I have no mouth and I must tell Metafilter about my cousin's awesome website

April 25, 2009 1:38 AM

Does Projects work for everything that would be a self-link on MeFi? Or is there a hinterland of things created by friends, relatives and other loved ones that are too self-linky for FPPing, but aren't yours and so can't go in Projects? Are things which fall into this hinterland doomed to fall softly onto the forest floor of the internet, unheard and unseen?

It seems that the definition of self-link is broader in blueland than in the World Of Teal. The former seems to model self-construction with an almost Hegelian inclusivity, so that our selfhood expands to include all those in whom we have a stake, and who have a stake in us; the faq for the latter, by contrast, is worded in such a way as to imply the existence of stark, rigid ego-boundaries, an uncrossable gulf between Self and Other. As always, it is the perpetually liminal world of affection and attachment which draws these conflicting models of selfhood into explicit tension. Where can I post this cool thing my cousin made?

posted by Acheman to etiquette/policy at 1:38 AM (42 comments total)

Before projects existed I think the general idea was "if it's so awesome someone else will find it and post it."
posted by aubilenon at 2:23 AM on April 25

They'll only fall on the floor if that person is a friend or relative of every single person on Earth.
posted by DU at 3:40 AM on April 25

If I remember correctly Projects was created as a service to members, to give them a place to announce their projects. Members' cousins weren't really part of the scope.

I think the current rules achieve several things. For one thing, they help to keep the number of projects that get posted to Projects at a reasonable level, since people can only post projects that they did themselves and that required some time and effort. Also, projects my MeFites are of interest to other members of the community since they create an opportunity to see more of what their fellow members are interested in and capable of.

I agree that your cousin's cool thing doesn't really have somewhere to go on Metafilter. You could post it on your own blog, if you have one. Another option might be to MeMail one of the more prolific members asking them whether they'd be interested in looking at the cool thing and posting something about it if they liked what they saw. Or you could give your cousing a MeFi account as a gift, of course.
posted by rjs at 3:43 AM on April 25

("my" should be "made by". The internet is eating my keystrokes. I'm logging off before it starts on my fingers.)
posted by rjs at 3:45 AM on April 25

Where can I post this cool thing my cousin made?

On your blog.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:16 AM on April 25 [2 favorites]

Sssh. Everything's doing just fine, Acheman. You sound like you could use a hug. C'mere, you!
posted by Pronoiac at 5:53 AM on April 25

Another option might be to MeMail one of the more prolific members

No reason it has to be a "more prolific" member. Just MeMail a couple of folks who seem like they might be interested in the cousin's site. If it's worth posting to the front page (and lord knows that bar's not very high) someone will probably bite.
posted by mediareport at 6:11 AM on April 25

Everybody be quiet for a second—I think I just heard something fall softly onto the forest floor.
posted by languagehat at 6:22 AM on April 25 [2 favorites]

is there a hinterland of things created by friends, relatives and other loved ones that are too self-linky for FPPing, but aren't yours and so can't go in Projects?

Yes, yes there is. There are a chunk of things that currenty have no good place on MeFi. Family/friend projects, gigs, classified ads, chatfilter type questions, questions about suicide, excessive porn and a bunch of other stuff.

Where can I post this cool thing my cousin made?

In a link in a comment in a relevant thread, in your profile or on another website entirely.
posted by jessamyn at 6:25 AM on April 25 [4 favorites]

Just MeMail a couple of folks who seem like they might be interested in the cousin's site.

Someone actually did this to me, about a comic book project. They were very excited about it and suggested it for a possible post in a "no pressure, just throwing it out there, you seem into comics" way. The suggestion seemed innocent enough, but the whole "hey here's a suggestion for a cool post" mail seemed too odd to actually do.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:54 AM on April 25

(and lord knows that bar's not very high)

Heh.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:59 AM on April 25

Brandon Blatcher writes "The suggestion seemed innocent enough, but the whole 'hey here's a suggestion for a cool post' mail seemed too odd to actually do."

