On Threadshitting...

March 26, 2010 8:58 AM

I just noticed that a few early comments of the "This will surely be deleted" kind have been deleted from threads. I just wanted to say to whatever mod responsible: Good on you. And please continue to exterminate them with extreme prejudice.
posted by Artw to MetaFilter-Related at 8:58 AM (158 comments total)

This will be deleted.
posted by nitsuj at 9:01 AM on March 26, 2010 [6 favorites]

I remember when some dipshit wrote PEPSI BLUE?????????????? in all sincerity at a post I had spent like 3 hours making that eventually got 100+ favorites.

So yeah, big ups to mods for deleting that noise.
posted by Damn That Television at 9:02 AM on March 26, 2010 [5 favorites]

Agreed, though I find myself wondering if this has anything to do with this FPP. I half expected the first three posts to have the words 'not,' 'end,' and 'well' in them.
posted by Pragmatica at 9:04 AM on March 26, 2010

Concur, I appreciate the increased SNR around here lately.
posted by Skorgu at 9:06 AM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

"This will surely be deleted" vs. "Guess I'll just close this up then" - WHICH IS MOARR ANNOYING?

(A: Equally annoying. Good call, Artw.)
posted by mintcake! at 9:09 AM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

To be on the safe side, we should probably just auto-delete the first five comments on every front page post.
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:09 AM on March 26, 2010 [8 favorites]

Yeah, I'd love it if people would do that sort of thing less. Flag and move on.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:11 AM on March 26, 2010 [3 favorites]

Surely this...
posted by Eideteker at 9:13 AM on March 26, 2010

To be on the safe side, we should probably just auto-delete the first five comments on every front page post.
Not on any of mine, thanks - I'm usually lucky if they get that many and I'll take whatever shitty derail I can get.
posted by Abiezer at 9:14 AM on March 26, 2010 [8 favorites]

The one that gobsmacked me today was where the poster said, right up in the original question, "I expect deletion. Any comments before that happens?" If I'm a site admin (luckily, I'm not), my response to that is, "OK, you got your wish." (What's weirder is that the question wasn't deletion-worthy at all.)
posted by dfan at 9:16 AM on March 26, 2010 [3 favorites]

To be on the safe side, we should probably just auto-delete the first five comments on every front page post.

Maybe the first two or three anyway. For the most part I enjoy Metafilter, but I don't enjoy the race to be the first commenter with bon mots like: "weak sauce," "flash sucks," "would I have to be a USAian to understand this" blah blah etc.
posted by marxchivist at 9:20 AM on March 26, 2010

dfan -- And the asker marked hir own followup as Best Answer. Oh, bother!
posted by Sys Rq at 9:22 AM on March 26, 2010

PS: First!
posted by Sys Rq at 9:22 AM on March 26, 2010

Blurst!
posted by mintcake! at 9:26 AM on March 26, 2010

Man, at least we don't have that ridiculous 'FIRST!!!' noise here. Although I suppose a handful of injokes (this'll wendell, etc.) serve the same purpose.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:26 AM on March 26, 2010

I don't comment too much, and often when I do I have little but snark to give. I've found myself recently waiting until a few comments in before adding something if its just snarky so that it isn't how the thread starts off. And often now, at that point, I just choose not to post the snark at all.

Yes, you too can change your MetaFilter posting habits!
posted by charred husk at 9:26 AM on March 26, 2010 [3 favorites]

I actusally find the same myself. Don't get me wrong, I like good snark, but whalloping a thread with it straight off the bat seems wrong. And bad snark is just poisonous.

Also considered harmful: Typo trolls.
posted by Artw at 9:29 AM on March 26, 2010

Sometimes I think MetaFilter needs a Ten Commandments, shorter and more direct than the FAQ. Everybody needs to not just read it, but pass a short reading comprehension test to prove that they understand it. It wouldn't contain anything more complicated than basic common sense, codified only because it's apparent that some people don't have common sense, basic or otherwise.

Then I remember that MetaFilter has a team of stellar mods, so that really isn't necessary. They do an exceptional job cleaning up the cruft. Kudos to them.
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 9:30 AM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

Then I remember that MetaFilter has a team of stellar mods, so that really isn't necessary. They do an exceptional job cleaning up the cruft. Kudos to them.

Hmm... They of course do an awesome job, but I still find myself nervously checking back anytime I post something to see if some asshole or gang of assholes has shat all over the thread.
posted by Artw at 9:32 AM on March 26, 2010

If you could code up a little thing that simply blocks DU from posting a comment for the first 5 minutes a FPP is live that would go a long way to minimizing early threadshitting.

*hugs*
posted by BeerFilter at 9:34 AM on March 26, 2010 [7 favorites]

I like good snark, but whalloping a thread with it straight off the bat seems wrong.

I have noticed that sometimes (oftentimes) I'll open a thread that looks really interesting and find it filled with one-liners and Arrested Development quotes and I kind of go 'eh' and then throw in my own stupid no-content comment because it's fun and I'm a jackass. Then six days later I'll cruise to my Recent Activity page and see this fascinating discussion going on, wherein everyone is posting three-paragraph dissections of the subtle nuances of the sociopolitical devaluation of aesthetic theory and I go 'Wait I don't remember participating in that thread!' and I click on it and see my most recent comment was 'That's not a knife-- That's a knife' and it makes me sad.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:37 AM on March 26, 2010 [34 favorites]

Sometimes I think MetaFilter needs a Ten Commandments, shorter and more direct than the FAQ.

We have more than ten.
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:42 AM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

BeerFilter: "If you could code up a little thing that simply blocks DU from posting a comment for the first 5 minutes a FPP is live that would go a long way to minimizing early threadshitting.

*hugs"

Is this that tsundere things I've been hearing about?
posted by charred husk at 9:42 AM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

You're welcome. And we couldn't do it without people flagging. Flag early, flag often, friends.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:44 AM on March 26, 2010 [7 favorites]

I'd like to have my first five comments of the day auto-deleted. Or maybe just some random five. This one would be a good candidate.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 9:50 AM on March 26, 2010 [3 favorites]

Flag early, flag often, friends.

Semaphore.
posted by OmieWise at 9:52 AM on March 26, 2010 [2 favorites]

Flag early, flag often, friends.

Semaphore. Burma Shave.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:53 AM on March 26, 2010 [3 favorites]

I actusally find the same myself.

You spelled that wrong, jerkface!
posted by Sys Rq at 9:54 AM on March 26, 2010

Heh.
posted by Artw at 9:56 AM on March 26, 2010

Flag early, flag often, friends.

Semaphore. Burma Shave.

