Best of MeFi

March 16, 2009 12:14 PM

Where do I find a "best of MeFi" - i.e. collected AskMes as they can be found on the MeFi Wiki?

As I'm just starting out I would like to dig deep in the MeFi Archives but have found no reliable way to do so (short of knowing exactly what to look for).

I am specifically looking for threads on the favorite resources MeFis to utilize when embarking on research projects. I am a little reluctant to post this considering the fact that this must have been asked before. I searched extensively but just couldn't find anything to fit my bill.

Thx a lot!

Matthias


PS: what a terrific moment

posted by mathiu to MetaFilter-related at 12:14 PM (34 comments total)

Some memorable moments have been tagged with metafilterhistory; those aren't necessarily the "best" posts, but they're notable for one reason or another.

Someone could probably do some sorting through the Infodump to generate some lists of Mosts—again, not necessarily best, but significant for e.g. number of favorites, number of comments, etc.
posted by cortex at 12:18 PM on March 16

mathiu, so you writing your first askme right now?
posted by cjorgensen at 12:25 PM on March 16

Yes, some of them there on the front page of the Mefi Wiki you linked:

Collected AskMes: EatMe, ReadMe, GiftIdeas, Books, Mac OS X, Depression
posted by vacapinta at 12:28 PM on March 16 [1 favorite]

I am specifically looking for threads on the favorite resources MeFis to utilize when embarking on research projects.

What kind of research project? About MeFi?
posted by cashman at 12:30 PM on March 16

@vacapinta
"EatMe, ReadMe, GiftIdeas, (...)" - alikes are exactily what I'm looking for. Or blogs that cover Mefi-related best-of compilations..

@cashman
As to my question: I am pondering on a theme along the lines of "what is your favorite starting point when researching a specific topic. Think along the boundaries of a "MeFi supplement specifically for webdesign/medicine/law/movies". Not another linklist, but other communities (i.e. the online-forum for lawyers) or databases (i.e. the IMDB) more specific than Mefi, but no less lively.
posted by mathiu at 12:52 PM on March 16

I don't understand. You want alternative communities to Ask Metafilter?

(Please don't do the @thing here. Twitter is down the hall. Thank you.)
posted by CunningLinguist at 12:59 PM on March 16

Currently I find an interesting topic asked in todays or yesterdays questions, as I follow a few "related article" links I tend to end up in some memorable, older threats.

My only problem is finding an entry point to the older threats... and that's where an entry point/best-of list sorted by topics could be of help.
posted by mathiu at 1:00 PM on March 16

Or blogs that cover Mefi-related best-of compilations.

growabrain does an erratically-updated Best of Metafilter roundup that makes for good reading as well.

Unrelated and not-a-big-deal thing, but please avoid the twitter-style @username convention on mefi; folks here read for comprehension pretty well by default, and mentioning their names unadorned in a reply will do the trick just fine.

This concludes the random style kvetch. As you were.
posted by cortex at 1:02 PM on March 16 [2 favorites]

Have you explored the tag system? That's the best way I know to comb the archives for specific topics.
posted by CunningLinguist at 1:04 PM on March 16

I recommend exploring the /tags pages. The tag clouds are a good starting off point, and as you view each tag page you'll be able to add related tags to the search. You can do this manually by editing the tag URL as well. So, let's say you're interested in questions on medical law:
http://ask.metafilter.com/tags/medicine+law

Unfortunately, this only works with two tags at a time. Allowing a greater number of combined tags would be a most excellent pony.
posted by carsonb at 1:05 PM on March 16

GMTA, CunningLinguist.
posted by carsonb at 1:05 PM on March 16

Check out the podcast posts, which include links to interesting/notable posts referenced in the podcast.
posted by donovan at 1:17 PM on March 16 [1 favorite]

Thanks for the heads-up, I noticed that something didn't look right - right after posting the twittery @.

I don't understand. You want alternative communities to Ask Metafilter?

Not alternative in the sense of "the same offering" but alternative in in the sense of "drilling down deeply into some detailed area of interest" (usually not discussed on MeFi). Take for example a PHP coder. He might go to MeFi for some questions, but he'll probably go to some other platform to discuss the latest in PHP codes. The "platform" does not neccessarily have to be another community, it could very well be a "digg" like link-exchange - only that it's focusing on PHP.

These "hot-spots" would be of help for non-natives in the respective field to read up on current developments and search for answers on the specific site (if they have a specific question in that field) before shifting through 1000+ irrelevant google results.
posted by mathiu at 1:17 PM on March 16

... favorite resources MeFis to utilize when embarking on research projects.

