at 2:36 PM on January 14, 2009 [5 favorites]
Ah, the plot thickens, like a delicious custard, or a scabby knee!
posted by turgid dahlia at 2:36 PM on January 14, 2009 [5 favorites]
You need to add a new flag: Mah post got deleted and I demand this one be too.
posted by substrate at 2:36 PM on January 14, 2009 [12 favorites]
posted by substrate at 2:36 PM on January 14, 2009 [12 favorites]
Why is this AskMe question, which is clearly a double, still around?
AskMe is all doubles, all the time:
I left this board game out on the counter overnight, and it had sex with my girlfriend. Can I eat it or DTMA?
posted by KokuRyu at 2:38 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
AskMe is all doubles, all the time:
I left this board game out on the counter overnight, and it had sex with my girlfriend. Can I eat it or DTMA?
posted by KokuRyu at 2:38 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
The OP also wanted to know about video games, and plenty of those have come out in the last three or four years.
posted by box at 2:39 PM on January 14, 2009
posted by box at 2:39 PM on January 14, 2009
I recently had a post on the Blue deleted for being a "double", even though it had more, more interesting comments than a post over 4 years earlier that wasn't even the same link.
This would make for a much better and more interesting Metatalk thread than the original complaint.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:42 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
This would make for a much better and more interesting Metatalk thread than the original complaint.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:42 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
turgid dahlia: Ah, the plot thickens, like a delicious custard, or a scabby knee!
I'm just pointing out that "better comments" and "it's been a while" aren't, according to the admins, reasons for a double post to stick around.
posted by mkultra at 2:43 PM on January 14, 2009
I'm just pointing out that "better comments" and "it's been a while" aren't, according to the admins, reasons for a double post to stick around.
posted by mkultra at 2:43 PM on January 14, 2009
Dear AskMe,
I drank a whole thing of scotch last night and now I feel fucking awful. What's a good sandwich to make?
posted by turgid dahlia at 2:44 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
I drank a whole thing of scotch last night and now I feel fucking awful. What's a good sandwich to make?
posted by turgid dahlia at 2:44 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
Dear turgid dahlia, you don't eat a sandwich. You thank the scotch for showing you what it means to be alive and ask its forgiveness for not discovering it sooner.
posted by Science! at 2:48 PM on January 14, 2009
posted by Science! at 2:48 PM on January 14, 2009
I'm just crafting an RIP Montalban post so good, it will certainly get the first one deleted.
posted by gman at 2:50 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by gman at 2:50 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
Um, 82,000 cat questions that are all the same... 12,000 iPhone "doubles"... and you pick out one "double" of something posted years ago.
What a trip this website is.
posted by Zambrano at 2:50 PM on January 14, 2009
What a trip this website is.
posted by Zambrano at 2:50 PM on January 14, 2009
I'm crafting a Sick Steve Jobs post so good, it will cure his cancer.
posted by Joe Beese at 2:53 PM on January 14, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by Joe Beese at 2:53 PM on January 14, 2009 [2 favorites]
I recently had a post on the Blue deleted for being a "double"
Ah, hell, man. I meant to get back to you about that, but it got lost in the shuffle. My bad.
even though it had more, more interesting comments than a post over 4 years earlier that wasn't even the same link.
It was the same thing, though. That Playmobil kit wasn't new and your post was a link to an amazon product page without context. When people repost something that's like an awesome site/utility that's had four years to get bigger or better, that's one thing, but this wasn't a clear case of that at all. It was a playmobil kit that had been the subject of a spit-take post already.
I'm just pointing out that "better comments" and "it's been a while" aren't, according to the admins, reasons for a double post to stick around.
Again, though, apples and oranges. The green and the blue are different places with very different goals, and deletion-as-double is much, much less common for an AskMe question than it is for posts to the blue.
posted by cortex (staff) at 2:57 PM on January 14, 2009
Ah, hell, man. I meant to get back to you about that, but it got lost in the shuffle. My bad.
even though it had more, more interesting comments than a post over 4 years earlier that wasn't even the same link.