An increasing sequence of subspaces of a vector space.
posted by Astro Zombie at 9:56 AM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

Good flags make good neighbors?
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:57 AM on March 26, 2010

This is awesome, and I hope it progresses to comments of the class "Would I need to x to understand this" and "this [topic of the FPP] sucks".

I will continue to flag and move on now under Jessamyn's guidance.
posted by garlic at 10:01 AM on March 26, 2010

THE RATE OF FLAGGING WITH FLAGS SHALL NOT FLAG.
posted by koeselitz at 10:01 AM on March 26, 2010

I find that writing out a sarcastic gut-wrenching rebuke, deleting it, flagging it and moving on is pretty much as satisfying as hitting post.
posted by pwally at 10:08 AM on March 26, 2010

A flagged society is a polite society.
posted by owtytrof at 10:09 AM on March 26, 2010

When you flag
posted by Shepherd at 10:13 AM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

A stupid thought
posted by Shepherd at 10:14 AM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

The thread will survive
posted by Shepherd at 10:14 AM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

The thought, will not.
posted by Shepherd at 10:14 AM on March 26, 2010 [3 favorites]

Just yesterday I was thinking of composing a MeTa post praising Artw for being one of the most consistently sensible and witty Mefites. When I see a comment that either completely nails an issue or makes me laugh, it seems to be by Artw a disproportionate amount of the time.

So, good on you, Artw.
posted by WPW at 10:14 AM on March 26, 2010

Meta Shave.
posted by Shepherd at 10:14 AM on March 26, 2010 [10 favorites]

Just yesterday I was thinking of composing a MeTa post praising Artw for being one of the most consistently sensible and witty Mefites.

You are so doomed...
posted by Artw at 10:15 AM on March 26, 2010

Mefites. When I see a comment that either completely nails an issue or makes me laugh, it seems to be by Artw a disproportionate amount of the time.

Nails it with extreme prejudice?
posted by Astro Zombie at 10:17 AM on March 26, 2010

You are so doomed...

Well, that's life.
posted by WPW at 10:18 AM on March 26, 2010

The unflagging attention of the mods something something...

I'm too lazy to finish this joke.
posted by Mister_A at 10:20 AM on March 26, 2010

Sometimes I think MetaFilter needs a Ten Commandments, shorter and more direct than the FAQ.

I am the Metafilter
You will post links to other sites before me
You shall not make for yourself a mod
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of your mods
Remember the overnight hours with no mods and keep it clean
Honor people with lower user IDs than you
You shall not murder a post with bad initial comments

We can just leave the rest as-is:

You shall not commit adultery
You shall not steal
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife
You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor
posted by smackfu at 10:20 AM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

Pony request: Some new flags!

[ ] SRSLY?
[ ] Palin
[ ] Richard Dawkins
[ ] Darryl Dawkins
[ ] Comment kisses mods' asses a bit too much in my opinion
[ ] Frightening
[ ] Orange
posted by Mister_A at 10:23 AM on March 26, 2010 [11 favorites]

Artw: Today, Metafilter! March 26th, 2010 ... ... this is when it begins! Those filhty thread shitters have had it their own way for too long! They use the @ symbol, they destroy our threads, our snark... but no more, Metafilter... because starting from today... ArtW is fighting back!

Mefi: Oh Art! Hold me... hold me tight!

Art: I... Metafilter? What's wrong?

Mefi: Behind you, Art! Look out!

Art: What th...

Hipster: Dude, it's ArtW! ... And my oh my, check out the pretty little website!

Art: You hipster trash! If you post a coment...

Hipster A: You'll what, Mr. high-and-mighty ArtW? Now, where's that Submit button, boys...

Hipster B: M. Ward, look out! The dude has a Tri-Blend Short Sleeve Leisure Shirt!!

Art: Die, you hipster poseur filth! Die! Die! Die!


Cribbed from V for Vendetta
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 10:23 AM on March 26, 2010

[ ] Orange who?
posted by thoughtless at 10:25 AM on March 26, 2010

[ ] SRSLY?
[ ] Palin
[ ] Richard Dawkins
[ ] Darryl Dawkins
[ ] Comment kisses mods' asses a bit too much in my opinion
[ ] Frightening
[ ] Orange

[ ] Conservative/Libertarian thought
[ ] Joke is not funny
[ ] Just generally don't like this user
[ ] Fantastic/terrible comment
[ ] Improper use of italics
posted by shakespeherian at 10:26 AM on March 26, 2010

[ ] Orange you glad I didn't say banana!
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 10:26 AM on March 26, 2010 [14 favorites]

I agree with this post and am very, very grateful for the mods.

Just yesterday I was thinking of composing a MeTa post praising Artw for being one of the most consistently sensible and witty Mefites. When I see a comment that either completely nails an issue or makes me laugh, it seems to be by Artw a disproportionate amount of the time.

There are definitely times when I'm reading through a thread and feeling frustrated and like no one really GETS it and then I find a comment and it just so completely sums up what I think and how I feel about the issue and I think "Wow, whomever said that is just DEAD FUCKING ON, I could never have thought to say that so intelligently and articulately". And then I go to read it out loud to my husband because I think it makes such an excellent point and just before I actually say anything I realize he wrote it. And then (usually but not always) I don't favorite it because somehow favoriting my husband feels kind of, I don't know, dirty.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 10:26 AM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

because somehow favoriting my husband feels kind of, I don't know, dirty.

And yet you favorite strangers all day long!
posted by shakespeherian at 10:28 AM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

[ ] HA!
posted by thoughtless at 10:29 AM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

[ ] That's not what comprise means
[ ] Well in fact that is the generally understood meaning these days
posted by Mister_A at 10:29 AM on March 26, 2010 [4 favorites]

[ ] Gandhi not Ghandi.
posted by WPW at 10:30 AM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

[ ] Comma splice
posted by shakespeherian at 10:30 AM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

[ ] Orange you glad I didn't say banana!

My little three year old neighbor has just learned this joke, and he keeps trying to tell it to me, but he doesn't understand the who gets which parts, or how to pause for the answer or anything. So his mom says, "Tell the joke." And Jay says, "Knock-knockwho'stherebananaknock-knockwho'stherebanana..." You've basically got to hit ctrl-alt-del to get to the punch line. It's awesome!
posted by OmieWise at 10:34 AM on March 26, 2010 [5 favorites]

We can just leave the rest as-is:

You shall not commit adultery
You shall not steal
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife
You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor

Oh, hell no.

