A Metafilter "B-Side"

March 1, 2009 4:01 PM

I often come across amusing tidbits on the Internets that I'd like to post to Metafilter, but I don't for fear of the collective Meh. It would be great if there were a Metafilter B-Side for the Second-Best-Of-The-Web sites (such as this little bit hilarity) that folks might enjoy but aren't necessarily top shelf. I suspect that such a B-Side will actually improve the site-wide quality of the posts because folks might be less apt to self censor -- in fact a post-to-Metafilter-from-the-B-Side-button a la Projects would be a great way to make that happen. So, a double pony request, I guess.
posted by Toecutter to feature requests at 4:01 PM (130 comments total)

Get over your fear of rejection. You'll never get a date that way.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 4:05 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]

Monkeyfilter.
posted by gman at 4:07 PM on March 1 [2 favorites]

"More bananas and less flinging"? I don't understand what that means.
posted by turgid dahlia at 4:15 PM on March 1

More fun stuff and less flinging of shit.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:16 PM on March 1

You could also, you know, start your own blog.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 4:17 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]

Flinging of shit is fun.
posted by gman at 4:21 PM on March 1

Toecutter: "I often come across amusing tidbits on the Internets that I'd like to post to Metafilter, but I don't for fear of the collective Meh."

Don't fear it. Learn to love it. Anyone who disagrees with you is wrong, and the more you can stoke their disapproval, the more you win.
posted by Plutor at 4:22 PM on March 1 [3 favorites]

Meh
posted by Joseph Gurl at 4:22 PM on March 1

Check out MetaChat as well as MonkeyFilter. I've posted stuff there in the past when it didn't warrant an FPP, and also whenever I had a chatty, open-ended and/or easy question that didn't require the big gun that is AskMe.
posted by orange swan at 4:23 PM on March 1

"Meh" is the sound of people not realizing how awesome you are. Educate them.
posted by DU at 4:30 PM on March 1

I think sideways posts to MeTa accomplish this, no?
posted by jessamyn at 4:31 PM on March 1 [4 favorites]

If you have something you'd like to post, go for it. The worst that can happen is Meh.
posted by netbros at 4:32 PM on March 1

Joseph Gurl: joined 2000, zero posts. Enough said.

Slarty Bartfast: 780 comments, 3 posts. So snark to content ratio of 260 to 1.

Fuzzy Skinner: Prolific newbie.

Ok. So I shouldn't have framed this in terms of my fear of rejection. I've posted to projects for chrissake. What I mean is, some sites like Linkfilter.net kind of kick our ass in terms of number of interesting links because the bar is a little lower. I think a Metafilter B-Side would be a good way to compete against that.
posted by Toecutter at 4:34 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]

Whatever you do, don't frigging post it to MeTa.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 4:34 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]

On non-preview, dangit jessamyn!
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 4:35 PM on March 1

What I mean is, some sites like Linkfilter.net kind of kick our ass in terms of number of interesting links because the bar is a little lower. I think a Metafilter B-Side would be a good way to compete against that.

Quality, not quantity, baby.

*Cue chorus of sour crybabies making snide disparagements along the line of 'Quality? On MeFi's front page? It is to laugh! Aha! Ha!'*

Who the hell are we in competition against? Why? How is the winner decided?
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 4:37 PM on March 1

I think the Metafilter B-side is known as "your own blog".
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 4:38 PM on March 1 [3 favorites]

What I mean is, some sites like Linkfilter.net kind of kick our ass in terms of number of interesting links because the bar is a little lower. I think a Metafilter B-Side would be a good way to compete against that.

I think you're missing the point of Metafilter. I know I did for a long while there. Hell, sometimes I still do, and my shit gets deleted. Oh-fuckin-well. One other thing, why do you consider all comments to be "snark"?
posted by gman at 4:39 PM on March 1

Alvy, that is a fair question, and I don't know how to respond other than saying, I would enjoy having the option I described for the reasons I outlined. I think it would have the potential to make the site more interesting.
posted by Toecutter at 4:40 PM on March 1

Linkfilter, eh? Maybe that's the answer.
posted by box at 4:40 PM on March 1

What was the question again?
posted by box at 4:43 PM on March 1

Digg and Reddit were created for a reason.
posted by Science! at 4:45 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]

Yeah, MetaChat is pretty much already MetaFilter B-Side, yeah?

