Should people posting videos to Metafilter watch the whole thing first?

April 6, 2009 12:24 PM

Should people posting videos to Metafilter watch the whole thing first?

Buried in his Dog's Life video post, the original poster makes an astonishing admission

I didn't watch it all the way through or even in one go, but some bits of it are neat and some aren't, that is all.

Is that bad form?

I continue to be a bit bummed by all the single link YouTube posts and silly college videos and such. It's not what I love best about Metafilter, but I'll get over it. But it never occurred to me someone would post a link to a short video they hadn't even watched.

PS: my first callout thread. I'm ashamed.

posted by Nelson to Etiquette/Policy at 12:24 PM (72 comments total)

Yes. Can we close this now?
posted by ob at 12:25 PM on April 6, 2009

Metafilter: some bits of it are neat and some aren't, THAR SHE BLOWS.
posted by carsonb at 12:27 PM on April 6, 2009

I'm glad you called out the OP. I saw the body copy and thought I was being called out for the second time in one day.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 12:29 PM on April 6, 2009

Yeah I really don't see MeFi as a game of hot potato where you have to pass on the link as quickly as possible. If you haven't seen the entire video, maybe you can go watch it and then post. MetaFilter will still be here.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 12:31 PM on April 6, 2009 [4 favorites]

Yes - it just isn't due diligence. I'm terrified that the one time I forward a video on to someone without watching the whole thing, the last 30 seconds will be some sort of awful goatse-1cup mashup.
posted by niles at 12:32 PM on April 6, 2009 [3 favorites]

goatse-1cup mashup

Makes mental note for Threadless T-shirt illustration.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 12:33 PM on April 6, 2009 [2 favorites]

Yes. It is bad form and anyone who does it should feel bad.
posted by solipsophistocracy at 12:36 PM on April 6, 2009 [1 favorite]

I haven't read this thread to the end, but I agree.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 12:40 PM on April 6, 2009 [4 favorites]

I think there's nothing wrong with posting videos.
posted by Pronoiac at 12:44 PM on April 6, 2009 [10 favorites]

I'll wait for this thread to be torrented, before expressing agreement.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:44 PM on April 6, 2009

I feel bad.
posted by Astro Zombie at 12:45 PM on April 6, 2009

"MetaFilter will still be here."

But, we don't know that for certain, do we?
posted by HuronBob at 12:49 PM on April 6, 2009

Someone (other than me) should start posting videos where the last 10 seconds is dramatically different from the prior content. Maybe not goatse-1cup mashup bad, but something different enough to be noteworthy. Like a news clip on a tense financial issue or police stand-off where, appended to the end, is a few seconds of dancing cockatoo or laughing baby.

It could be the new rickroll.
posted by quin at 12:50 PM on April 6, 2009 [4 favorites]

I never read my own posts before I make them. I know better.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:51 PM on April 6, 2009 [3 favorites]

I feel bad.

*checks*

Yes. Yes you do.
posted by quin at 12:51 PM on April 6, 2009

It's probably worse form to have watched that video all the way through and posted it...

I have not seen all of it yet. In fact, I have not seen any of it.
posted by pokermonk at 12:53 PM on April 6, 2009

I think this call out is extremely insensitive to those of us with ADD.. if I had to watch/read/play everything to the end I would never be able to post a link to metafilter. In fact, macaroni and cheese is better with a little bit of bacon. And who are you to tell me that riding without a helmet is stupid. What are we talking about again?
posted by pwally at 12:54 PM on April 6, 2009 [4 favorites]

How many of the authors of the Metafilter novel have read the whole thing?
posted by lukemeister at 1:00 PM on April 6, 2009

There was more than one chapter?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 1:02 PM on April 6, 2009 [1 favorite]

I accidentally the whole
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 1:03 PM on April 6, 2009

Neslon, if you're calling someone out, you should memail them to tell them so so they can at least learn that their actions shouldn't be repeated. Not everyone reads MeTa.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 1:06 PM on April 6, 2009

Nelson: PS: my first callout thread. I'm ashamed.

Oh, thank you. That saves me some time.
posted by koeselitz at 1:11 PM on April 6, 2009

Well, that admmission certainly qualifies as astonishing. Contacting TMZ.

Just funnin'.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 1:15 PM on April 6, 2009

I bet everyone said some really interesting stuff in this thread, but I kinda zoned out after the third comment and anyway yeah I agree with whoever said stuff that was cool.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 1:47 PM on April 6, 2009

Neslon, if you're calling someone out, you should memail them to tell them so so they can at least learn that their actions shouldn't be repeated. Not everyone reads MeTa.
What's the fun in talking about people when they're around? Much better to talk about them behind their back, so that we don't have to consider their feelings.

Of course they should have watched it first. Why would you even consider posting something that you hadn't seen? People are strange.
posted by dg at 1:49 PM on April 6, 2009

I don't agree.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 1:49 PM on April 6, 2009

On preview, I agree.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 1:50 PM on April 6, 2009

Metafilter: some bits of it are neat and some aren't, THAR SHE BLOWS.