Thou shalt not Spouse another's Spouse.
Thou shalt not eat it.
Thou shalt not bear free coupons for orange juice.
Thou shalt not hit it.
Thou shalt not covet they neighbour's Favorites.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:35 AM on March 26, 2010 [3 favorites]

they *thy
posted by Sys Rq at 10:35 AM on March 26, 2010

[ ] This would not kill Dracula
posted by shakespeherian at 10:37 AM on March 26, 2010 [8 favorites]

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor

This can be subdivided into:

Thou shalt not paraphrase a comment to make it say something you think it said and want to argue with

Thou shalt not take things in the worst possible way or assume bad faith as your first reaction

Thou shalt take several deep breaths, count to ten, and reread the relevant comments before hitting "post"
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:38 AM on March 26, 2010 [3 favorites]

Thou shalt... assume bad faith as your first reaction
-GenjiandProust
posted by Mister_A at 10:42 AM on March 26, 2010 [3 favorites]

[ ] Orange you glad I didn't say banana!

What's the word for when you've never experienced something and then you're suddenly aware that everyone's using [term]/[device]? I had this with mobile phones so I don't think it's "meme". It's probably the 4th time I've seen the orange gag today, and I've not been up long.
posted by urbanwhaleshark at 10:46 AM on March 26, 2010

I suppose that should be "nor assume bad faith." I was just trying to correct all the "Thou shats" that I typed.
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:46 AM on March 26, 2010

[aɪ.pi.e.ɪz.kul]
posted by iamkimiam at 10:49 AM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

[ ] Poster is clearly drunk
[ ] Poster is clearly stoned
[ ] Poster is clearly enraged beyond rational thought
[ ] Poster is in need of a hug
[ ] Poster is in need of reading comprehension classes
[ ] Poster is in need of a day job
[ ] Poster is not your lawyer / doctor / therapist / plumber
[ ] Poster suffers from logorrhea
[ ] POST IS IN ALL CAPS
[ ] Attempted resurrection of long-dead meme
[ ] Attempted spawning of new but stupid meme
[ ] Prescriptivist
[ ] Descriptivist
[ ] Let's call the whole thing off
[ ] Nobody actually says toMAHto anyway
posted by ook at 10:51 AM on March 26, 2010 [6 favorites]

Incidentally, to get back to the original post, the interesting case is where people are certain a post will be deleted, then it's not. For instance, this one on Korea, which seems like a clear example of breaking-news-filter.

You end up with the situation where cortex posted a comment saying flag it rather than threadshitting, but then didn't delete the post so I don't really know what the point of flagging it would be.
posted by smackfu at 10:55 AM on March 26, 2010

[ ] Darryl Dawkins

[ ] Chocolate Thunder
posted by electroboy at 10:55 AM on March 26, 2010

Ook, I have friends who say toMAHto.
I do not, however, have friends who say OFFter instead of AFter. So yes, lets call the whole thing off. But if we call the whole thing off then we must part....

I'll stop.
posted by deacon_blues at 10:59 AM on March 26, 2010

[ ] RTFQ
[ ] Did you read the question?
posted by johnofjack at 11:02 AM on March 26, 2010 [2 favorites]

[ ] Thou shalt always filter.
posted by zamboni at 11:02 AM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

You end up with the situation where cortex posted a comment saying flag it rather than threadshitting, but then didn't delete the post so I don't really know what the point of flagging it would be.

Well, I don't think that flagging it means that what you want to have happen will happen, but to the extent that mods pay attention to flags and sometimes use them to inform their actions, flagging something would seem to increase the likelihood that your preferred outcome will occur.
posted by OmieWise at 11:04 AM on March 26, 2010

You end up with the situation where cortex posted a comment saying flag it rather than threadshitting, but then didn't delete the post so I don't really know what the point of flagging it would be.

In that case, the point of flagging would probably be pretty minimal; my exhortation to flag rather than comment was more general and by-way-of-explaining-the-deleted-comments than a suggestion for action in that specific case.

The alternative there, where the post was not being flagged and the "this post sucks" comment was being flagged, and on the balance I think pretty understandably so in both cases, would have been to nix the comment and say nothing and leave it at that. But since I also removed a couple replies to/about the comment, a note seemed like a good idea, and since we're talking about this sort of thing this morning anyway, I thought I'd tie in a ref. to this thread in case anybody there wanted to keep talking about it.
posted by cortex (staff) at 11:06 AM on March 26, 2010

Who's a good mod? Who's a good mod? You are! Yes yes yes you are! Such a goody-woody moddy-woddy-woddy!
posted by slogger at 11:11 AM on March 26, 2010 [3 favorites]

Having installed the deleted thread script and looking at the current front page, today might not be a bad day to drop a "This will surely be deleted" comment in since there is a 50% chance you'll be right.

It's like looking at the aftermath of a Civil War battleground or something.
posted by charred husk at 11:21 AM on March 26, 2010

Personally I'm of the opinion that threadshitting of that kind should be deleted from FPPs that do get deleted as well, to rob the shitters of any validation they might get from that.
posted by Artw at 11:28 AM on March 26, 2010 [3 favorites]

tl;df
posted by not_on_display at 11:30 AM on March 26, 2010

Is there anywhere one could go for an explanation of what all the flags mean? For example: difference between noise and derail? What "breaks the guidelines"?
posted by stoneweaver at 11:41 AM on March 26, 2010

Noise is what the mainstream media puts in our brains. Our bottomless hunger for shit consumer goods derails our souls. Talking about Fight Club breaks the guidelines. See my thumb? Gee, I'm dumb.

/example of noise and derail
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:48 AM on March 26, 2010 [2 favorites]

It's like looking at the aftermath of a Civil War battleground or something.

posted by charred husk at 2:21 PM on March 26 [+] [!]

[x]Eponypropriate
posted by Mister_A at 11:48 AM on March 26, 2010

AntietamFilter(.com)
posted by deacon_blues at 11:54 AM on March 26, 2010

Is there anywhere one could go for an explanation of what all the flags mean?

Unless it is really obvious, I just go with "breaks the guidelines." Noise, offensive remarks, derails, etc all "break the guidelines" in my brain. I think the mods have said in the past it is quantity of flags that get their attention on Metafilter and not so much what the offense is. Likely a lower threshold on Askme.
posted by marxchivist at 11:55 AM on March 26, 2010

WPW: Artw?
posted by jtron at 11:58 AM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

The received wisdom on flag types is that "The categorization of the post is not mission-critical since all flags go into one queue".

For me, they mean what I want them to mean, and how the mods interpret it is up to them.

fantastic: needs to be sidebarred
double: needs to be deleted
HTML/display error: needs to be edited for syntax
offensive/racism/sexism: mefite needs a talkin' to.
noise: needs to be deleted - negative contribution to the thread -
derail: needs to be deleted - neutral or positive contribution, but off topic
it breaks the guidelines & other: everything else that's hinky.