Alternatively, wait for an appropriate thread on a meatier subject and drop it in there. Particularly for something amusing and political like that, there's always something open on the front page where it would fit in.
posted by EarBucket at 4:49 PM on March 1

So for the naysayers (most of whom are either newbies or long-time zero-posters) you wouldn't enjoy the option of posting to a more open ended B-Side with the possibility of it being promoted to FFP? Seriously?
posted by Toecutter at 4:53 PM on March 1

Slarty Bartfast: 780 comments, 3 posts. So snark to content ratio of 260 to 1.

It's not about the quantity of posts here, it's the quality of the conversation. Everything below the fold isn't snark, at least that's why I come here. There are other sites that do the "post lots of wacky stuff" thing better.

PS. I've had like 5 deleted posts, so in fairness my snark to content ratio is more like 100 to 1. Also one of my blog entries got posted here, so I get credit for that, too -- 86 to 1. I think this is a perilously low ratio, so you can expect I'll be turning up the snark significantly over the coming days.

I was trying to be helpful when I suggested starting a blog, sorry if I came across as a jerk.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 4:55 PM on March 1

ToecutterPoster: "So for the naysayers (most of whom are either newbies or long-time zero-posters) you wouldn't enjoy the option of posting to a more open ended B-Side with the possibility of it being promoted to FFP? Seriously?"

DON'T JUDGE ME!
posted by Science! at 4:56 PM on March 1

most of whom are either newbies or long-time zero-posters

Now you're just coming off as an ass. That's not helping your suggestion.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:58 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]

Well, at least you've have the cahoonas (sp?) to jump in with posts, Slarty Bartfast :) Thanks for the thoughts.
posted by Toecutter at 4:59 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]

Oh, you weren't judging, you were asking. Sorry. I'm quite happy with the noise filters in place, it can be frustrating, but it's also prevented me from making a bad FPP for a while. Not that my first won't suck to high heaven, but so far it's been prevented by social pressure.
posted by Science! at 4:59 PM on March 1

Fuzzy Skinner: Prolific newbie.
Member since Jan, 2005. New name. Not that it matters.

Post what you find interesting. Others may find it interesting as well.

There's hardly ever any physical violence against posters of meh FPPs.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 5:00 PM on March 1

Don't be chicken. The worst thing that could happen is it gets deleted. Most of us have lived through that experience and managed to post again.

Seriously, I don't get people being afraid of this site. Why, I can't remember the last time Jessamyn keelhauled anyone.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 5:08 PM on March 1

Aw, Fuzzy, you're forgetting the time we got in that knife fight over that meh post you made. Remember when we made up and I sewed your ear back on with dental floss? Good times
posted by Burhanistan at 5:09 PM on March 1

Other web sites exist for this already.
posted by grouse at 5:11 PM on March 1

Aw, Fuzzy, you're forgetting the time we got in that knife fight over that meh post you made. Remember when we made up and I sewed your ear back on with dental floss? Good times

Exactly why I said hardly ever.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 5:19 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]

Reddit.com, man. Piss into the firehose.
posted by five fresh fish at 5:23 PM on March 1

Fabulous, we could just watch the amusing tidbits float past epassyterotically.
posted by tellurian at 5:25 PM on March 1

So for the naysayers (most of whom are either newbies or long-time zero-posters) you wouldn't enjoy the option of posting to a more open ended B-Side with the possibility of it being promoted to FFP? Seriously?

Seriously. I don't want to be unkind, but you don't seem to get the point of MetaFilter. There are plenty of places to post stuff that you don't think is good enough for the blue; MetaChat has been mentioned, as has the possibility of starting your own blog. None of us wants to see the stuff that you don't think is good enough for the blue. On the other hand, you shouldn't set the bar so high you're afraid to post; if a few people like it, that should be good enough. Don't fear the snark: snark is a sign you're alive. Forge on, comrade! Shoes for industry!
posted by languagehat at 5:29 PM on March 1 [4 favorites]

There's hardly ever any physical violence against posters of meh FPPs.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 8:00 PM

Yeah, hardly ever. There was the incident with the "LOL Cats declawed" post in '06 but we don't talk about that.

*shudder*
posted by marxchivist at 5:34 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]

There is meh being posted on the Blue... as... we... speak!