It was the same thing, though. That Playmobil kit wasn't new and your post was a link to an amazon product page without context. When people repost something that's like an awesome site/utility that's had four years to get bigger or better, that's one thing, but this wasn't a clear case of that at all. It was a playmobil kit that had been the subject of a spit-take post already.
I'm just pointing out that "better comments" and "it's been a while" aren't, according to the admins, reasons for a double post to stick around.
Again, though, apples and oranges. The green and the blue are different places with very different goals, and deletion-as-double is much, much less common for an AskMe question than it is for posts to the blue.
posted by cortex (staff) at 2:57 PM on January 14, 2009
Ah, the mysteries of life.
As ever, Homer Simpson shows the way forward.
posted by Pope Guilty at 3:04 PM on January 14, 2009
As ever, Homer Simpson shows the way forward.
posted by Pope Guilty at 3:04 PM on January 14, 2009
Everything really is a double. I'll get to the cat butt-licking ASAP. Thanks.
posted by uncleozzy at 3:12 PM on January 14, 2009
posted by uncleozzy at 3:12 PM on January 14, 2009
The only games I see mentioned in that thread that were published since the original question are Dominion, Hive, and Bananagrams. The OP is just coming up with a lazy excuse.
Are you suggesting that the question ought to be deleted because the answers aren't good enough?
Because that's awesome.
Also, the OP listed "Etc." as a category. Whole shitload of etc has come out in the last three years.
posted by mullacc at 4:11 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
Are you suggesting that the question ought to be deleted because the answers aren't good enough?
Because that's awesome.
Also, the OP listed "Etc." as a category. Whole shitload of etc has come out in the last three years.
posted by mullacc at 4:11 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
The green and the blue are different places with very different goals, and deletion-as-double is much, much less common for an AskMe question than it is for posts to the blue.
I've heard this assertion before, and I think it sounds much better in theory than reality. Why? Because you wind up with what people have noted again and again in this thread- The Green is completely overrun with variations on perhaps three or four ur-questions ("why doesn't he/she love me?" "recommend me X" "what's this condition I have?"). It's made that part of the site a lot more noisy and a lot less useful.
posted by mkultra at 4:14 PM on January 14, 2009
I've heard this assertion before, and I think it sounds much better in theory than reality. Why? Because you wind up with what people have noted again and again in this thread- The Green is completely overrun with variations on perhaps three or four ur-questions ("why doesn't he/she love me?" "recommend me X" "what's this condition I have?"). It's made that part of the site a lot more noisy and a lot less useful.
posted by mkultra at 4:14 PM on January 14, 2009
Metafilter: sounds much better in theory than reality
posted by Joe Beese at 4:30 PM on January 14, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by Joe Beese at 4:30 PM on January 14, 2009 [2 favorites]
It's made that part of the site a lot more noisy and a lot less useful.
In seriousness I have to disagree. There is really no other question/answer site that comes close to AskMe (if there were I would use it too). I probably fall outside the top 20 % of active users, but I lurk a lot, and I( don't see that much repetition. Sure, questions about cats, or relationships or sex...but they are no more exact than any two people are. At any given time there are different people using the site, and so you're bound to get different answers. I guess I fail to see the problem with asking the same question anyway, even a few months later. Do you use AskMe so often that it really puts you out if you see a three line question (that you don't even have to open for the "more inside" and the answers) that bears resemblance to something asked previously? And this example was the best you could point to? I wasn't even here in '05, along with some 40K other 'new' users...so my excellent (non) answer would never have been heard.