What are (some of) the guidelines?

wisecracks, derailing/ranting/axegrinding, picking a fight with or heavy chastising of the question asker, single word posts (yes, no, DTMFA &c.) and other non-answers that should probably be brought to MetaTalk. While it's okay to ask follow-up questions to the original asker, piggybacking questions [asking your own related question within someone else's AskMe] will often be removed."

In practice, I think I mostly use "it breaks the guidelines".
posted by zamboni at 12:07 PM on March 26, 2010

My little three year old neighbor has just learned this joke, and he keeps trying to tell it to me, but he doesn't understand the who gets which parts, or how to pause for the answer or anything.

Wait'll he learns Knock knock--who's there ? Knock knock--who's there ? Knock knock--who's there ? Knock knock--who's there ? [etc] Philip Glass!
posted by y2karl at 12:10 PM on March 26, 2010

WPW : Artw :: ___ : ____

Sadly, I'm not clever enough to complete that.
posted by owtytrof at 12:15 PM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

Artw: "Also considered harmful: Typo trolls."

You are talking about me, aren't you? I sincirely thought I was being helpful, though perhaps it would have made a better memail than comment.
posted by idiopath at 12:23 PM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

For example: difference between noise and derail? What "breaks the guidelines"?

The flags basically fall into three categories, on our end

- something needs fixing
- something needs attention QUICKLY
- something needs attention

with the additional "something is awesome" tossed in for good measure. If you don't know what to flag something, "breaks the guidelines" is fine. We usually don't know who flagged what [we can find out, but it's not on page one of the mod admin panel] and most flags only matter in the aggregate anyhow [i.e. if we see ten "noise" flags, that tells us something that maybe one or two "noise" flags would not]. So yeah mostly what other people have said.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 12:23 PM on March 26, 2010

Is there anywhere one could go for an explanation of what all the flags mean? For example: difference between noise and derail? What "breaks the guidelines"?

Fantastic = sidebar nomination

HTML/display error = doesn't need to be deleted, does need to be fixed (ProTip: although they may not strictly be "HTML/display errors," this flag is also good for "poster put all ten paragraphs on the front page and did not use [more inside]" and "poster thought the post title would be the first sentence of the post" and suchlike.)

Everything else = should be deleted. (Don't beanplate the differences between e.g., "noise" and "derail," which I think are pretty much synonymous.)
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 12:25 PM on March 26, 2010

Two things I found myself doing that I really really try hard not to do.

• No thread shitting in other people's threads in the first hour.
• No moderating my own posts in the first hour.
• Not actually read any of the links/watching the video before commenting.

If it's a crap post it'll get deleted or maybe you were wrong about it being a crap post. At best you get in before the deletion with a "weak sauce," at worst your comments stands in a thread people would have otherwise enjoyed.

If you have to moderate your thread, it's probably not worth making. If I can't get up and walk away from my computer for an hour after posting, I generally won't. Throw out yesterdays post, and my first ten, and I'll bet my follow-up comments occur after the first hour 90% of the time. You have to be able to live with a "This is not going well" deletion, but if that's going to happen, probably was going to even if you'd been around.

Nothing I hate more than when it's obvious that someone didn't read even one of the articles, so I try not to do that to others.

If you're not interested in something, move on.

I made a post about Taylor Mitchell being killed by coyotes and I bet 50% of comments were on whether or not it was a decent post with people split about evenly. I have no idea how many flags that post generated, but for sure there was little moving on (and no metatalk).

It's a lot easier to identify your own bad behavior if you are both a poster and commenter. If you only comment you might not realize something is annoying to someone who spent time constructing a post. I think I was a member about a year before I had the guts to post, but after I did I saw annoying behaviors in others that I myself was guilty of. I resolved to knock that shit out.

And no need to troll through my recent activity (this last year) for examples of where I've failed. I'm sure I have, but I know I'm doing better.
posted by cjorgensen at 12:26 PM on March 26, 2010

I'd sort of appreciate it if you all would stop drawing attention to the "derail" flag. If people actually start using it, I'll probably get nuked off this site so hard, the lingering radiation will leave people sunburned for a hundred miles around me.
posted by quin at 12:28 PM on March 26, 2010 [2 favorites]

You are talking about me, aren't you?

oops. No. Had somehow managed not to spot that, in fact - that's actually helpful.
posted by Artw at 12:29 PM on March 26, 2010

Wait'll he learns Knock knock--who's there ? Knock knock--who's there ? Knock knock--who's there ? Knock knock--who's there ? [etc] Philip Glass!

If he learns that I'll just teach him to play 4'33"
posted by OmieWise at 12:31 PM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

Three things. I can't count.

Fantastic = sidebar nomination

For me it, I wish I could give it more favorites than one. If it's only funny to a select few, then probably not flagging. I guess a one liner isn't going to get sidebarred, but sometimes a comment is too brilliant for just a favorite.
posted by cjorgensen at 12:37 PM on March 26, 2010

As long as we're sharing our pet peeves, here's mine. Person A says he hates something. Person B, as a joke, IMMEDIATELY does what person A says he hates. Example:

A: I hate it when people post "first!"

B: First!*

I don't hate this because it's mean, passive-aggressive or childish -- though it can be all of those things. I hate it because it's obvious to the point of making me want to slit my wrists so that I don't have to go on living in such a tiresome, cliched, boring world. The SECOND I read A's post, I KNOW B is going to respond the way he does. I always hope I'm wrong. I never am.

Thank you for your time.

*If B thinks it's a clever twist to post "Second!" he's wrong.
posted by grumblebee at 12:45 PM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

ninety-seventh!

*bows*
posted by Mister_A at 12:54 PM on March 26, 2010

[ ] Interrupting cow
[ MOO!
posted by cj_ at 1:03 PM on March 26, 2010 [10 favorites]

You are talking about me, aren't you?

They're talking about me. They're always talking about me. I'm sure of it. It's all in code, but I'm the center of attention here. I just know it. I'm sure of this.
posted by marxchivist at 1:26 PM on March 26, 2010

It really rankles me to see "Flagged it and moved on."

NO, NO YOU DID NOT. You may have flagged it, but the fact that you are commenting to indicate that you flagged it implies that you have not moved on, especially since now if the offending post/comment is deleted, your comment will also have to be removed or it's a total nonsequitor just begging for someone to come in and say "Flagged what?" and then NO ONE has moved on since now we are going BACKWARDS to re-hashing whatever it was you allegedly moved on from.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 1:28 PM on March 26, 2010 [12 favorites]

idiopath - fixed! (thanks Jessamyn)
posted by Artw at 1:29 PM on March 26, 2010

[ ] You talkin' to me?
[ ] You talkin' to me?
[ ] You talkin' to me?
[ ] Then who the hell else are you talkin' to?
[ ] You talkin' to me?
[ ] Well I'm the only one here.
[ ] Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 1:30 PM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

and I click on it and see my most recent comment was 'That's not a knife-- That's a knife' and it makes me sad.