I've had this happen twice however I've been pretty open to receiving these kinds of email so it didn't weird me out.
posted by Mitheral at 7:35 AM on April 25

I've sent one of those to a trusted mefite. They decided it wasn't mefi material and I trust them. I am not ashamed.
posted by schyler523 at 8:10 AM on April 25 [1 favorite]

I don't really think "MeMail a prolific poster" is a terribly great solution to the problem, but you aren't going to get a better one.

You are too close to your cousin's cool thing to be an independent judge of link-worthiness, and too far away to post it as a project.
posted by graventy at 8:12 AM on April 25

Here's a question for 'you'. If I hit the 'post this to mefi' button in Projects, it sets up the post for me, and lets me preview it. Does this mean it would let me post even though it hasn't been 24 hours since my last FPP? I have no desire to post a project at this time, just wondering if that's a bug.
posted by gman at 8:41 AM on April 25

I think the best solution would be to buy your cousin a MeFi account, and show them how to post it to projects. Problem solved.
posted by arcticwoman at 8:53 AM on April 25 [3 favorites]

You sound like you could use a hug.

I'm confused. Somehow the idea has been promulgated that this is something I'm emotive about. All I wanted was a clarification on etiquette, and it turns out that I interpreted the etiquette correctly. Just because I mentioned Hegel, doesn't mean that I am going to cry.

Thank-you to jessamyn and others who helped to make what was implicit (because certain situations weren't mentioned per se) into an explicit piece of guidance. I posted this to MeTa because I thought it possible that in the future, others would appreciate this clarification. Perhaps it seemed to some that this was crushingly obvious, and that to ask such a question at all must mean that I was in a state of revolt against reality; but I thought it was worth checking that my interpretation of the guidelines wasn't too conservative. I probably won't do the MeMail thing, because it seems a little intrusive, and I'm not into that, but I appreciate the suggestion, and imagine that others will probably make use of it in the future.

I would probably have got away with posting the link as an FPP as it is, because it would be hard to deduce that I was related to the person; not being a dick, I didn't do so.
posted by Acheman at 9:52 AM on April 25

...I think I just heard something fall softly onto the forest floor.

Damn bears.
posted by matthewr at 11:00 AM on April 25

Don't worry about it too much, Acheman. The prevailing wisdom around here is that everyone needs a hug.
posted by cortex at 11:44 AM on April 25

excessive porn

Unpossible!
posted by deborah at 11:56 AM on April 25 [1 favorite]

Acheman: Just because I mentioned Hegel, doesn't mean that I am going to cry.

This is my new favorite sentence. I want this on a T-shirt.

Not badly enough to actually pay for it, mind you...
posted by Kattullus at 12:24 PM on April 25 [4 favorites]

I would probably have got away with posting the link as an FPP as it is, because it would be hard to deduce that I was related to the person; not being a dick, I didn't do so.

Do you want a cookie?
posted by grouse at 12:46 PM on April 25

I'll take his cookie if he doesn't want it.
posted by heyho at 1:01 PM on April 25 [3 favorites]

I feel like Acheman has been working on all of his final term papers for the past few days and can't stop using such bombastic terminology.
That said, I like your style.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 1:56 PM on April 25 [1 favorite]

Hooray hugs!
posted by xorry at 2:18 PM on April 25

Gift memberships are available at the usual rate, incidentally. Then cousins, mother-in-law, postal carriers, exes, bosses, FWBs, minions, mentors, roommates, guildmates, former cellmates, carpool partners, penpals and quilting club cohorts may post their own projects to Projects.
posted by nanojath at 2:20 PM on April 25

I'm cool with Acheman.
posted by sciurus at 2:22 PM on April 25

...I think I just heard something fall softly onto the forest floor.