posted by dawson at 4:33 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
In seriousness I have to disagree. There is really no other question/answer site that comes close to AskMe (if there were I would use it too). I probably fall outside the top 20 % of active users, but I lurk a lot, and I( don't see that much repetition. Sure, questions about cats, or relationships or sex...but they are no more exact than any two people are. At any given time there are different people using the site, and so you're bound to get different answers. I guess I fail to see the problem with asking the same question anyway, even a few months later. Do you use AskMe so often that it really puts you out if you see a three line question (that you don't even have to open for the "more inside" and the answers) that bears resemblance to something asked previously? And this example was the best you could point to? I wasn't even here in '05, along with some 40K other 'new' users...so my excellent (non) answer would never have been heard.
posted by dawson at 4:33 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
why is it different? because one is for showing the best of the web and one is for answering questions. you're being purposefully daft, aren't you?
as i've noticed, the blue has more topics deleted, the green has more comments deleted, and the gray is like a beautiful free for all place where everyone gets to pee in the rose bushes and the mods will just walk by and say "hmmm, smells like asparagus".
do you want the blue to start having comment moderation like the green? anything that's a jokey response or not strictly on topic gets deleted? do you want the green to have less comment moderation so every question just becomes a cesspool of who can be witty the quickest? i happen to think the mods do a good job most of the time in realizing that the mood of the 2 pages are different and deserve different attacks.
posted by nadawi at 4:35 PM on January 14, 2009 [10 favorites]
as i've noticed, the blue has more topics deleted, the green has more comments deleted, and the gray is like a beautiful free for all place where everyone gets to pee in the rose bushes and the mods will just walk by and say "hmmm, smells like asparagus".
do you want the blue to start having comment moderation like the green? anything that's a jokey response or not strictly on topic gets deleted? do you want the green to have less comment moderation so every question just becomes a cesspool of who can be witty the quickest? i happen to think the mods do a good job most of the time in realizing that the mood of the 2 pages are different and deserve different attacks.
posted by nadawi at 4:35 PM on January 14, 2009 [10 favorites]
mkultraPoster: "It's made that part of the site a lot more noisy and a lot less useful."
You're calling out a person who clearly did his research and asked for a variety of answers, only a fraction of which were covered by the previous, several year old question, which was pointed out as evidence as research done before posting. It's not a double, not by a stretch.
So far the asker has pointed to one previous question and noted that he/she seeks more information than that thread offers, and you point to the same previous question and use it as evidence making the new question redundant. Gather more evidence to support your point.
posted by Science! at 4:42 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
You're calling out a person who clearly did his research and asked for a variety of answers, only a fraction of which were covered by the previous, several year old question, which was pointed out as evidence as research done before posting. It's not a double, not by a stretch.
So far the asker has pointed to one previous question and noted that he/she seeks more information than that thread offers, and you point to the same previous question and use it as evidence making the new question redundant. Gather more evidence to support your point.
posted by Science! at 4:42 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
as i've noticed, the blue has more topics deleted, the green has more comments deleted, and the gray is like a beautiful free for all place where everyone gets to pee in the rose bushes and the mods will just walk by and say "hmmm, smells like asparagus".
One time I made a "follow-up" post on the biblio-poop phenomenon on MeTa and it got deleted. Having a MeTa about POOP deleted was one of the proudest moments of my life.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 4:43 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
One time I made a "follow-up" post on the biblio-poop phenomenon on MeTa and it got deleted. Having a MeTa about POOP deleted was one of the proudest moments of my life.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 4:43 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
People post to Ask Metafilter for help with questions/problems. The utility of the site, it's actual function, is to meet that with answers/solutions. The long-view goal of AskMe as an archive of lots of questions-with-answers is something we certainly think a lot about, but there's never been any goal to make sure there was only exactly one question about one topic or another, and by and large we try not to punish askers for having an insufficiently unique question or problem.
So we err on the side of allowing some duplication and overlap. Different people have the same kind of problem at different time or have different specific goals in trying to deal with the same sort of situation, and we pretty much say, okay, so it goes.