Seriously, the CPAC link you posted in this Meta post is not suitable for MetaFilter. It is suitable for Facebook or your own blog.
posted by KokuRyu at 5:39 PM on March 1

Just remember, there has never been a meetup in Amarillo,TX. No matter what you read on MeTa, or the photos you might have seen. THERE WAS NO MEETUP IN AMARILLO AND NO ONE WAS SLAUGHTERED*.

* and the bodies were certainly not disposed of using the Scarabic-Method.
posted by blue_beetle at 5:42 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]

Why don't you try posting your B-material to linkfilter? And I think we're being less than kind to metachat if we consider it some kind of farm-league Metafilter. I see it more as a place where people can talk about their feelings and post links they find amusing or want to share, without being snarked or flamed to death, unlike here. The bar is high - for a reason. It';s Metafilter, the best of the Web.
posted by Lynsey at 5:43 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]

METACHAT IS NOT YOUR TOILET.
posted by Eideteker at 5:44 PM on March 1 [3 favorites]

If you have something you'd like to post, go for it. The worst that can happen is Meh.

If you think it's interesting enough and would interest a few others, then post it. Worst case scenario: deletion. Second worst: unrestrained snark. Third worst: Meh. From there it gets better. And you know what? Deletion, snark, or meh never killed anybody. It's not fatal. It's nothing to be afraid of.

They're not all golden eggs. Most of our memories are short. We won't even remember tomorrow that there was a "meh" post or who posted it. Some of my very favorite posts have had a tiny handful of comments and no favorites - just because some loudmouth has to make an aggressively "meh" response doesn't mean others enjoy it. If it passes the test of "I think this is darn interesting AND it hasn't already been posted AND it would interest a few others," then go ahead. If it doesn't pass that test, then you're probably right to err on the side of not posting it to MeFi. There is a bit of a higher barrier here than other places, more encouragement of second-guessing oneself before posting willy-nilly, but that's what makes it good. For the same reason, the New Yorker doesn't publish every cartoon or story they get sent. That's why it's good to read.

I don't think I'd ever read a MeFi B Side, and I'd have a really hard time deciding what would be MeFi A or B. There already are a bunch of places with a lower barrier for 'good post', and they include MoFi, MeCha, and your own blog, as noted above. If you have kinda cool content that's not all that powerful or meaty, try posting in those other places.
posted by Miko at 5:45 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]

Languagehat: Ugh. I get Metafilter. I get it. The Blue = Quality over Quantity. Okay already.

I don't want to post to those other places because I'm not a member of those other places. I'm a member of Metafilter. I like Metafilter. I like what goes on here. I like the FFP's and the idea of them. I've suggested this mostly because I think it would be, to use Brandon Blatcher's words, "more fun stuff." That's all.

It would be the seedy alley off of the clean, well lit Blue. I think the seedy alleys in life are often where the most interesting stuff happens. But that's just me. It really has nothing to do with fear of rejection, and I wish I hadn't originally phrased it that way.

Starting my own blog isn't the answer because I already know what *I* find amusing. I want to see what other people *on Metafilter* find amusing but don't post because it isn't up to FFP snuff (or they don't think it is).

So maybe MetaChat is the answer, but then why not have a direct link from the Blue?
posted by Toecutter at 5:46 PM on March 1

That Monkeyfilter site is painful to look at. Dark maroon or light grey text on a white background? Yeesh. Why not just throw a cup of ammonia in my eyes?
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 5:47 PM on March 1

Just to double check, you're afraid of the collective "meh", so you decided to come and post something to metatalk?
posted by brevator at 5:49 PM on March 1 [5 favorites]

Just to double check, you're afraid of the collective "meh",

The universe is one big Collective Meh.
posted by jonmc at 5:53 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]

I'm a member of Metafilter. I like Metafilter. I like what goes on here.

If you really liked what goes on here, you wouldn't have posted this.

It would be the seedy alley off of the clean, well lit Blue. I think the seedy alleys in life are often where the most interesting stuff happens. But that's just me.

Me too! Especially De Wallen.
posted by gman at 5:53 PM on March 1

I spoke to someone at a meetup once about this very issue. She mentioned that she never makes an FPP, despite having been a member for much longer than I, because she's afraid that she never has anything that's truly worth a post. I yelled pwn3d n00b! and pointed my finger at her for the rest of the evening. This is the point of my comment where I realize I don't really have anything to contribute and I point the finger at myself. Wow, self-pwnt.
posted by allen.spaulding at 5:54 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]

Don't fear the snark: snark is a sign you're alive. Forge on, comrade! Shoes for industry!
posted by languagehat

::ahem::

All our posts should come
Here but now they're gone
Real Mefites don't fear the Snarker
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain
We can be like they are

Come on newbie... Don't fear the Snarker
Newbie take my hand... Don't fear the Snarker
We'll be able to post... Don't fear the Snarker
Newbie I'm your man...

