Favorite tagging

April 23, 2009 1:48 AM

Another favoriting discussion. With very many users having hunderds, and some thousands of favorites, it can become unweildy navigating favorites. If they are indeed intended as a bookmarking tool, it would be helpful to be able to tag them so we can find things we intend to come back to in the future.
posted by bigmusic to feature requests at 1:48 AM (95 comments total)

They're working on it. Unfortunately it's a big job rather than a quick-add feature. They need to come up with how tags are displayed on the page, how users interact with tags, what user tag URLs look like, what's public vs. private, how you view things you've tagged, how you edit tags, etc, etc. So it's just a lot of new things to make decisions about, create, and test. Pb's afraid this one will take some time.
posted by dersins at 2:09 AM on April 23

Qs: 1 2 3 4, and you.

A
posted by carsonb at 2:11 AM on April 23 [3 favorites]

Oh god, here we go again.
posted by dg at 2:13 AM on April 23

and hey, can we edit our posts too? say with a three minute window?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:21 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]

A Scene From A Bathroom:

We have some bathrooms by our library that can get in pretty rough shape. Students are barely human, of course, so it's no surprise to find a toilet pretty much demolished. It is a minor blessing that the toilets have motion-sensing autoflushing as who knows what sort of dread rot one could catch by touching the toilet with unprotected skin. Thus, when I stopped into the bathroom to do my business a week and a half ago, I counted myself lucky that the stall I first picked seemed to only be suffering from a lack of flushage.

I flushed, but the amorphous wad of toilet paper did not go anywhere. The water level in the bowl rose slightly, which is a sure sign of a clog. That's fine, I thought, I'll just go to the next stall.

So I did, and it was fine.

While I was occupied, I heard a student enter the restroom and head to the stall I had just both evacuated and failed to evacuate in. He performed the same test I did, flushing, and must have experienced the same result - the water level rose, but the clog remained. Since I was in the only other stall, his options were to either wait or lay some chocolate icing on the clog-cake. I guess his need was urgent because he chose the latter, trying another manual flush in vain.

I bet you see where this is going.

The motion-sensing autoflush is a strange beast. Sometimes, it does not trigger at all. Sometimes, it triggers when you lean forward, say to grab a wad of toilet paper or when you stand up.

And so it did. Both.

From the next stall over, I hear the sound of a flush and the drip-drip-splatter of a toiletbowl slightly overflowing. I hear the student's surprise as he no doubt stood up to try to shuffle away from the leaky bowl.

I hear his cry on anguish as his rising triggers another flush, causing the toilet contents to flood. As I rise and move away from the expanding pool of toilet water drifting from under the stall, I hear the student wail, "Oh God! It's in my pants!" Not on his pants. In his pants.

He had managed to flush his own turd right back into the safe, if damp, cradle of his underwear.

I flee. Partially to keep from laughing, partially to tell maintenance that they have a clean up in the men's room.

For the rest of the day, I kept my eye out, but no student with soggy, crap-cradling pants came by.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 2:32 AM on April 23 [110 favorites]

I kept my eye out, but no student with soggy, crap-cradling pants came by.

The wine-dark sea, the scrotum-tightening sea.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:38 AM on April 23 [3 favorites]

Qs: 1 2 3 4, and you.

A
My mistake, feel free to close this up.
posted by bigmusic at 2:43 AM on April 23

When the favorite tagging thing does come out, i'm pretty sure one of my tags will just be robocopisbleeding. You are all the right kinds of storyteller, and I feel like I favorite every single one of your extended story comments. This is a good thing.
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 2:50 AM on April 23

robocop is bleeding and has groupies
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:51 AM on April 23

bigmusic: "If they are indeed intended as a bookmarking tool..."