Trying to rigorously prevent too-similar questions to the point where we delete a significant number of questions doesn't seem like it helps out with the immediate per-asker value of that part of the site. And there's a need to balance that per-asker value vs. the more vague notion of AskMe as an archive of information—neutering the utility of the site to users for the sake of some abstract desire for neatness or spartan sensibility about the archive doesn't seem like a good outcome for that balance. Limiting the rate at which users can ask questions and encouraging folks to search and to take care in how they post their questions are things we do do at this point to try and support that balance, and I think it works out reasonably well.
Again, the blue is a different sort of place. There's no key utility to a post on the front page, no damage done to the poster if they end up in double-ish territory. Posts are made more or less as sharing (or to some degree performance), not out of some sort of need.
posted by cortex (staff) at 4:46 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
So we err on the side of allowing some duplication and overlap. Different people have the same kind of problem at different time or have different specific goals in trying to deal with the same sort of situation, and we pretty much say, okay, so it goes.
Trying to rigorously prevent too-similar questions to the point where we delete a significant number of questions doesn't seem like it helps out with the immediate per-asker value of that part of the site. And there's a need to balance that per-asker value vs. the more vague notion of AskMe as an archive of information—neutering the utility of the site to users for the sake of some abstract desire for neatness or spartan sensibility about the archive doesn't seem like a good outcome for that balance. Limiting the rate at which users can ask questions and encouraging folks to search and to take care in how they post their questions are things we do do at this point to try and support that balance, and I think it works out reasonably well.
Again, the blue is a different sort of place. There's no key utility to a post on the front page, no damage done to the poster if they end up in double-ish territory. Posts are made more or less as sharing (or to some degree performance), not out of some sort of need.
posted by cortex (staff) at 4:46 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
The morning star is not the evening star, is why.
posted by jessamyn
Oh, but it is. It so clearly is.
Except it's not a star.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 5:15 PM on January 14, 2009
posted by jessamyn
Oh, but it is. It so clearly is.
Except it's not a star.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 5:15 PM on January 14, 2009
No. You see one in the morning. There is no such thing as a synonym.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 5:31 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 5:31 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
And "Should I eat it," of course.
posted by ook at 5:37 PM on January 14, 2009
Can we just adopt "No, you shouldn't eat it" as part of our platform and move on?
posted by Joe Beese at 6:18 PM on January 14, 2009
posted by Joe Beese at 6:18 PM on January 14, 2009
Dear ASkMe:
Help, I just accidentally a whole MeTa.
posted by Johnny Porno at 6:34 PM on January 14, 2009
Help, I just accidentally a whole MeTa.
posted by Johnny Porno at 6:34 PM on January 14, 2009
Dear ASkMe:
Help, I just accidentally a whole MeTa.
A what now?
posted by fixedgear at 6:50 PM on January 14, 2009
Help, I just accidentally a whole MeTa.
A what now?
posted by fixedgear at 6:50 PM on January 14, 2009
There was snow in the second one.
posted by Nick Verstayne at 7:15 PM on January 14, 2009
posted by Nick Verstayne at 7:15 PM on January 14, 2009
Mods,
Could you provide a list of all the questions that haven't been asked on AskMe, so we can start asking them?
posted by lukemeister at 7:26 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
Could you provide a list of all the questions that haven't been asked on AskMe, so we can start asking them?
posted by lukemeister at 7:26 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
Filed under "don't matter".
posted by localhuman at 7:33 PM on January 14, 2009
posted by localhuman at 7:33 PM on January 14, 2009
I'm so surprised someone has such a strong reaction to someone wanting to learn about more games! It's 12 out, will be 8 on Friday. There needs to be more reasons to snuggle with someone and play games.
posted by sweetkid at 8:05 PM on January 14, 2009
posted by sweetkid at 8:05 PM on January 14, 2009
Exactly. Some of my favourites are Settlers Of Catan: Bound & Gagged Edition and Ticket To Ride Me, Baby!