Cats in scanners is done
Were, but now they're gone
Hitchens and the atheists
Don't believe in eternity...
Hitchens and the atheists

80,000 numbers in the Mefite rolls... (Like mathowie and jessamyn)
80,000 numbers in the Mefite rolls... but hardly any post
Another 80,000 coming eventually...Don't be like they are

Come on newbie... Don't fear the Snarker
Newbie take my hand... Don't fear the Snarker
We'll post to the blue... Don't fear the Snarker
Newbie I'm your man...

Come on baby...don't fear the Snarker
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 5:56 PM on March 1 [4 favorites]

So maybe MetaChat is the answer, but then why not have a direct link from the Blue?

MetaChat really has its own nifty personality, but it exists as its own site, chattier, friendlier, and much much smaller than MetaFilter. It's not any sort of "official" spin-off (there really isn't such a thing) but there are a lot of MeFites there, as well as non-MeFites. So, it's not linked from MeFi proper, in the same way that a lot of the other spin-off sites of various flavors aren't. People seem to come to them on their own and for their own reasons.

You might enjoy one of the related IRC channels if you just like to chat more than post/comment. I've enjoyed the MetaChat IRC channel in the past and I know there are a lot more kicking around.
posted by jessamyn at 5:58 PM on March 1

Come on baby...don't fear the Snarker

We're postin, we're postin for you....
posted by jonmc at 6:00 PM on March 1

"It would be great if there were a Metafilter B-Side for the Second-Best-Of-The-Web sites"

"Metafilter Mark II: Jazz Odyssey" springs to mind for no apparent reason.
posted by mr_crash_davis mark II: Jazz Odyssey at 6:04 PM on March 1 [3 favorites]

"Metafilter Mark II: Jazz Odyssey" springs to mind for no apparent reason.
posted by mr_crash_davis mark II: Jazz Odyssey

This is Mister Crash Davis.... he wrote this...
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 6:05 PM on March 1 [2 favorites]

I have never made a post because, while I have some ideas, I just don't have the time to do the research to turn them into good posts. I feel like the site is better with me never posting then with me throwing up a bunch of "omg lol look at this funny youtube!!1!!1one" posts.
posted by drjimmy11 at 6:09 PM on March 1

Thanks Jessamyn :) all this is true and good stuff, but my question about linking directly to MetaChat was more rhetorical. The fact that it's not part of the MeFi suite was my point; those spin off sites are great, but they aren't Metafilter. My primary interest is Metafilter. I think that Metafilter would benefit from its own MetaChat style area because of the composting, or whatever you want to call it, effect. Especially if there were a promotion button like on Projects. But, hey, if everyone hates it, I'll shut up :)
posted by Toecutter at 6:09 PM on March 1

You know, in the time you've spent posting in this thread you could have made a FPP.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:09 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]

Brandon -- again, it's not just about my posting. It's about getting more folks actively involved with content and seeing what percolates through :)
posted by Toecutter at 6:16 PM on March 1

MetaChat already does this very well. Putting it on the MetaFilter server would defeat the purpose.
posted by Jaltcoh at 6:20 PM on March 1

Joseph Gurl: joined 2000, zero posts. Enough said.

Slarty Bartfast: 780 comments, 3 posts. So snark to content ratio of 260 to 1.

Fuzzy Skinner: Prolific newbie.

Wow, you really know how to start off a MeTa.

Unless you can form a solid post around it (in this case, no), if you like a post on Wonkette, comment on it there. If you could make a post on it, just post it. Don't worry about it, and don't react as defensively as you did here.
posted by graventy at 6:26 PM on March 1

What I mean is, some sites like Linkfilter.net kind of kick our ass in terms of number of interesting links because the bar is a little lower.

We're in a competition with Linkfilter? They've were mentioned in Newsweek AND People, while we just got stuck with Time? There's some sort of turf war for links?