I see you've played "Knifey/Spoony" before.
posted by drjimmy11 at 1:39 PM on March 26, 2010 [2 favorites]

I don’t view it as a sin, mortal or venial. Not every single comment about a post merits an entirely new post at MetaTalk.
posted by joeclark at 1:40 PM on March 26, 2010

[ ] Interrupting cow
[ MOO!

I told that joke to my five (and a half!) year old nephew recently, and his subsequent retelling didn't include any actual interruption. It was like:

"Interrupting cow who?"
long pause while the kid grins and waggles his eyebrows to prepare you for the impending comedy gold
"MOOOOOO!"

I always love how little kids can be so unclear on the concept of knock-knock jokes, but this bit of unintentionally brilliant subversive comedy timing was awesome.
posted by stefanie at 1:43 PM on March 26, 2010 [7 favorites]

[ ] Oh God this guy again.
posted by The Whelk at 2:01 PM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

and then NO ONE has moved on since now we are going BACKWARDS to re-hashing whatever it was you allegedly moved on from.

I've moved on, with the help of therapy and medication.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:08 PM on March 26, 2010

This comment won't end well.
posted by qvantamon at 2:11 PM on March 26, 2010

But it did! It has a full stop and everything! Now this one on the other hand is just
posted by The Whelk at 2:14 PM on March 26, 2010

Another way to maybe prevent the snarking is make a "comment freeze" for 15 minutes after a post is put up. I'm guessing the same people that would want to pop in with a snark out of the gate aren't going to wait around, while those actually wishing to discuss the post probably would.

Someone could link to a new translation of Gilgamesh and there will be an opinion 30 seconds after it goes live.

I HATE GilgaMASH (see what I did there?!!). We were supposed to read it in high skool! Weak sauce. Crap post!

I generally hate technological solutions to what are behavioral problems. I also hate punishing the innocent along with the guilty. But I bet the mod's jobs would be easier and I bet discussion would go better.

Plus, if you knew there was a 15 minute window, you could spend some time actually looking at a link or two, or barring that, at least writing something other than snark.
posted by cjorgensen at 2:20 PM on March 26, 2010 [3 favorites]

But it did! It has a full stop and everything! Now this one on the other hand is just

Well, it did do justice to my comment.
posted by qvantamon at 2:21 PM on March 26, 2010

I've been requiring it less and less these days, but I'm a huge fan of just writing my unfiltered reaction to comments that tick me off and then just not hitting post (though in certain circumstances I do preview). It's like video game threadshitting: the mess you make just fades away without anyone having to expend effort to clean it up.
posted by invitapriore at 2:21 PM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

This comment won't end well☠☢☣☠
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 2:34 PM on March 26, 2010

What!? We have access to radioactive/skull and cross bone emoticons!? This changes everything.
posted by deacon_blues at 2:38 PM on March 26, 2010

Also considered harmful: Typo tTrolls.

FTFY. hehe

Also:

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Rude thread-closing mod
Rude thread-clo--




This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by davejay at 2:42 PM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

☹
posted by The Whelk at 2:50 PM on March 26, 2010

stefanie - I still tell the interrupting cow joke like that. I think I got it from one of my friends' kids way back exactly like you said and almost choked myself laughing. Because it's way funnier that way.
posted by ctmf at 3:00 PM on March 26, 2010

This thread is closed to new comments.

Quick, everyone: recycle your old comments!
posted by ook at 3:02 PM on March 26, 2010

I've been doing that for years.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:04 PM on March 26, 2010

I'm guessing the same people that would want to pop in with a snark out of the gate aren't going to wait around, while those actually wishing to discuss the post probably would.

Luckily the post from 15 minutes ago just opened up for them to snark in.
posted by smackfu at 3:08 PM on March 26, 2010

No moderating my own posts in the first hour.

I tend to post about things that interest me a lot, so I like to participate in the discussion. Where do people feel the line is between being active in the thread and trying to moderate it?
posted by FishBike at 3:13 PM on March 26, 2010

Quick, everyone: recycle your old comments!

"i'm going to bring you the law."

I still have no idea what it means, but it remains fun to say.
posted by quin at 3:20 PM on March 26, 2010

Where do people feel the line is between being active in the thread and trying to moderate it?

The line begins and ends when you start to annoy me. Don't worry. I won't shoot until you cross it.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:22 PM on March 26, 2010

Also don't like "zzzzz"; "sigh"; "yawwnnn". If you don't like it, fuck off and die. I mean, go read something else.
posted by b33j at 3:38 PM on March 26, 2010

I went to see Pablo Picaso today, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. No one called him an asshole.
posted by fixedgear at 3:38 PM on March 26, 2010 [2 favorites]

deacon_blues: "What!? We have access to radioactive/skull and cross bone emoticons!? This changes everything"

my favorites are airplane, hot beverage, and gleeful yipyip.

✈☕⍢

there are some other good ones too

♜⚣♥♚♛☺⚧♜ 〄 ⍥ ᑒ ᑈ ᐵ ᐖ ⌨

𝕿𝕳𝖀𝕲 𝕷𝕴𝕱𝕰
posted by idiopath at 3:41 PM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

What!? We have access to radioactive/skull and cross bone emoticons!? This changes everything.

Biohazard is the new hamburger.
posted by nebulawindphone at 3:42 PM on March 26, 2010

stefanie: "I always love how little kids can be so unclear on the concept of knock-knock jokes, but this bit of unintentionally brilliant subversive comedy timing was awesome."

My niece would tell a lot of knock-knock jokes when she was around 5 years old. She had the form down pat, but didn't quite understand the "joke" part. One of her better ones was:

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Dead seagull.
Dead seagull who?
Dead seagull what was by the trash can!

Brilliant, in its own way.
posted by team lowkey at 3:44 PM on March 26, 2010 [8 favorites]

I suppose this is as good a place as any to ask: Can you unflag things? The other day I flagged something by mistake and then I realized it was not in the green after all so was a perfectly valid, if mildly snarky, comment for the blue. This made me feel guilty for a few minutes but I was afraid to try unflagging in case I reflagged and the poor comment got deleted.
posted by mygothlaundry at 3:48 PM on March 26, 2010

I was afraid to try unflagging in case I reflagged and the poor comment got deleted.