The way I understand it, part of the magic is that they aren't "intended" as anything. They're sort of an Internetual Rorschach test. If you think they're all individual people clapping for the poster, you're a narcissist. If you think they're people marking the information for future reference, you're obsessive. If you think everyone else's interactions on MetaFilter -- including the selection of favorites -- are actually controlled by elaborate Eliza scripts, you're paranoid.
posted by Plutor at 4:09 AM on April 23

Think of favorites as an internal bookmark system, a way to keep a list of the good questions, great comments, or interesting ideas you've found here.
posted by bigmusic at 4:17 AM on April 23

BT, DT
posted by Eideteker at 4:26 AM on April 23

Dear MetaFilter Management,

I understand that the image tag used to be very popular. Has anyone discussed bringing it back?
posted by double block and bleed at 4:27 AM on April 23 [3 favorites]

Oh good its the most recent of our regularly scheduled tri-weekly favorites thread. That is the single most discussed little plus sign in brackets next to words in the history of mankind. The next one of these I see I am just going to randomly perma-ban 500 people. If you don't believe me, just try it tough guys.

Your move Mr. Bomb.
posted by ND¢ at 4:40 AM on April 23

Can we have avatars too?
posted by fire&wings at 4:45 AM on April 23

When the favorite tagging thing does come out, i'm pretty sure one of my tags will just be robocopisbleeding.

agreed. Why don't we just take it all the way and give him his own subsite - metacop?
posted by mannequito at 4:54 AM on April 23

Can't you just use the little search box on your favorites page to find stuff?
posted by bluefly at 5:17 AM on April 23

I was here to bemoan the MeTa about favorites, but the turd in the pants story made it all worthwhile.
posted by jerseygirl at 5:19 AM on April 23

the turd in the pants story made it all worthwhile

This.
posted by deezil at 6:36 AM on April 23

metacop

We can rebuild him. Stronger. Faster. More prone to reflexive self-analysis.
posted by Greg Nog at 6:41 AM on April 23 [8 favorites]

It's not enough that favorites ruined MetaFilter? Now you want to add functionality to them?

You sadistic bastard.
posted by Joe Beese at 7:02 AM on April 23

no student with soggy, crap-cradling pants came by.

I know that poor soul. He was in my humanities class, the one with the uni-brow professor that lectured while he ate, and once spat p-p-peas when making a p-p-point. Anyway, Chesterfield A. McShay, or Ches as we called him, still talks about that day when the toilet in the library overflowed into his pants and the dude in the next stall didn't even hang around to help. He just... took off. What a cad.

The story didn't end there. No sir. In complete panic after getting his knickers in an uproar, young Ches managed to drop the first edition Flaubert he was reading while doing his business right smack dab in the middle of that unsightly gurgling wad leftover from the failed missives of who knows how many other unfortunate library shatters. What a great loss to humanity. The library eventually charged poor Ches $175,000 for that non-restorable Salammbô. Future metriculating frenchie-loving nerd balls would never again know the beauty of that classic in the porcelain library. Ches had to leave university and was financially ruined for life.

Whilst trying to save the book our hero Ches managed to slip on the now slick tiles imported specifically for this library from the Chippendale Works in Argyle, Minnesota. Face first, kapow, right into the hard, cruel swirling bowl. It crushed every bone in his face. He lost 11 teeth to that cauldron of putrified morass. He endured months upon months of structural reconstructions, grafts and other plastic procedures. They had to take cartilage from his hip to come up with something even partially resembling a nose, the damage was so gruesome. To this day, Ches still speaks with a lithp.