Ah! But if a tree falls in the forest on the Pope who's taking a shit in the woods, do the bears eat him if there's no one there to watch?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 2:43 PM on April 25 [1 favorite]

For the record, when I mention Hegel, it means I'm totally about to lose my shit. Wishy-washy obscurantist fucknut.
posted by nebulawindphone at 3:05 PM on April 25

message: my cousin show me. I want show metafilter. why no?
posted by double block and bleed at 4:33 PM on April 25 [1 favorite]

Related Projects etiquette question: I've been printing shirts for a really kick-ass designer, lately. He sells them on his website. I think they're really fantastic designs, and I'm also quite proud of how well the prints are coming out. However, I have nothing to do with the actual online business, & I didn't design the site. Project-wise, the printing is what I have been doing with my life lately that's the most-cool. Good or bad projects post?
posted by Devils Rancher at 6:05 PM on April 25

Hey, Devil's Rancher, that's a good question indeed. FWIW, if I ran this site, I'd say say post it to Projects. That's because, IMO, it would be really cool if Projects was opened up a bit to include web-related stuff that MeFiers are a part of, even if they aren't necessarily the creator of the website itself.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:16 PM on April 25

I'm cool with Acheman.

Me too, (s)he's my kind of gal/guy.
posted by !Jim at 6:52 PM on April 25

Project-wise, the printing is what I have been doing with my life lately that's the most-cool. Good or bad projects post?

It's kind of sketcho territory for Projects. Is there, like, a really decent website that showcases your involvement in some way? Go for it. Is what web property exists really itself the work of dude who you just happens to be printing shirts for? Not so much. Consider gifting dude an account if you think him posting to Projects would be appropriate.

Basically, the internet is not hurting for places at which a somebody can promote their own stuff at this point. Metafilter does not need to be the end-all, be-all on that front, and if our focus on making Projects a place for community members to show off there stuff means some folks on the fringes don't get to pimp their wares, so be it and them's the breaks.
posted by cortex at 1:33 AM on April 26

...the internet is not hurting for places at which a somebody can promote their own stuff...

Yeah, but how 'bout a nobody? We need someplace, too!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 2:23 AM on April 26

jessamyn: excessive porn

I am imagining a movie where someone orders an extra large pizza, the delivery driver arrives in a hummer and gets tipped a $50 bill, the person eats three slices of pizza at once like a pizza sandwitch and shoves the rest in the garbage disposal, smiling and rubbing their belly in contentment. Person goes and duct tapes a pair of huge hifi speakers to their head like ridiculous headphones and blasts some Merzbow straight into their skull while masturbating and watching a wall of 12 TVs each one tuned to a different channel and surfing the internet on four computers at once.
posted by idiopath at 4:04 AM on April 26 [1 favorite]

Is there, like, a really decent website that showcases your involvement in some way?

No, there's not -- hence the hesitation. I figured it was on the fringes, at best. There's one fan who's so enamored that he started a flickr set, but they're all iPhone pics, which falls short of my bar for product photography.
posted by Devils Rancher at 6:15 AM on April 26

I think I just had this conversation with a mod. I'm network dude (Special Circumstances Division) at a University. My name will be on the pages somewhere. I have no vested interest, no blog, and only mods could figure out who I am. I get 'props', but have no vested interest in projects, just hired hand. I think that's fine. (at least that's what I got the impression of.) Still bothering me... sure. I would put pages on a resume. Yes these people are my friends, we work on the same campus. But it's university and I'm network geek and can't help being involved. Do I post or not? Pretty sure it's post, not like anybody will know or profit.
posted by zengargoyle at 11:50 AM on April 26

The issue is whether they're friends like people you hang out with and know personally or friends like people you know from the office but not buddies. If it's the former, then yeah that's too close. If it's the latter then it's probably okay but we usually suggest you run it by us if you're not sure. If you'd put the pages on a resume then they're okay for projects and not okay for MeFi.
posted by jessamyn at 11:53 AM on April 26

Person goes and duct tapes a pair of huge hifi speakers to their head like ridiculous headphones and blasts some Merzbow straight into their skull while masturbating and watching a wall of 12 TVs each one tuned to a different channel and surfing the internet on four computers at once.

Someone has been in my secret lair^TM!
posted by pjern at 4:21 PM on April 26

Damn, pjern... I'd imagined your secret lair to contain some model railroad trains and perhaps a few old copies of Popular Mechanics. I had no idea...
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:53 PM on April 26

if a tree falls in the forest on the Pope who's taking a shit in the woods, do the bears eat him if there's no one there to watch?

Yes, provided the cat in the box is still alive.
posted by flabdablet at 8:26 PM on April 26