What?! If I had that power I'd go through this place with a flaming scythe.

(Reason #472 I Am Not A Moderator)
posted by marxchivist at 3:53 PM on March 26, 2010

The four year old I nanny four tells knock-knock jokes in the "dead seagull by the trashcan" vein, but his punchlines are always fruit wearing underpants.

"Knock knock."
"Who's there?"
"Banana."
"Banana who?"
"Banana WEARING UNDERPANTS!"

See also: Apple. Grapes. Orange. Plum. Etc.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 3:56 PM on March 26, 2010 [3 favorites]

Where do people feel the line is between being active in the thread and trying to moderate it?

Don't try to steer, don't try to tell people how to read it or what opinion they should have, don't try to argue with people who just don't like the post (even though, or maybe especially because, they probably shouldn't be doing that so much in the first place).

Don't be hyper-responsive. The difference between one or two comments in the first twenty of a thread and one responding to every two or three is a big one. Former is generally fine, latter is generally a really bad sign.

If you find the subject engaging and have something substantive or conversational to say about what they have to say about the content or subject of the post, that's usually not a problem. But the moment you find yourself going on the defense, it's probably time to either step away or look at redirecting to email/metatalk if it needs pursing, basically.

Can you unflag things?

Nope. But a stray nonsensical flag on a non-problematic thing isn't much of a problem; we just shrug and move on. And you can't reflag something—the site only lets you flag any given comment or post once, period, so no worries there either.
posted by cortex (staff) at 3:58 PM on March 26, 2010

But um, Mr. Cortex, what is the policy on say, rhyming couplets?
posted by The Whelk at 3:59 PM on March 26, 2010

Where do people feel the line is between being active in the thread and trying to moderate it?

What cortex said, but I'd also add that on the Green it's valid to clarify your question if people are misinterpreting it or are unclear on what you're asking, but not to argue with answers you just plain don't like.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 4:07 PM on March 26, 2010

But um, Mr. Cortex, what is the policy on say, rhyming couplets?

There's no rhyme in mi couplet what am I gonna do?
You're gonna fix that rhyme that's what you're gonna do.
posted by Dumsnill at 4:40 PM on March 26, 2010

Holy shit, there really is a "fantastic post" flag! When someone mentioned that in another thread I thought they were kidding.

Apparently I've grown shockingly apathetic in middle age... I can't believe in seven months here I've never found a post offensive/annoying enough to motivate me to actually click the little exclamation point.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 5:22 PM on March 26, 2010

Sometimes I think MetaFilter needs a Ten Commandments, shorter and more direct than the FAQ. Everybody needs to not just read it, but pass a short reading comprehension test to prove that they understand it.

You know who else supported tests to weed out mindless trolling with repetitive memes?
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 5:23 PM on March 26, 2010

You know who else asked a rhetorical question about whether we knew who else did something?
posted by idiopath at 5:39 PM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

What if this was a rhetorical question?
posted by The Whelk at 5:44 PM on March 26, 2010

Do you expect me to answer that?
posted by Mister_A at 6:03 PM on March 26, 2010

An amusing old photograph
posted by Abiezer at 6:07 PM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

Wait, are we playing questions?
posted by quin at 6:08 PM on March 26, 2010

I think, maybe?
posted by The Whelk at 6:14 PM on March 26, 2010

Way larger than a fucking bread box.
posted by Mid at 6:20 PM on March 26, 2010

Inspired by the search I just linked to: a procedurally generated poem

You know who else ___?