All this, because some guy too worried about himself, too concerned with getting his own feet wet, laughing all the way to gym class, decided it was best to just leave Chesterfield to fend for himself. We still visit Ches once a month at Belleview.
posted by netbros at 7:06 AM on April 23

FYI, Kanye West has never seen Robocop.
posted by cortex at 7:20 AM on April 23 [3 favorites]

Kanye West doesn't care about Robocop.
posted by gman at 7:33 AM on April 23 [2 favorites]

It's about 75% done at the moment -- we have tagging on favorites in a hidden div working like I mocked up in the last thread, but we're still working on the display aspects of what happens after you tag something.
posted by mathowie at 7:34 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]

When you think about it, really, aren't all divs hidden?
posted by cowbellemoo at 7:47 AM on April 23

They're working on it. Unfortunately it's a big job rather than a quick-add feature. They need to come up with how tags are displayed on the page, how users interact with tags, what user tag URLs look like, what's public vs. private, how you view things you've tagged, how you edit tags, etc, etc. So it's just a lot of new things to make decisions about, create, and test. Pb's afraid this one will take some time.

dersins? That you?
posted by gman at 7:50 AM on April 23

I think that every post regarding favourites should have a more professional background colour.
posted by ob at 7:57 AM on April 23 [2 favorites]

Excellent; only 25% to go. I would also like to be able to see a list of who is favouriting my posts or comments; so that the definer is the user not the post as in user X favourited post a,b,c, and comment 1,2. but not being a coder, I imagine that might be a little difficult.
posted by adamvasco at 8:07 AM on April 23

From: Kanye West has never seen Robocop.

"Similarly, it would have been harder to make "ED-209" fit into the flow of the song,"

Why has no-one done an Ode to ED yet? That unthinking killing machine deserves it's moment of lyrical limelight just as much as any malfunctioning cyborg cop.
posted by quin at 8:07 AM on April 23

Tagging favorites would be pretty good. But an easier way to sort through favorites without having to have an elaborate navigation system would be to allow favorites. Favoriting favorites has the advantage of versatility, too. Some users can favorite favorites to use them as bookmarks. Others may do it to participate in the conversation of the site by shorthand, for example favoriting favorites that weren't favorited by other people who favorited them to call attention to a comment that was more favorited than favorited.
posted by grobstein at 8:12 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]

Wasn't Ode to ED on the b-side of an Albania-only Kraftwerk 12"?
posted by box at 8:14 AM on April 23

That unthinking killing machine deserves it's moment of lyrical limelight just as much as any malfunctioning cyborg cop.

Okay:

ED-209

I met a traveler from Delta City
Who said-- "Two vast and trunkless legs of steel
Stand in the rubble... Near them, on the street,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose guns,
And hulking form, and air of soulless zeal,
Tell that its creator well those Directives read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The Corp that stocked them, and a city dead;
And from an old speaker, these words repeat:
- Please put down your weapon.
- You are in direct violation of Penal Code 1-13, Section 9.
- You have five seconds to comply.
- Five Four Three Two One.
- I am now authorized to use physical force.
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that prototype wreck, a metal corpse,
Spent and fired casings stretch far away."
posted by robocop is bleeding at 8:42 AM on April 23 [15 favorites]

The wine-dark sea, the scrotum-tightening sea.

Thalatta! She is our great mother.
posted by Kinbote at 8:53 AM on April 23

Okay:

Perfect. Now record it, get it into heavy rotation, watch it climb the top 40, and when you release the single and are on top of the world, just make sure that you include a passing mention to me in the liner notes.

That way, in 30 years, I can pull a grubby, well worn copy from my pocket and use it to solicit free drinks from unsuspecting tourists in futuristic space bars we will all be drinking in.
posted by quin at 9:04 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]

and hey, can we edit our posts too? say with a three minute window?

Now look here, mister. That's just...

I'll come in again
posted by Devils Rancher at 9:10 AM on April 23

> It's not enough that favorites ruined MetaFilter?

It's not favorites that are the problem -- it's publicly displaying the number of favorites next to each comment.
posted by Doofus Magoo at 9:11 AM on April 23 [2 favorites]

Did anyone else see the MeFi shout-out on Mythbusters?
posted by 0xFCAF at 9:15 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]

Favourite abusers should be imprisoned, and kept away from children at all costs.
posted by davey_darling at 9:19 AM on April 23

Ooh! Ooh! Are we doing that again?