posted by turgid dahlia at 8:27 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by turgid dahlia at 8:27 PM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
Speaking as someone who will undoubtedly double post a relationship question in the near future, I plead with you to let it stay. We're all unique snowflakes, and we all need our unique snowflake advice.
posted by blue_beetle at 9:07 PM on January 14, 2009
posted by blue_beetle at 9:07 PM on January 14, 2009
A what now?
posted by fixedgear at 9:50 PM on January 14
It is quite clear, he accidently the whole thing.
posted by JonnyRotten at 9:17 PM on January 14, 2009
posted by fixedgear at 9:50 PM on January 14
It is quite clear, he accidently the whole thing.
posted by JonnyRotten at 9:17 PM on January 14, 2009
It's definetely not as bad as that guy who asked a question about gas prices in Metatalk
posted by BrnP84 at 10:41 PM on January 14, 2009
posted by BrnP84 at 10:41 PM on January 14, 2009
I recently had a post on the Blue deleted for being a "double", even though it had more, more interesting comments
You are totally, totally not coming across as bitter.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:26 PM on January 14, 2009 [3 favorites]
You are totally, totally not coming across as bitter.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:26 PM on January 14, 2009 [3 favorites]
I recently had a post on the Blue deleted for being a "double", even though it had more, more interesting comments than a post over 4 years earlier that wasn't even the same link.
Oh. That makes your call out all better then. Wow. Ok.
(someone's bitter)
posted by The Light Fantastic at 1:21 AM on January 15, 2009 [1 favorite]
Oh. That makes your call out all better then. Wow. Ok.
(someone's bitter)
posted by The Light Fantastic at 1:21 AM on January 15, 2009 [1 favorite]
Because you wind up with what people have noted again and again in this thread- The Green is completely overrun with variations on perhaps three or four ur-questions ("why doesn't he/she love me?" "recommend me X" "what's this condition I have?"). It's made that part of the site a lot more noisy and a lot less useful.
A lot less useful? For who? You? Don't read it. The answers aren't for you, they're for the asker. Glad I could straighten that out for you.
posted by languagehat at 6:39 AM on January 15, 2009 [3 favorites]
A lot less useful? For who? You? Don't read it. The answers aren't for you, they're for the asker. Glad I could straighten that out for you.
posted by languagehat at 6:39 AM on January 15, 2009 [3 favorites]
Every time I have used AskMe as a resource, similar questions have been incredibly useful, and provide different answers.
posted by graventy at 6:50 AM on January 15, 2009
posted by graventy at 6:50 AM on January 15, 2009
It's probably safe to eat this double post.
posted by jerseygirl at 7:01 AM on January 15, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by jerseygirl at 7:01 AM on January 15, 2009 [1 favorite]
Could you provide a list of all the questions that haven't been asked on AskMe, so we can start asking them?
A list of them can be found in this January 11th MeTa thread.
posted by TedW at 7:39 AM on January 15, 2009
A list of them can be found in this January 11th MeTa thread.
posted by TedW at 7:39 AM on January 15, 2009
I bought some vibrating Portobello mushrooms to go with my beans last week. But my boyfriend's cat gnawed my big toe off before I could eat them and I can't stop the bleeding and now my leg is turning green. So does anyone know where I can get a cup of coffee in New York? I don't want to pay for parking.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 7:51 AM on January 15, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 7:51 AM on January 15, 2009 [1 favorite]
Alvy Ampersand: You are totally, totally not coming across as bitter.
Sorry if it came across that way, but if you take the time to read my follow-up, I brought it up simply as a point of comparison. I'm not an admin, I don't have insight into what gets deleted here on a regular basis except my own stuff. Jeez.
posted by mkultra at 8:39 AM on January 15, 2009
Sorry if it came across that way, but if you take the time to read my follow-up, I brought it up simply as a point of comparison. I'm not an admin, I don't have insight into what gets deleted here on a regular basis except my own stuff. Jeez.
posted by mkultra at 8:39 AM on January 15, 2009
I'm an avid boardgamer. The only games I see mentioned in that thread that were published since the original question are Dominion, Hive, and Bananagrams.