had a moustache?
had "death panels"?
looked like Hitler?
didn't get a birthday cake?
had his head torn off?
Read Books on Nazi Girls?
Used Subtitles?
posted a thread about art that Hitler liked?
collected personal information for the "good" of the
[does something]
wanted autobahns?
misattributed this sort of thing?
you can reference with the number 420?
has a box full of correspondence from people experiencing delusions?
Hitlered?
liked to samba dance? Oh, wait...
was an excellent singer and did some decent art?
had Asperger's Syndrome? Depending on who you ask, everybody.
was a hipster? Yeah, that's right.
could defy the laws of physics by actually walking on water?
lived in a town controlled by Nazis?
was named Dolph?
systematically eliminated the hyphens? That's right - The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary ...
consulted an astrologist to determine his actions as head of state? That's right, Ronald Reagan. OOOooOOOOoooOOOOOooooH! ...
suspected a spy there?
is hilarious. Conan O'Brien.
was wondering what was up with all the weird 'you know who else' .... You know who else hitlered Hitler? That's right, it's Hitler! ...
mentioned Metafilter? Hitler. Apparently, Mein Kampf was supposed to be printed in blue but the original publisher felt ...
had a serviceplan for making people into hats?
had a problem with flatulence?
ranted incoherently about his doctrine?
got shot down at the bakery?
embraced blanket punishments for huge groups of mostly innocent people?
did x?
thought the electorate was stupid?
was From Austria?
left long rants on voicemail?
read the Theozoology?
didn't like Cox? That's right: Ghostface! ... has a problem with all these birds? My pussy, that's who. ...
ad the yips? Charles Barkley.
was Windows only? Vilem Slavata?
liked O Fortuna?
was nominated?
had a mustache? Jamie from Mythbusters.
was with them? C-3P0!
was a troll dickwad?
you don't want your street named after?
was into Nazi-themed porn?
Metafilter :
thought an empire was a good idea? Yeah, that's right.
had "death panels"?
liked this site? Awesome.
compared riding a bike without civility to firing randomly into a crowd?
sleeps like shit? Busy lawyers, on-call doctors, etc. Your friend probably just got tired of any number of the ...
today's date was significant to?
makes it sound like MeFi compares everything to Hitler ...
was a cheerleader?
wanted a kitten?
really admired the British empire?
loved big eyed waifs? John Wayne Gacy.
liked that kind of ice cream?
was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize?
is interviewed? That's right, Nixon. Oh, and there's a Hitler interview, too. Apparently he likes tea.
So do I. Funny ol' world.
hated Stalin?
was a bicycle thief?
likes flags?
enjoyed Auschwitz?
was a shitty writer?
was female?
was tired of the politics to the point of employing a final solution and eventually stepping down?
is (half) Lebanese?
hated France? HITLER.
often used stylized gestures with his hands during his terrifying speechs...?
thought cliched jokes about horrific circumstances were funny?
had a landing strip?
Oh, never mind. I'm not too keen on the steampunk aesthetic, but, yeesh, person on the left ain't even trying...
had kind of a nasal, tenor tone in his speaking voice? John F Kennedy.
was a bunch of fucks?
wrote research papers?
sues people on the internet for calling him a Nazi?
systematically eliminated the hyphens? That's right - The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary ...
liked to hoot and holler? Hootler.
liked to eat chihuahuas?
loved alcohol enemas? That's right, the Mayans. And they're extinct too. Case closed.
was Man of the Year, Artw?
was stoned to death? That's right: The 70's.
was into symbols of Prussian-style militarism and glorification of the State?
had to manage a group of wacky misfits and put on a weekly sketch comedy show? No wait, that's not right.
went off the grid?
took methamphetamine?
tolerated a fencer?
had it? Doug Fieger.
made unsupported claims of doubleness? That's right: Tyler Durden
blah blah... AM I RITE, LOL$NAME?
danced like a walrus...?
was from Alabama? That's right, that commie Helen Keller! Yeah, we're from the same town, more or less.
was in the Kreisau Circle? Seriously, though:
it says had it? Yep. That's right. Hitler.
likes sex? Nazis!
didn't have permission to access the document? General Custer.
was from Prattville? Right. Wilson Pickett.
ate people? That's right! Jolly old Idi Amin!
wanted his friend ...
said it? For comic bad guys, though, JimN2TAW has it. It was Lex Luthor.
was goth as a teenager? 'Alaric?'" Alright, that was just funny.
had a birthday today (20 April)" - you don't need much felt for that one. "don't eat the yellow snow (21 December)
was to the right of sensible and used his oafishness to avoid answering tough questions?
had camps? Hitler. John Cougar's Melons, too.
used to hang around with Elvis while he was recording back in those days too? Ike Turner, how come they don't tell you ...
had a great national anthem and marching tune?
picture got rebroadcast back to earth from another dimension in carl sagan's contact?
was an astonishing orator?
was not a kook?
wasn't too careful?
had Autism? Yeah, that's right....
liked to smoke a pipe?
was a vegetarian? And probably didn't drink tea.
liked to.... oh... nevermind.
had his own private submarine? L Ron Hubbard. Hell, he had his own private navy.
had oiled-looking hair? That's right, the Fonz. He did his hair with pomade. Since you are a guy, and so more likely to be ...
saw a downtrodden group as a threat to the very premise of his country?
was whip-smart?
is irritating, arrogant and combative? Pretty much everyone on the Internet. You know how easy it is to get smart irritating people to act ...
used to paint with his ass?
was a fan of afro punk?
blahblahblahed?
was treated at that abandoned German military hospital? Oh, wait. Yes. You already know.
liked a good fisting? Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequor, Norman Lamont.
never mind...
has only one nut?
probably spends way too much time on their couch? Yeah, you guessed it. ...
quotes Winston Churchill to win arguments? That's right ...Hitler!" - Winston Churchill. ...
was a vegetarian, loved baby seals, and wasn't Jewish, don't you?
was an atheist materialist opposed to the caste system?
was excellent at drawing architecture? What really appeals to me about his art is the contrast of the precise lines and ...
was a genius and a weirdo?
used to be younger?
freed a slave?
liked singing and flags?
had conviction?
did excellent other stuff?
had semen inside? Your mom.
collected Jews? Hitler.
is into the slow trickle? YOUR MOM!
had a birthday on April 20? Carmen Electra. And Luther Vandross. And me.
liked Xbox Live?
whines constantly?
says "Bom Shankar!"?
did unpleasant things in the name of science? That's right - Joseph Mengele.
didn't write this article.
used sarcasm? Jesus?
will wendell? FTFY.
made pencils? That's right - Henry David Thoreau.
likes Twin Peaks? Cookie Monster. At least liked the pies. Darned fine pies.
could count to twelve on one hand?
was in cahoots with the Nazis?
liked super men?
invaded Poland? Pope John Paul in a bubble?
plays his ass off, old style? Ricky Skaggs.
liked to derail threads, right?
had 'free-speech zones'? Hitler." "No, actually, I did not." "Oh."
shot the wrong person in the face?
liked parody music videos? Yeah. That's right. ;-)
thought the earth was round?
was big in Japan?
made interesting and informative videos?
gets what they had coming?
got exactly what they wanted, based on their behavior?
went around offering applets? That's right. Satan.
had a mustache like that?
enjoyed marching his followers around hour after hour out in the open?
was no Jack Kennedy? Hitler.
had big dreams?
wanted their content broken up into logical sections? ROGER ACKROYD. ... But do you know who else was a damned idiot? Roger Ackroyd!
liked grizzly stories? That's right: He was an Eva Braun Bear.
xxxxxx?
was a white moore? That's right!
has "security numbers" tattooed on them?
liked to stop pucks?
was salty? That's right. Goatse
is afraid of bees? Clowns.
liked Xbox
hated Twitter? Hitler. Hitler hated Twitter.
didn't like bacon? Meir Kahane?
had musicogenic epilepsy? That's right, Joan of Arc.
wasn't a vegetarian?
did that? That's right, Mr.
liked Wagner?
Hitler couldn't have existed without? Hitler. Think about it.
liked pop culture?
was bigger than Jesus. That's right: Giant Jesus.
was into German orgies?
believed in god? The Nazis
advocated for wealth redistribution? Martin Luther King Jr. Also, the link doesn't seem to be working for me?
liked Xbox Live?
...nah, too easy.
has a high pitched voice? Mike Tyson.
liked to kick the gong around? No, not him.
had a nuclear program?
went sub-orbital on their second design? I like the name, very catchy, maybe we'll call it the V-2 for short
questioned obvious answers to questions posted on AskEugenicsFilter?
LOVED STANDING ON THE STREET CORNERS TO BE SEEN BY MEN?
liked mass consumption? Hitler!
Adolf Hitler indicated...approval of these anti-Semitic elements in the Oberammergau Passion Play
I had vilified?
was a light-bringer? That's right - furries
belonged to the landed gentry, had street cred and was a radical.
was a vegetarian?
used technology successfully last month to achieve his goals? p
stood on the stage for a couple of minutes soaking up the crowd before performing? No, really. He did. Look it up.
likes Sarah Palin? Yeah, you know. No idea if the feeling is mutual, though.
hates Sears? Ron White
that followed on July 20
liked parodies?
had an excellent moustache?
had a warm radiant aura that was just wonderful to be around? (ok, sorry for that, couldn't resist. carry on)
'did that'? NOPE, NOT HITLER.
didn't like broccoli?
tried to ban black colors?
thought homosexuality was a result of genetic impurity?
was single?
had a strong brand identity? Hitler.
HAD A REAL MAJOR ACTUAL PUBLISHER????!!!?! Shatner.
born into a culture different from the one he presided over as President?
is from Los Angeles? Ice Cube. And Cube isn't afraid of a bunch of Norwegians, or Finns. He's not afraid of some Danish.
liked art? H... oh, nevermind.
cared about off-white stock?
enjoyed Auschwitz? No, not them. That's right, them.
should post its own list? Metafilter: where beans and memes get overthunk.
allowed cheering at ceremonies? Hitler.
quoted Hermann Göring on his profile page?
didn't forget the gravy? That's right.
was into genocide and saxophone music?
was into Tibetan Buddhism?
was against the WoW terms of service?
had swastikas? The Nazis. ...oh, waitaminute. Reminds me of Thor's hammer too.
was fond of facial hair?
lived in Beaver Falls? That's right. Mr. Belvedere.
got a cease and desist letter from Rob Zombie's lawyers? That's right: White Zogby.
won Person of the Year? Yep. Hitler.
fled to Argentina...
was from South Jersey?
wasn't funny? That's right, Andy fucking Kaufman.
doesn't have an extensive posting history on the blue? Sorry. Had to get in on that trend before it played itself out.
didn't like pregnant women? Kim Jong Ill, who banned them from Pyongyang
had assigned tables? That's right: Dmitri Mendeleev.
had an ethos?
was funny?
liked to praise Hitler?
...
sang reggae? Marley.
was just doing their jobs? The Nazis.
used to like to spend time relaxing in the Alps over Salzburg? It's just too easy folks. ...
wrought havoc?
loved the smell of meltdowns in the morning? Thats right, languagehat
joke in 5... 4... 3...
blog had to drop unrestricted comments? Hitler's.
first marketed an item to adults using sex before the item became associated with children?
enjoyed a nice piece of chicken?
has pores? That's right, The Savaginas
had more time than money? Hobos.
drove a beat-up Dodge Dart? Al Bundy.
didn't care about offending Native Americans? That's right, Andrew Jackson!
showed racial bias when calling fouls, right?
made a rear-engine flat-four go-anwhere car? Yep. That's right. Him. The "people's car" guy.
spoke German?
took over Belgium and France?
could do a mean watusi?
played the hurdy gurdy?
had problems with that IP address, don't you?
s in on it? The browser makers, and those damn computer makers.
was against mass killings?
disapproved? Yep. That's right. Hitl... oh wait.
was named hitler? HITLER!
didn't like stuff? That's right... Despotic Little League Managers. Those guys are fuckers.
liked Porsches and Volkswagens? Although I think it was Mercedes who designed the truck that gassed your victims while ...
enjoyed making people unhappy? The Nazis!"
liked big flags? Hitler. And this guy: Don't be this guy.
I find gets nowhere in a professional environment?
was a performance artist? that's right
travelled across europe and destroyed art?