QFT

TSB
posted by katillathehun at 1:55 PM on April 6, 2009

I CAN HAZ SMUG?
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 1:57 PM on April 6, 2009

Second time I've ever read stuff on metatalk and twice in a week!

I'm the OP who didn't watch the vid all the way through but still posted it, if you've read the thread that's the least of the post's problems, apparently the boredom it induces is deadly enough to demand I give myself "a mandatory time out" (hello Other Guy).

In my defence, I thought the whole thing was kind of ambienty, I had my headphones on and was just enjoying the sound of the dog whining and snarling to itself whilst the humans called from the distance (so even some of the bits where I was paying attention I wasn't always watching!), and also it wasn't a big deal if parts were boring, or even if you (or in this case, me) didn't watch the whole thing through. Obviously my diluted pleasures didn't translate and I didn't sell it as "here, have a listen to this, heavy breathing staffordshire bull terriers sound funny" + a million caveats * your mileage may vary. I thought it was genuinely interesting even weirdly charming (I don't have a dog) and a strange reversal of perspective when the people started coddling/teasing the dog.

Anyway, I don't think I'm in the habit of reflex posting, though I guess my posting rigour's slipped a bit since my first jam packed link-a-thon, but then it's not like there are schools of posting or is there some sort of meta-cademy that no one's memailed me about? (please memail)
posted by doobiedoo at 2:00 PM on April 6, 2009 [2 favorites]

"ambienty" is not a word... nor should it ever be a word...
posted by HuronBob at 2:19 PM on April 6, 2009 [3 favorites]

"Enoish?"
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:21 PM on April 6, 2009 [3 favorites]

I bet you spent more time typing up that defense then you did considering whether it was a good post or not.

This is bad thing, just so we're clear.
posted by oddman at 2:25 PM on April 6, 2009

I figured after the callout, I had nothing else to lose
posted by doobiedoo at 2:25 PM on April 6, 2009 [2 favorites]

"I had nothing else to lose"

your soul....
posted by HuronBob at 2:26 PM on April 6, 2009

I won that in a poker game last week. Jesus can't bluff to save His life.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:28 PM on April 6, 2009 [1 favorite]

it's not like there are schools of posting or is there some sort of meta-cademy
I got your meta-cademy right here.
posted by dg at 2:29 PM on April 6, 2009 [2 favorites]

I bet you spent more time typing up that defense then you did considering whether it was a good post or not.

Yes, but I didn't think it needed defending! I was just mentally scuttling along with the terrier in this warehouse space and thought it was cute! I didn't think I'd need to paint a picture of its reception or that people would find the footage so boring that it sort of insulted them. I'm not sure it is such a bad post, but obviously some things need clarification if I'm coming from too far inside my head.

Anyway, thanks for the clearup.
posted by doobiedoo at 2:38 PM on April 6, 2009

Just to be clear: you don't need to defend your post on MetaTalk. If your post was truly horrible, it would have been flagged and/or deleted. Woof.
posted by not_on_display at 2:44 PM on April 6, 2009

apparently the boredom it induces is deadly enough to demand I give myself "a mandatory time out"

No no, that's not the issue. The issue is that you didn't watch it long enough to KNOW that it's totally boring. THAT is why you should consider going outside for a while and re-orienting yourself to your priorities before posting any more FPPs.

jessamyn's right - MetaFilter will still be here by the time you've seen the whole 16 minutes of a dog's point of view.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 2:45 PM on April 6, 2009

grapefruitmoon,

Is that 16 dog minutes or Mefite minutes?
posted by lukemeister at 3:15 PM on April 6, 2009

I think posting a video without watching it is perfectly acceptable, you just have to make the assumption that the last whatever minutes will contain HitlerPorn. Also if you watch without sound you should assume HitlerPorn soundtrack.
posted by Artw at 3:16 PM on April 6, 2009

Is that 16 dog minutes or Mefite minutes?

Works out to be 20 MeFite minutes, actually. SAIT.
posted by niles at 3:18 PM on April 6, 2009 [1 favorite]

I agree, in addition, if you do not read EVERY SINGLE WORD on any website you link to then you are evil, and should be beaten, banned, and eaten.

Don't get me started on what we should do to people who do not purchase every product on a linked site. The next person to link to Amazon better be prepared to be responsible for every item contained therein.
posted by blue_beetle at 3:20 PM on April 6, 2009

16 worldwide dog minutes = 20 US MeFite minutes = 16 Canadian MeFite minutes
posted by lukemeister at 3:31 PM on April 6, 2009

I agree, in addition, if you do not read EVERY SINGLE WORD on any website you link to then you are evil, and should be beaten, banned, and eaten.

You're kidding, but if that were the case we wouldn't have to do things like this after the fact.
posted by niles at 3:34 PM on April 6, 2009

Yay! Hitlerporn!
posted by Artw at 3:38 PM on April 6, 2009

"but then it's not like there are schools of posting or is there some sort of meta-cademy that no one's memailed me about?"