In other words, three good reasons to let the question stand without deletion—two more than are necessary, really.
Plus there are many many suggestions in the latter thread, that, while they had been published at the time of the earlier thread, were not mentioned in the earlier thread.
And if you were really an avid boardgamer, wouldn't you know that BoardGameGeek lists around five thousand games published in 2006 or later which will play with two people? Not all of them good, of course, and even among those that are good not all suitable for the OP's needs, but identifying those that are is the point of the question.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:30 AM on January 15, 2009
In other words, three good reasons to let the question stand without deletion—two more than are necessary, really.
Plus there are many many suggestions in the latter thread, that, while they had been published at the time of the earlier thread, were not mentioned in the earlier thread.
And if you were really an avid boardgamer, wouldn't you know that BoardGameGeek lists around five thousand games published in 2006 or later which will play with two people? Not all of them good, of course, and even among those that are good not all suitable for the OP's needs, but identifying those that are is the point of the question.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:30 AM on January 15, 2009
Also, you missed Race for the Galaxy, Caylus: Magna Carta, and Pandemic as games recommended in the latter thread which were not yet published at the time of the earlier thread.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:43 AM on January 15, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:43 AM on January 15, 2009 [1 favorite]
DevilsAdvocate: identifying those that are is the point of the question
The previous question did that, by directing people to BGG, where this info is readily available, and the audience is tailored to deal with those kinds of questions.
Your "there were six additions" argument is weak. Are you suggesting that we allow annual repetitions of "recommend me stuff like X" questions because, well, lots of albums/movies/books get released every year?
posted by mkultra at 10:48 AM on January 15, 2009
The previous question did that, by directing people to BGG, where this info is readily available, and the audience is tailored to deal with those kinds of questions.
Your "there were six additions" argument is weak. Are you suggesting that we allow annual repetitions of "recommend me stuff like X" questions because, well, lots of albums/movies/books get released every year?
posted by mkultra at 10:48 AM on January 15, 2009
Are you suggesting that we allow annual repetitions of "recommend me stuff like X" questions because, well, lots of albums/movies/books get released every year?
That sounds reasonable, yes.
posted by uncleozzy at 10:55 AM on January 15, 2009
That sounds reasonable, yes.
posted by uncleozzy at 10:55 AM on January 15, 2009
Are you suggesting that we allow annual repetitions of "recommend me stuff like X" questions because, well, lots of albums/movies/books get released every year?
That is precisely what I am suggesting.
And before you trot out the old "what if everyone did that" canard, note that "what if everyone did that" is really only a valid argument if there's a likelihood that everyone would do "that." ("What if everyone was a doctor?" is not a valid argument against being a doctor, since most people choose not to be doctors.) I submit that AskMe history demonstrates that most people choose not to repeat such questions annually, even if allowed to.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 11:55 AM on January 15, 2009
That is precisely what I am suggesting.
And before you trot out the old "what if everyone did that" canard, note that "what if everyone did that" is really only a valid argument if there's a likelihood that everyone would do "that." ("What if everyone was a doctor?" is not a valid argument against being a doctor, since most people choose not to be doctors.) I submit that AskMe history demonstrates that most people choose not to repeat such questions annually, even if allowed to.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 11:55 AM on January 15, 2009
The previous question did that, by directing people to BGG, where this info is readily available, and the audience is tailored to deal with those kinds of questions.
Haven't I seen this argument before in MeTa? "There exist other, more specialized forums on the internet where questions on this subject may be asked, and perhaps answered more effectively" is not an argument against allowing questions on that topic on AskMe. If we did that, there wouldn't be any questions at all on AskMe, or at best any answers to such questions would consist solely of pointers to those more specialized forums.