This has been part one of ten, thank you.
posted by idiopath at 6:30 PM on March 26, 2010 [8 favorites]

knock, knock
who's there?
rhetorical questions
rhetorical questions who?
rhetorical questions who can't believe you were dumb enough to answer, fool!
posted by jamjam at 6:32 PM on March 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

I wish I had that much free time.
posted by The Whelk at 7:15 PM on March 26, 2010

I suppose this is as good a place as any to ask: Can you unflag things? The other day I flagged something by mistake and then I realized it was not in the green after all so was a perfectly valid, if mildly snarky, comment for the blue. This made me feel guilty for a few minutes but I was afraid to try unflagging in case I reflagged and the poor comment got deleted.
posted by mygothlaundry at 6:48 PM on March 26 [+] [Flagged]

I flagged this just to see if I could unflag it, but I couldn't, so I moved on.
posted by toodleydoodley at 7:31 PM on March 26, 2010

And you can't reflag something—the site only lets you flag any given comment or post once, period, so no worries there either.

You can, however, superflag comments.
posted by qvantamon at 7:42 PM on March 26, 2010

I remember when I had my first beer.

FIRST BREE!!!1
posted by Meatbomb at 7:42 PM on March 26, 2010

Pepsi Blue still sucks.
posted by oddman at 7:43 PM on March 26, 2010

Drunk = deleted for me
posted by pianomover at 7:45 PM on March 26, 2010

Oh god Planomover never sees a single thing I wrtie.
posted by The Whelk at 7:51 PM on March 26, 2010

An amusing old photograph

Indeed it was!
posted by Mister_A at 7:52 PM on March 26, 2010

I Got Deleted Blues

woke up this morning
snark all in my head
i posted right away
in a metafilter thread
i got deleted babe
i got deleted babe
i got deleted babe
and you don't even know my name

i tossed off an easy line
like everybody else was doin'
it was Snark® brand chewin' gum
baby that i was chewin'
i got deleted babe
i got deleted babe
i got deleted babe
and you don't even know my name

next time i'm feeling clever
like some witty little son of a bitch
i ain't gonna post my snark round here
gonna toss it in the nearest ditch
i got deleted babe
i got deleted babe
i got deleted babe
and you don't even know my name
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:27 PM on March 26, 2010

I tend to post about things that interest me a lot, so I like to participate in the discussion.

Same here. But I try to let it sink or swim on it's own.

An hour isn't going to diminish your ability to participate. Post it, walk away, come back, read, comment. Often you're going to be the one that knows the most about the subject. Let other people spend some time with the material before you get in there as well.
posted by cjorgensen at 8:46 PM on March 26, 2010

I tend to post about things that interest me a lot, so I like to participate in the discussion. Where do people feel the line is between being active in the thread and trying to moderate it?

Personally, if I read a thread and the original poster has posted more than one comment in the first hour or two/first ten to twenty other comments, it feels like they're trying to steer the discussion in the direction they want it to go. (Doesn't really matter why; maybe they've got control-freak tendencies, maybe they're just really enthusiastic and want to discuss the topic. It feels the same either way.) That's usually enough to make me close the thread without bothering to comment on it.
posted by Lexica at 9:41 AM on March 27, 2010

Yeah. I'm with Lexica on this one. Unlike cortex I can't usually tell when the original poster is moderating or not. I don't mind the supplemental links, or a clarification, but even straight up discussion makes me wonder what the poster has vested if they jump in too quickly.

Sort of related are the ones where there is a post, then the first comments look like this:

Sorry, second link should have gone here.
posted by poster at 13:41 AM on March 27 [+] [!]

I meant to include this link as well.
posted by poster at 13:42 AM on March 27 [+] [!]

Oh yeah, previously and via.
posted by poster at 13:43 AM on March 27 [+] [!]

Cerap! I meant via.
posted by poster at 13:43 AM on March 27 [+] [!]

Not moderated, but the thread is a lazy trainwreck and I usually don't spend any time with the subject matter.
posted by cjorgensen at 10:17 AM on March 27, 2010