I honestly don't get what you're trying to do here. What you're proposing isn't how Metafilter works. If you find something interesting, post it (hell, I just did). Maybe it'll get "the Meh" . Maybe others will chime in with other links. Maybe it'll get deleted. Oh well. I'll try again later.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:34 PM on March 1

Well, at least you've have the cahoonas (sp?) to...

The correct spelling is t-a-t-o-r-s.
posted by Balonious Assault at 6:34 PM on March 1 [2 favorites]

Graventy: You and Brandon Blatcher are right on that count. The first snark got me a little hot under the collar. I still like my idea, though, so it should be clear I have thick skin, prior defensive tone notwithstanding :)
posted by Toecutter at 6:34 PM on March 1

It's about getting more folks actively involved with content and seeing what percolates through :)

So... a MeFiDigg/MeFiReddit subsite? Then you'd not only have the fear of a Collective Meh, but the fear of a quantifiable MEH! in the form of low vote results.

It's okay if some people never, or rarely, make posts. It's not necessarily out of fear; they may just like to read and comment on what other people have posted. That's a perfectly fine way of being involved.
posted by CKmtl at 6:36 PM on March 1

This isn't framed especially well, but I think I can see the intent -- Metafilter is a community, and I can see wanting to share fun little things within the confines of the community that don't really stand the glare of the FRONT PAGE. It can be intimidating.

Metachat sorta fits the bill, but there are a large number of prominent mefites who do not participate in Metachat at all, so it doesn't *quite* fit the bill.

I don't think the framing of the concept is a reason to shoot down the concept itself -- I've had these moments too, where "Hey, I bet some Mefites would find this funny, but it's not FPP-worthy at all," so no post. The one time I tried it, the post was deleted in like 5 minutes. (rightly so, in retrospect)

I need a hug.
posted by Devils Rancher at 6:44 PM on March 1

Brandon -- I know you don't get what I'm trying to do here, which is why you keep telling me to FFP and let the chips fall where they may. My own Metafilter prolificacy isn't the point. Neither is the fortitude of my tators.

And I know this isn't how Metafilter works -- that's why I made the suggestion. I think my idea would result in an even greater abundance of interesting content within the Metafilter suite. That's all.
posted by Toecutter at 6:49 PM on March 1

It's about getting more folks actively involved with content

What does that even mean? It sounds like marketing speak.

and seeing what percolates through

Metafilter: good to the last drop.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:51 PM on March 1

What Devils Rancher said.
posted by Toecutter at 6:51 PM on March 1

and seeing what percolates through

No need. I can smell it already.
posted by gman at 6:56 PM on March 1

I know you don't get what I'm trying to do here, which is why you keep telling me to FFP

Because it works man. Post an interesting link or two, others will join in. It's like you're overthinking it, trying to raise a community when there already is one.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:56 PM on March 1

Toecutter, you're coming on kinda strong in this thread.
posted by cgc373 at 6:56 PM on March 1

FPP, is all.

"the Metafilter suite"? Dibs on the minibar. Erm, this is going on the expense account, right?
posted by chinston at 7:01 PM on March 1

It's not like FPPs need to be really well-researched groups of links, requiring weeks of careful searching and detailed explanation. Heck, one of my only two FPPs is just a link to a bunch of famous paintings with duckies added in. And it went over just fine.
posted by Ms. Saint at 7:02 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]

cgc373 -- The quality of The Blue is an issue that people take seriously and there has been some strong debate about it with sharply differing opinions (mostly mine against everyone else's :) so I'm sorry if I'm coming across in a negative way. Seriously not my intent.
posted by Toecutter at 7:02 PM on March 1

Toecutter, there's a pretty powerful sense of reinventing the wheel here, is I think why a lot of people are blanching at the suggestion. What I'm hearing from you is this:

"It doesn't matter that this is a solved problem that many other sites do already; metafilter needs to do it to, so that I don't have to go elsewhere to get this functionality."

Which, as somebody who likes mefi an awful lot, I can understand, but it's not a very compelling argument on its own, because it can apply to anything, and actually running with that reasoning would be a surefire way to turn mefi into a great bloated mess and obscure the character that makes it a unique community in the first place.

There are a bunch of places where you can get a lot of the-bar-is-set-low links if mefi is moving slow for you on any given day. Some of them are pretty strongly tied to the metafilter community, and you can join and get to know those places and get your link on there. You can toss links into topical mefi threads as comments; you can hang out in IRC and toss links around there; you can follow a bunch of mefites on Twitter and get an extra dose of low-stakes silliness and linkdumping that way.