Your "there were six additions" argument is weak.
There were many more than six additions. There were six additions which could not have been published in the earlier thread, because they hadn't been published yet; there were also several other additions which could have been suggested in the earlier thread, but weren't. Should janet lynn be prohibited from suggesting mancala, not mentioned in the older thread, because she hadn't yet joined at the time that thread was closed?
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 12:06 PM on January 15, 2009
Haven't I seen this argument before in MeTa? "There exist other, more specialized forums on the internet where questions on this subject may be asked, and perhaps answered more effectively" is not an argument against allowing questions on that topic on AskMe. If we did that, there wouldn't be any questions at all on AskMe, or at best any answers to such questions would consist solely of pointers to those more specialized forums.
Your "there were six additions" argument is weak.
There were many more than six additions. There were six additions which could not have been published in the earlier thread, because they hadn't been published yet; there were also several other additions which could have been suggested in the earlier thread, but weren't. Should janet lynn be prohibited from suggesting mancala, not mentioned in the older thread, because she hadn't yet joined at the time that thread was closed?
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 12:06 PM on January 15, 2009
What do I win?
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 2:49 PM on January 15, 2009
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 2:49 PM on January 15, 2009
OK, I added our semi-made up game to the AskMe page, which means:
a) It won't be on the old AskMe,
b) It won't be on BGGs page or at least not our version, and
c) It is specifically tailored to the OP of the AskMe because I know they have Trivial Pursuit cards but are tired of playing Trivial Pursuit.
Suck on that, mkultra.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 4:43 PM on January 15, 2009
a) It won't be on the old AskMe,
b) It won't be on BGGs page or at least not our version, and
c) It is specifically tailored to the OP of the AskMe because I know they have Trivial Pursuit cards but are tired of playing Trivial Pursuit.
Suck on that, mkultra.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 4:43 PM on January 15, 2009
Why do people take post deletions personally?
Because it happens to them.
posted by gman at 5:46 PM on January 15, 2009 [1 favorite]
Because it happens to them.
posted by gman at 5:46 PM on January 15, 2009 [1 favorite]
They're not the same question. The new one asks for games that would go well with beer and aren't gender-specific; the first question didn't say anything about that. Also, read the FAQ.
posted by Jaltcoh at 6:41 PM on January 15, 2009
posted by Jaltcoh at 6:41 PM on January 15, 2009
Specifically this part of the FAQ: "With few exceptions, there is no such thing as a doublepost in AskMe"
posted by Jaltcoh at 6:42 PM on January 15, 2009
posted by Jaltcoh at 6:42 PM on January 15, 2009
Why do people take post deletions personally?
a) because they are upset after putting so much time and thought into the post
b) like pet owners they seek to fill a void in their life and treat posts as children
c) because the sound of the deletion echoes so painfully in their bleak, empty and cavernous soul
d) the mods must return their precioussss, yessss
posted by GuyZero at 6:43 PM on January 15, 2009
a) because they are upset after putting so much time and thought into the post
b) like pet owners they seek to fill a void in their life and treat posts as children
c) because the sound of the deletion echoes so painfully in their bleak, empty and cavernous soul
d) the mods must return their precioussss, yessss
posted by GuyZero at 6:43 PM on January 15, 2009
Well, he spent five minutes putting that post together, so it's not a.
posted by empath at 8:38 PM on January 15, 2009
posted by empath at 8:38 PM on January 15, 2009
empath: Why do people take post deletions personally?
Why do people insist on reading subtexts that just aren't there? For that matter, why do people insist on turning discussions they disagree with into referendums on the poster (see also: almost every other etiquette post on MeTa), complete with obnoxious drive-by insults? Good lord, you'd think I defaced the site or something.
posted by mkultra at 9:37 AM on January 16, 2009
Why do people insist on reading subtexts that just aren't there? For that matter, why do people insist on turning discussions they disagree with into referendums on the poster (see also: almost every other etiquette post on MeTa), complete with obnoxious drive-by insults? Good lord, you'd think I defaced the site or something.
posted by mkultra at 9:37 AM on January 16, 2009
It was a serious question.