Wouldst that thou art happy to betroth;
The best is all I pray upon you both.
She is like me but older by an age;
Perform, doth she, perversions fore the stage
On flutes of flesh in darkness without dread?
Does eloquent her tongue dart round the head?
Her belly bulging out with every kick--
Such blessings, would they excellently stick.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:21 AM on April 23

Can we have threaded comments?
posted by desjardins at 9:28 AM on April 23

You know what? I'd like to keep it simple. It's easy enough to come up with a feature, but take one away and everyone'll be kicking and screaming.
posted by dunkadunc at 9:32 AM on April 23

We've answered most of the questions I was talking about in that comment dersins quoted, and we just need to finishing building/testing. I've been working on a different project that will be live soon, so favorite tagging is on the back burner at the moment.

I'd like to think we move slow on big features by design so the site doesn't change radically at the whims of popular culture. You know, like the Senate. I guess that makes Greasemonkey the House. And maybe Matt is the Judicial branch? But yeah, we are working on it and plan to make it happen.
posted by pb at 9:48 AM on April 23 [2 favorites]

> It's easy enough to come up with a feature, but take one away and everyone'll be kicking and screaming.

A few years back at the company I work for, certain managers were doing all sorts of weird and questionable things that made life more difficult for lesser staff and no one said a word openly about it. But when there was a cost cutting measure and the little Mini Moo real cream packs were replaced by cheaper artificial creamer, there was an uproar. Priorities, I suppse.
posted by Burhanistan at 9:49 AM on April 23

The way I understand it, part of the magic is that they aren't "intended" as anything. They're sort of an Internetual Rorschach test. If you think they're all individual people clapping for the poster, you're a narcissist. If you think they're people marking the information for future reference, you're obsessive.

Ok, ok. So what does it mean when... you bite out the rabbit's eyes and scream STOP STARING AT ME?!

Apologies to Emo
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 9:56 AM on April 23

Robocop is bleeding is like Metafilter's own O. Henry. A little nutty, a little sweet, and apparently a little chocolaty.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:07 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]

Did anyone else see the MeFi shout-out on Mythbusters?

They've had "MeFi" signs up in the background of the blueprint room since season 3(!)
posted by cowbellemoo at 10:08 AM on April 23

You know, like the Senate. I guess that makes Greasemonkey the House. And maybe Matt is the Judicial branch?

Does this make MetaChat Canada?


Also, I'm not sure how to vote this way, but I think we're spending too much money on defense and not enough on bringing back the /img tag and customizable user pages.

I have this rock that protects me from SQL injections
posted by graventy at 10:18 AM on April 23

graventy: "I think we're spending too much money on defense and not enough on bringing back the /img tag and customizable user pages."

YES YES YES
posted by dunkadunc at 10:28 AM on April 23

I like to believe that requests for tagging favorites are signals that people use favorites a little too much. I'm not going to declare one number in particular to be the specific threshold, but after a certain number, are the comments or posts you "favorite" really your favorites?

I mean, there may be 100 different ice creams that I like, but I'd probably only flag 5, tops, as "favorites."
posted by explosion at 10:28 AM on April 23

Can we have threaded favorites?
posted by owtytrof at 10:32 AM on April 23 [3 favorites]

With very many users having hunderds ...

More like hunnerds ...
posted by octobersurprise at 10:56 AM on April 23

Surely Matt would be the Executive branch.
posted by boo_radley at 11:00 AM on April 23

Also, we went a day with no MeTa posts. I think that's great.
posted by boo_radley at 11:03 AM on April 23

Hunnerts.
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:06 AM on April 23

Mathowie = Executive
Jessamyn & Cortex = Judicial
PB = Legislative
MetaTalk = Lobbyists
posted by mattdidthat at 11:34 AM on April 23 [2 favorites]

Our secret is no longer safe.
posted by Dumsnill at 11:35 AM on April 23

ooh sweet, k then I'll be the guy on the front steps of parliament, begging for spare favorites.
posted by mannequito at 11:40 AM on April 23

You forget His Excellency The Right Honourable vacapinta, Governor General of the Night-Time Colonies, who theoretically wields power but rarely uses it.
posted by CKmtl at 11:54 AM on April 23

If 500 people favorite this comment, this pony can be screwed right into the ground.