"No but it has to happen exactly this way" isn't something that's easy to work with; it's demanding a lot for no real reason besides just because, and I don't see us really biting on that.
posted by cortex at 7:20 PM on March 1 [2 favorites]

I think the problem is that you're looking for something that Metafilter is not. You seem to be after something that the community for the most part strives not to be. Frivolous funny links are not for here.

I realize that you think the community is great, but there are other communities that are also great that might fulfill your desire.
posted by graventy at 7:21 PM on March 1

Tons of frivolous and funny links get posted. It's all a matter of framing them. Do it well, by emulating other well-acclaimed posts.
posted by five fresh fish at 7:30 PM on March 1

it's not a very compelling argument on its own, because it can apply to anything, and actually running with that reasoning would be a surefire way to turn mefi into a great bloated mess and obscure the character that makes it an unique community in the first place.

Cortex: This is a fair response. Suggestion withdrawn.
posted by Toecutter at 7:30 PM on March 1

B sides that became hits (Posted on the blue. The really blue.)
posted by lukemeister at 7:38 PM on March 1

It would be great if there were a Metafilter B-Side for the Second-Best-Of-The-Web sites

I used to use MetaChat for this, but then I got banned for some reason, and so now I don't.
posted by dgaicun at 7:53 PM on March 1

what you should do with the b-list links is very simple - you wait until someone posts an a-list link as a fpp and then you post your relevant b-list link as a comment in the thread - it's done all the time by people and it makes the threads better
posted by pyramid termite at 8:01 PM on March 1

"It doesn't matter that this is a solved problem that many other sites do already; metafilter needs to do it to, so that I don't have to go elsewhere to get this functionality." Which, as somebody who likes mefi an awful lot, I can understand, but it's not a very compelling argument on its own, because it can apply to anything

So this is why you haven't responded to my repeated e-mail requests for our own 3D chat room. C'mon, it'll be awesome!
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 8:24 PM on March 1

BetaFilter. I agree.
posted by Kronos_to_Earth at 8:28 PM on March 1

you can follow a bunch of mefites on Twitter and get an extra dose of low-stakes silliness

How VERY dare you, sir.
posted by Jofus at 8:44 PM on March 1

MetaChat is not a "seedy alleyway". It's not a place to dump shit. It's fun, frivolous and fluffy with an occasional serious side. And we'd like to keep it that way.
posted by deborah at 8:45 PM on March 1

And traffic has slowed down a little at MetaChat.

We're not getting quite as many goofy, fun links as we used to get.

So why don't you drop by and pay us a visit? Bring some fun links. Don't take it or us too seriously.

Come on down!
posted by jason's_planet at 8:50 PM on March 1

I want a website just like MetaFilter, only with more sucky links!

Great idea! A plus number one!
posted by klangklangston at 8:53 PM on March 1

Even though I haven't posted a link, let me tell everyone how it should be done!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:05 PM on March 1

I agree with Toecutter. I mean, where else could I possibly put something this awesome?
posted by P.o.B. at 11:56 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]

Not to mention chimpanzee face-fucking a toad, while a small child cries.
posted by dgaicun at 12:03 AM on March 2

I guess everybody has their likes...and dislikes.
posted by P.o.B. at 12:10 AM on March 2

I agree with Toecutter. I mean, where else could I possibly put something this awesome?

god i love youtube comments:
stfu he is retarded....i should know i am a retard doctor its my job to know i have a degree in this shit

and by 'love', i mean 'hate'.
posted by empath at 1:27 AM on March 2

Joseph Gurl: joined 2000, zero posts. Enough said.

Man, you're a real delight, Toecutter.

I've been here a long time,off and on, never got all that involved. I haven't posted because I've never felt like doing so since I stopped doing my own blog, and back then, if I wanted to share a link with the world I'd just put it there (a policy you might should consider).

If you think MeFites should be somehow judged on the basis of how many FPP's (not "FFP"s, dude) we've made, I believe you are missing the mark. And if I'm wrong on that, then maybe it's time for me to cut myself loose, because that's a whole shriveled ingot of suck.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 3:15 AM on March 2 [1 favorite]

Just Do It.
posted by adamvasco at 4:27 AM on March 2

I'm kinda sick of the race to be the first to shit on a thread on the blue but it's not going to stop me from posting stuff I think is unique and suitable for the community here and i should know i am a retard doctor.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:55 AM on March 2

You got banned from MetaChat?