You aren't the only one that's done it, I was just curious about the psychological motivation there. I could see if you spent hours crafting something and it got deleted, but you clearly spent 5 minutes putting that post together, and yet it bothered you enough when it was deleted to start this thread as some passive aggressive way of complaining about it.
It's not an insult, just curiousity.
posted by empath at 10:32 AM on January 16, 2009
You aren't the only one that's done it, I was just curious about the psychological motivation there. I could see if you spent hours crafting something and it got deleted, but you clearly spent 5 minutes putting that post together, and yet it bothered you enough when it was deleted to start this thread as some passive aggressive way of complaining about it.
It's not an insult, just curiousity.
posted by empath at 10:32 AM on January 16, 2009
My point, as I've made above, is that I don't take my post deletion personally- it's simply the frame of reference I've got for what does and doesn't pass muster, since regular users don't (without a lot of effort) see what gets deleted. I flagged the AskMe in question, and my "This is a double, and BGG is a better resource for this" comment was deleted, so I knew an admin had seen it and decided to keep it.
You're being extremely presumptuous about (a) my motivations, (b) the amount of time I spent making that post (5 minutes? Really? For a single link?), and (c) the "worth" of a post vis-a-vis how long someone took to make it. But hey, thanks for the personal judgment, random stranger.
posted by mkultra at 10:45 AM on January 16, 2009
You're being extremely presumptuous about (a) my motivations, (b) the amount of time I spent making that post (5 minutes? Really? For a single link?), and (c) the "worth" of a post vis-a-vis how long someone took to make it. But hey, thanks for the personal judgment, random stranger.
posted by mkultra at 10:45 AM on January 16, 2009
and yet it bothered you enough when it was deleted to start this thread as some passive aggressive way of complaining about it.
I don't think that's fair to assume. Mkultra's deleted post was from last Thursday, and he didn't post this until the following Wednesday. To me it doesn't obvious that he would wait that long, post a seemingly unrelated callout about AskMe doubles, and then randomly bring up his deleted post as a way of complaining about it. I think it's reasonable to give him the benefit of the doubt that this was a genuine unrelated concern.
posted by burnmp3s at 10:51 AM on January 16, 2009
I don't think that's fair to assume. Mkultra's deleted post was from last Thursday, and he didn't post this until the following Wednesday. To me it doesn't obvious that he would wait that long, post a seemingly unrelated callout about AskMe doubles, and then randomly bring up his deleted post as a way of complaining about it. I think it's reasonable to give him the benefit of the doubt that this was a genuine unrelated concern.
posted by burnmp3s at 10:51 AM on January 16, 2009
since regular users don't (without a lot of effort) see what gets deleted.
Snark-free: Do you know about the Deleted Threads blog or Plutor's Deleted Posts GreaseMonkey Script? The former is as easy as visiting a blog, the latter requires a little more effort, but gives it to you in-line, which is very nice.
I only ask because neither seems to require "a lot" of effort, and it would be perfectly understandable if you didn't know about either option.
Deleted Threads Blog
Deleted Posts GreaseMonkey Script
posted by SpiffyRob at 12:43 PM on January 16, 2009
Snark-free: Do you know about the Deleted Threads blog or Plutor's Deleted Posts GreaseMonkey Script? The former is as easy as visiting a blog, the latter requires a little more effort, but gives it to you in-line, which is very nice.
I only ask because neither seems to require "a lot" of effort, and it would be perfectly understandable if you didn't know about either option.
Deleted Threads Blog
Deleted Posts GreaseMonkey Script
posted by SpiffyRob at 12:43 PM on January 16, 2009
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posted by ORthey at 12:41 PM on January 14, 2009 [2 favorites]