Disclaimer: I will not be having sex with any hooved mammals.
posted by not_on_display at 12:01 PM on April 23

Vacapinta? He could be anywhere, anytime, he walks between comments.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:03 PM on April 23

"I think we're spending too much money on defense and not enough on bringing back the /img tag and customizable user pages."

"Offense gets the glory, but defense wins the game" as they say...

Jessamyn & Cortex = Judicial

ACTIVIST JUDGES!!!
posted by inigo2 at 12:26 PM on April 23

"Excellent; only 25% to go."

You realize that's the difficult 25%, right? The easy 75% got knocked out in about a week. The 25% that's remaining is going to take four years.
posted by mr_crash_davis mark II: Jazz Odyssey at 12:28 PM on April 23

Vacapinta is kind of like the CIA, lurking around to uncover any malfeasance that otherwise wouldn't be discovered until it's far, far too late.
posted by Ms. Saint at 12:41 PM on April 23

ACTIVIST JUDGES!!!

Legislatin' from the bench couch, motherfuckers.
posted by cortex at 1:37 PM on April 23

ND¢, you have proven yourself beyond doubt to be a fairer, a funnier, and a more punctual fake mod than I can ever hope to be. I concede, and relinquish all of my fake mod powers to you. Please use these tools only for the benefit of truth and goodness.
posted by Meatbomb at 2:19 PM on April 23 [1 favorite]

Your favorite tagging sucks.
posted by potch at 2:26 PM on April 23

Vacapinta? He could be anywhere, anytime, he walks between comments.

Vacapinta knows the gate. Vacapinta is the gate. Vacapinta is the key and guardian of the gate. Past, present, future, all are one in Vacapinta. He knows where the Old Ones broke through of old, and where They shall break through again. He knows where They have trod earth's fields, and where They still tread them, and why no one can behold Them as They tread.
posted by Caduceus at 2:29 PM on April 23 [2 favorites]

So, in other words, he be cool?
posted by netbros at 2:31 PM on April 23

Me and you Meatbomb.
posted by ND¢ at 2:32 PM on April 23

ND¢: Me and you Meatbomb.

Is this for real? I just can't tell anymore.
posted by Kattullus at 6:20 PM on April 23

Does the fact that the video I linked to has simulated swordplay in it make me creepy? Cause I didn't choose the clip for the swordplay, but for the quickening, because Meatbomb was relinquishing his fake mod powers to me and one man being defeated and the person defeating him getting his powers made me think of Highlander cause I saw the first part of it on AMC (and yes, for once you got it right AMC; Highlander is indeed an American movie classic; Passenger 57 is not) today at lunch (did you know that in the first scene where the Highlander is at the wrestling match that the other fans sitting beside him are in ties and sports coats? Can you imagine that? At a wrestling match? Things have changed a lot in 30 years) but try finding a clip of the quickening without a little swordplay before it. It can't be done. So anyway, Meatbomb, I don't want to hit you with a sword dude. I just want your fake mod powers. And I really like Highlander. The first movie, and the television series was pretty good too. I like flashbacks to old-timey times. Those are great.
posted by ND¢ at 7:02 PM on April 23 [1 favorite]

ND¢: Me and you Meatbomb.

Sure, lightning bolts are great, but someone needs to teach those guys about costume design.
posted by grobstein at 8:05 PM on April 23

Mathowie = Executive
Jessamyn & Cortex = Judicial
PB = Legislative
MetaTalk = Lobbyists

Really? Because for me it is really more like:
Mathowie = Mayor with with too much responsibility and too small a paycheck but he does have his own parking space.