Also, Potomac Avenue–Are you a doctor of retard or a doctor for retard? Why no?
posted by Mister_A at 6:24 AM on March 2

It's about getting more folks actively involved with content

No it's not, it's about satisfying your strange desire for low-quality MetaFilter, which no one else, for some odd reason, seems to share.
posted by languagehat at 6:43 AM on March 2 [1 favorite]

Alright, my last word as I've already withdrawn the suggestion.

Mea Culpa.

Obviously this is an idea that nearly everyone hates. I'm sorry I posted it. I don't have a strange desire for low-quality Metafilter. I thought folks would like the idea of a separate, compartmentalized area for stuff that they weren't sure about but nonetheless found interesting or amusing or had the possibility being promoted to FPP. As a model for generating excellence it's not without precedent -- farm teams for major league baseball come to mind for example. Or the idea, as someone pointed out above, that sometimes the B-Sides of records are where the good stuff is. I was honestly surprised by the extremely negative reaction.

But in the course of the dust up, there were several very fair comments that changed my mind.

Early in the thread there were a couple responses that, rightly or wrongly, I found to be snarky and I reacted defensively to them. I shouldn't have and I apologize.
posted by Toecutter at 8:17 AM on March 2

Toecutter, for what it's worth, I think you've been a model of reasonableness and equanimity in making your request, considering the opinions, withdrawing it and winding up. You haven't really been defensive, you haven't lost your temper, and you've been really calm and fair even though some snark was thrown your way. Honestly, I admire it. I know what it's like to get a request that initially seems decent shot down, and people aren't always pleasant in their objections. It was reasonable to ask, but the arguments against are good enough, and I think you provided a nice example of stating your request, reconsidering your argument and actually listening to others without going nutso. Which is nice to see here.
posted by Miko at 8:29 AM on March 2

What Miko said, except for the part about you not being defensive; I think you were being so, a bit, but if that's as bad as a reaction to having an idea shot down under heavy fire gets, we're in pretty good shape. And you've been a mensch about it on the tail end, so: hugs.
posted by cortex at 8:32 AM on March 2

I think you provided a nice example of stating your request, reconsidering your argument and actually listening to others without going nutso. Which is nice to see here.

What, first he tries to change the blue, now you're going to praise him for changing the grey? Pshaw.
posted by grouse at 8:32 AM on March 2

Yeah, I guess I'm talking more about the later rather than earlier statements. I agree with Joseph Gurl that making FPPs is not that important to being a great contributor and site member. It's important that a subset of people do it, but matters not at all that not everybody does. Some of the most wonderful commenters and site members don't do it at all, or do it rarely.
posted by Miko at 8:35 AM on March 2

I ain't huggin' nobody!!!!

Oh God I'm so lonely
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 8:37 AM on March 2

Toecutter is a very good painter, check it out.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:42 AM on March 2

St. Alia of the Bunnies : Don't be chicken. The worst thing that could happen is it gets deleted.

Said by someone who's clearly never had their front door kicked in by anonymous helmeted shock-troops intent on seizing the contents of your dirty clothes hamper, interrogating you about your comments on the Spongebob Squarepants forums, and placing your cats under arrest for "conspiracy to commit wire-fraud".

This is why I only spend time here; the rest of the internet is a scary place.
posted by quin at 8:47 AM on March 2

It was NOT ME that time, quin.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 9:07 AM on March 2

DUDE! Toecutter! Your portraiture is fantastic.

(Oil portraiture is just about my favorite kind of painting ever, and ohmygoodness you've done it stereoscopically. How absolutely delightful.)
posted by ocherdraco at 9:25 AM on March 2

Hey that is pretty nice. I remember the project but forgot it was from the Toecutter. I'll remember him/her when I look up at the night sky.

/Mad Max
posted by Mister_A at 9:31 AM on March 2

god damn it, I always arrive too late to really flip out at someone for having an idea I don't like.
posted by shmegegge at 10:47 AM on March 2

Yea, now we're lauding Toecutter and making Mad Max jokes. You in, shmeg?
posted by Mister_A at 11:48 AM on March 2

*kicks dirt, sheepishly.*

no. I really just wanted to flip out.
posted by shmegegge at 11:50 AM on March 2

TWO POSTS ENTER ONE SNARK LEAVE.
TWO POSTS ENTER ONE SNARK LEAVE.
TWO POSTS ENTER ONE SNARK LEAVE.
posted by slogger at 12:17 PM on March 2

Yea, now we're lauding Toecutter and making Mad Max jokes.