What's That Bug is often cited in "WTF IS THIS BUG?!" threads, if that's the sort of thing you have in mind.
posted by CKmtl at 1:18 PM on March 16

I just look for everything tagged with "of". You'd be surprised how many great things you find that way.
posted by yhbc at 2:09 PM on March 16

The 16 posts with over 1000 comments

2000 1142
2001 9622
2003 27341
2005 46610
2006 51500
2006 56002
2007 60345
2008 70016
2008 72928
2008 74487
2008 74881
2008 75125
2008 75311
2008 75675
2008 76227
2008 76255

http://www.metafilter.com/the number/
Got to use the trailing quote
posted by rakish_yet_centered at 2:22 PM on March 16

The 12 posts with over 200 favorites

2006 53963
2006 57336
2007 58583
2007 64861
2007 65836
2008 68369
2008 69861
2008 70997
2008 72748
2008 76255
2008 77218
2008 77829
posted by rakish_yet_centered at 2:37 PM on March 16

If you're going to go down the 9622 road, don't forget 9622 v. 2 on MetaTalk. It's certainly MeTa at its "best," whatever that may be.

I GUESS IT'S MY LONGBOAT NOW.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 2:40 PM on March 16

mathui, have you already looked here?

It's a good starting point if you want to dig in and eat MeFi like a bunch of little sandwiches.
posted by snsranch at 2:40 PM on March 16

Got to use the trailing quote

Got to use the trailing slash
posted by rakish_yet_centered at 2:40 PM on March 16

I think Lifehacker also routinely makes posts about the best of AskMefi. Of course, "best" is going to be relative. It's a nice little selection, though. I think the latest roundup is here, and you can click the tags along the bottom to show other posts about Askme.
posted by theantikitty at 3:36 PM on March 16

here.

I kid. even though I'm awesome.
posted by krautland at 3:44 PM on March 16

I know this isn't the typical use of it, but a lot of good old posts are favourited a hell of a lot, and a lot of comments in good old posts get a lot of favourites, so looking at Popular Favourites and Popular Comments of all time might help.

And now I hide from the anti-favourites crowd.
posted by Phire at 4:01 PM on March 16

I love you grapefruitmoon, but what's with the longboat territorialism lately? Surely it wasn't yours to begin with, and everybody knows that all Vikings are Socialists, and that all sweeping generalizations are valid.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 4:35 PM on March 16

Look at the users, questions and/or answers with the most favorites.
posted by plexi at 5:18 PM on March 16

goodnewsfortheinsane: What's with it "lately" is that I just feel kind of silly about an incident that may - or may not - have been caught on camera at the Epic Cambridge Meetup of '09 wherein I was asked about whether longboats were literal or metaphorical... and after I was done being quite... enthusiastic... and saw I had a camera in my face, I felt like I had been set-up. There had been a recent MeTa or something that clearly gave someone the idea that this was a question about MetaFilter where I'd have a rather loud opinion.

SO. FINE. IF YOU WANNA MAKE ME ALL HUFFY ABOUT LONGBOATS. HERE I AM.

Just continuing the act. Posturing.

Or maybe it's just because in all of 9622, no one ever did bring me my very own longboat. *sniffles*
posted by grapefruitmoon at 5:56 PM on March 16

Way to confuse the already confused new guy.
posted by CunningLinguist at 5:57 PM on March 16

What are some more AskMe like sites?
posted by jacalata at 6:14 PM on March 16

I see.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:21 PM on March 16

@. @ @ @. Just because I can. @.
posted by deborah at 6:27 PM on March 16

Way to confuse the already confused new guy.

Well, this is MetaTalk. I apologize though. MetaFilter has some pretty awesome posts. One way to find more good posts is to find users who make consistently awesome posts...

I know that I'm not supposed to say this because he's my ex-husband, and if the Ex-Wife police finds out about this, I'll have my mouth washed out with soap, but Kattullus makes consistently awesome FPPs.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 6:52 PM on March 16

THIS IS JUST TO SAY THIS COMMENT MAKES MY POSTING HISTORY A FULL 666.

Also, you should really check out the Palin/Mushrrom/Givewell threads and also maybe some other things that cause me to delurk and like comment and join stuff, also sometimes they're really good and honest, like the Fr0zen thread and the What Book thread and Oh goshers
posted by The Whelk at 7:19 PM on March 16

Wow. This question works so much better when you don't start it with, "I'm so bored I could shit."
posted by Navelgazer at 11:00 PM on March 16 [1 favorite]

I know I've spent more days than I'd like to admit hitting the "random" button like a monkey at the crack dispenser. It doesn't focus on the greatest posts of all time, but I have found quite a few gems (by which I mean epic trainwrecks) that way.
posted by double block and bleed at 6:08 AM on March 17