Jessamyn & Cortex = Donut-eating cops who keep an eye on the local juvies and nip that shit in the bud. Plus, if they are having a bad day they might toss somebody in the hoosegow, or even run the bad guys out of town for disturbing the peace.

PB = School Janitor moonlighting as Mr. Fix-it He knows snowplows!

Metatalk = Old farts and busybodies with nothing better to do than to sit in on city council meetings and ask frivolous questions, get riled up about the need for new sewer systems, and espouse their strong, deeply-felt feelings about cat leash laws.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 8:12 PM on April 23 [2 favorites]

tag all your favorites
and favorite your tags
bag up the boxes
and box up the bags
flag all the comments
then tag all the flags
click on this link now
and check out the Shaggs
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:58 PM on April 23

[+]

Not just for favoriting, it's Christ in a box!
posted by BrotherCaine at 10:50 PM on April 23 [1 favorite]

I am so embarrassed. It should have been 'the snot-green sea', of course. Somebody got their Homer in my Odysseussy Joyce.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 3:55 AM on April 24

Somebody got their Homer in my Odysseussy Joyce.

D'oh!

wait, you don't mean that Homer, do you? But the Odysseussy... that IS a refernce to Dr. Seuss, right?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:11 AM on April 24 [2 favorites]

Riverrun, bay-by! ov scotch
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:28 AM on April 24

I will not riverrun in a box.
I will riverrun with lots ov scotch.
posted by subbes at 4:49 AM on April 24 [2 favorites]

James Brown is dead!
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:44 AM on April 24

I was born by the riverrun in a little tent, Oh and just like the riverrun I've been running ever since... to the snot-green sea.
posted by languagehat at 7:16 AM on April 24

riverrun is Finnegan's Wake, not Ulysses.
posted by Burhanistan at 8:57 AM on April 24

Jeez, no need to be so catty. Mrkgnao!
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 10:35 AM on April 24

riverrun is Finnegan's Wake, not Ulysses.

Oh, thank you, Mister Big Joyce Guy! I never would have guessed! I guess it would be superfluous of me, then, to point out that THERE'S NO APOSTROPHE IN FINNEGANS WAKE, wouldn't it?
posted by languagehat at 10:57 AM on April 24 [1 favorite]

Hey Joyce, you're my choice, baby.
posted by box at 11:16 AM on April 24

I guess it would be superfluous of me, then, to point out that THERE'S NO APOSTROPHE IN FINNEGANS WAKE, wouldn't it?

yes I said yes I will Yes.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 11:18 AM on April 24

yes is a pleasant country:
if's wintry
(my lovely)
let's open the year

both is the very weather
(not either)
my treasure,
when violets appear

love is a deeper season
than reason;
my sweet one
(and april's where we're)

--E. E. Cummings

posted by not_on_display at 2:05 PM on April 24 [2 favorites]

riverrun is Finnegan's Wake, not Ulysses.

Duh.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 7:42 PM on April 24

No, riverrun is the river Liffey running next to Adam & Eve's Tavern, once Adam and Eve's Church, and also a reference to the German word for remembrance.
posted by koeselitz at 2:27 AM on April 25

James Brown is dead!

Hey let's take these things slowly here, no need to dump the bad news all at once eh?
posted by Meatbomb at 3:49 AM on April 25 [1 favorite]

James Brown is not dead. He exists as certainly as funk and musicianship and the good foot exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no James Brown. It would be as dreary as if there were no Meatbombs. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which the funk fills the world would be extinguished.

No James Brown! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Meatbomb, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of funksters.
posted by languagehat at 6:36 AM on April 25 [2 favorites]

Without chemicals James Brown, life itself would be impossible.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:54 AM on April 25 [1 favorite]

Clap, children! Clap if you believe in James Brown!
posted by koeselitz at 10:20 AM on April 25

C'mon clap! Clap your hands!

Here's a DJ Premier James Brown tribute mix.
posted by box at 11:13 AM on April 25