My plan all along bwa ha ha ha ha ha! No seriously, my last comment. Thanks for the kind words.
posted by Toecutter at 1:27 PM on March 2

god i love youtube comments:

I know. That's why I don't read them. Much less search two or three pages looking for the worst of them.

Is it still to late to flip out??? 'cuz, i got a degree in that shit!1!
posted by P.o.B. at 1:42 PM on March 2

Get Mary Lou Retton in here to show us how it's done.
posted by cortex at 1:52 PM on March 2

I thought folks would like the idea of a separate, compartmentalized area for stuff that they weren't sure about but nonetheless found interesting or amusing or had the possibility being promoted to FPP.

This kind of stuff is really best served posted to your own blog. I know that my wee little blog gets the most hits from my MeFi profile, so I imagine that on occasion a few MeFites might see crap that I posted that wasn't actually *from* MetaFilter, and hey, *they* might post it. Maybe.

A lot of people get their FPPs from blogs that they read. A lot of MeFites *have* blogs. So. Ipso... Something.

Not trying to be all "GYOB!" just trying to throw in a quasi-productive suggestion for a solution to this problem that isn't "go pee in MetaChat."

Also: Just post it if you wanna. I've had a ton of successful posts, I've also had a handful of deletions from doubles that didn't show up on my first search attempts or stuff that I liked but turned out not to be up to snuff. Hell, I even had a *MeTa* thread deleted. And I'm still alive!
posted by grapefruitmoon at 2:15 PM on March 2

Mary Lou Retton? Flip out? I don't get it.
posted by Mister_A at 3:19 PM on March 2

Because she was a gymnast, okay, and one of the things that gymansts do is do like flips, and she was a really good gynmanst so she'd be like a superlative flipper (-outer), and so by bringing her into the thread we could enjoy some exemplary flipping (-out) and thus better appreciate the finer qualities of that process. Is what I was going for there.
posted by cortex at 3:22 PM on March 2

Ohhhh, that Mary Lou Retton.
posted by Mister_A at 3:29 PM on March 2

Blowing up datacenters that contain root DNS servers, and also various ISP IP backbones is a better way to go about this whole thing.
posted by Burhanistan at 3:41 PM on March 2

So wait... Mary Lou Retton was a ninja? I'm so confused. Why was she flipping out again? Is this about the time she used her training in the arts of stealth to assassinate that feudal warlord with a blowgun?

Because I'm pretty sure I remember that from her Lifetime movie.
posted by quin at 3:41 PM on March 2

My favorite Mary Lou Retton scene is the one where she's fighting that great big spider after Scott Hamilton betrays her and lures her into the spooky cave, and Liv Tyler is all, "Mary Lou, remember that light-up dealy I gave unto thee, stupid!"
posted by Mister_A at 3:44 PM on March 2

Cortex: This is a fair response. Suggestion withdrawn.

(...) I shouldn't have and I apologize.

What the hell kind of flameout is that? What has this place come to? The whole site's obviously already just gone to hell in a cockbucket.

I still need that hug.
posted by Devils Rancher at 4:55 PM on March 2

Anybody who has their own show called the "Flip Flop Shop", must have some damn fine flipping out skills!
posted by P.o.B. at 4:56 PM on March 2

*pats DR on the back*

There, there you'll find love ($20).
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:03 PM on March 2

So wait... Mary Lou Retton was a ninja? I'm so confused. Why was she flipping out again? Is this about the time she used her training in the arts of stealth to assassinate that feudal warlord with a blowgun?

She actually failed that mission, and had to commit seppuku - you know, folding a frisbee in half, shoving it into your mouth, and then letting go.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 10:07 PM on March 2

That mental image? DID NOT WANT.
posted by ocherdraco at 10:12 PM on March 2

Sorry, ocherdraco. I meant to link to this ancient webpage.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 10:16 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]

And the relevant page.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 10:17 PM on March 2 [1 favorite]

There, there you'll find love ($20).

Same as in town? Thanks!
posted by Devils Rancher at 9:11 AM on March 3