There's an entirely facetious school that I declared I ran in one of the recent MeTas where some dude was flipping out like real ultimate power because he wanted to chat but other folks were like, could you shut up, I'm trying to make a mixtape.

But I don't even read every word that I have my Malaysian sweatshop comment-child transcribe from my rambling Skypes, so who am I to judge?
posted by klangklangston at 3:42 PM on April 6, 2009 [2 favorites]

Can circumcised men feature in Hitlerporn?
posted by qvantamon at 3:50 PM on April 6, 2009

Isn't that the very definition of HitlerPorn?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:58 PM on April 6, 2009 [1 favorite]

This combines *almost* every element of this thread.
posted by lukemeister at 4:15 PM on April 6, 2009

Those cats look nothing like Hitler.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 4:17 PM on April 6, 2009 [1 favorite]

Whoa, more Malaysian transcription? Does he pay you well? I'm getting tired of this guy's blathering. As long as it doesn't show up on favorites, he never notices anything I write. Seriously. I mean: LOLOL ;) See?
posted by Pronoiac at 4:28 PM on April 6, 2009 [1 favorite]

...if you do not read EVERY SINGLE WORD on any website you link to then you are evil...

I am NOT going to read the comments on sites I link to, unless I feel like it. Mostly, I don't feel like it. Doesn't make me all cheney, no matter what you think.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 4:38 PM on April 6, 2009

I've posted some videos in my time (hakk--koff), but I've never posted one I hadn't seen three times and then seen again the next day.
posted by Sparx at 4:42 PM on April 6, 2009

Cats that look like Hitler
posted by Artw at 4:51 PM on April 6, 2009

some of this is neat and some of it isn't
posted by doobiedoo at 5:00 PM on April 6, 2009 [1 favorite]

I continue to be a bit bummed by all the single link YouTube posts and silly college videos and such. It's not what I love best about Metafilter, but I'll get over it.

Aye.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:16 PM on April 6, 2009

For the record, yes, you should be familiar with whatever the hell you're linking to whatever extent is reasonable.

What is reasonable is going to depend a little on the post—if you're doing a great big round-up on some topic that includes links to a great deal of writing, you should at least have a pretty good idea of what you're linking to and a rationale for including each link even if you haven't read every word.

If what you're linking to is a collection of essays by author X, presumably you've read some of X's work and believe it to be good and have at least taken a glance at the links to works you haven't read to make sure they're working and are what you think they are, etc.

If you're presenting some sort of reference material, you've looked through the site and skimmed around some to verify that as a reference it's actually an interesting or useful site, regardless of whether you've read every single entry.

But if what you are posting is a single video, you should really, really have watched the whole damn thing, and, having finished watching it, think, "yeah, this thing is good enough for Metafilter", and then go on to the "it's time to make a post" stage of the process.
posted by cortex (staff) at 5:28 PM on April 6, 2009

Metafilter: You should be familiar with whatever the hell you're linking to
posted by lukemeister at 5:29 PM on April 6, 2009

If what you're linking to is a collection of essays by author X, presumably you've read some of X's work and believe it to be good and have at least taken a glance at the links to works you haven't read to make sure they're working and are what you think they are, etc.

T.S. Elliot hitlerpron!
posted by Artw at 6:21 PM on April 6, 2009

"ambienty" is not a word... nor should it ever be a word...

Yes, it has a feculentous sound to it, doesn't it?
posted by killdevil at 7:26 PM on April 6, 2009 [1 favorite]

tl;dw
posted by mkultra at 9:20 PM on April 6, 2009 [1 favorite]

More like doobiedon't, amirite?
posted by theroadahead at 9:20 PM on April 6, 2009

tl;dwi
posted by lukemeister at 9:48 PM on April 6, 2009

Speaking of videos, I've noticed that AskMe doesn't support that nifty YouTube preview button that the blue has. Has that always been the case? And is there any chance of enabling it there?
posted by Rhaomi at 11:14 PM on April 6, 2009

Youtube videos come up in askme posts much, much less frequently, which is I think why we've never bothered porting it over.
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:16 AM on April 7, 2009

Yeah the YT thing isn't so useful in AskMe and encouraging people to link to more YouTube videos (they're super useful in movie/music posts but elsewhere?) is probably not on our short "to do" list.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:49 AM on April 7, 2009

16 worldwide dog minutes = 20 US MeFite minutes = 16 Canadian MeFite minutes

*squints at screen, punches more numbers into calculator, shakes head, lays head on desk, dreams of being a dog*
posted by mannequito at 10:17 AM on April 7, 2009 [1 favorite]

Don't let the door hit you in the ass.
No, I haven't read the thread.
posted by youhavetoreadthistwice at 1:14 PM on April 7, 2009

It just goes to show, you can't be too careful.
posted by owtytrof at 2:27 PM on April 7, 2009

Gotcha, thanks -- I guess that explains why I'd never noticed it 'till now.
posted by Rhaomi at 2:53 PM on April 7, 2009