It seemed so clever until I saw it in print

November 5, 2010 2:01 AM

Pony request for those of us who think better about hitting "Post Comment"

After writing a comment and hitting "Preview", I'm very rarely impressed enough with my own wit and good humor to follow it up by hitting "Post Comment". As a matter of fact, On Preview, I usually regret my comment enough to erase it all, close the active browser tab, return to the front page on another tab, scroll back to the FPP, reopen it in a new tab and scroll down to my old place in the thread. You know, just to be sure.

Does any one else do this?

If so, can we get some sort of "I change my mind, God no, this is stupid, NFW am I going to put this in print" button under the comment pane? Or, is there a better way for me to manage my browser to avoid excess navigation when I get cold feet?

posted by klarck to Feature Requests at 2:01 AM (53 comments total)

Hitting the back button on my browser returns me to the front page just fine, scrolled down to exactly the place I last was.

I think you're putting yourself through that rigmarole unnecessarily.
posted by Omnomnom at 2:08 AM on November 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

On reread: I don't open FPPs in separate tabs, but if you do, then why don't you just delete the tab with the open FPP and return to the tab with the front page? I am having trouble parsing your question.
posted by Omnomnom at 2:09 AM on November 5, 2010

I'd really like a Greasemonkey script that filtered out Pony Requests.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 2:15 AM on November 5, 2010 [4 favorites]

I do my best to compose both comments and FPPs in WordPad and cut and paste when I've thought it through.
No extra ponies result from this method.
posted by lilywing13 at 2:25 AM on November 5, 2010

I like boys.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 2:26 AM on November 5, 2010 [2 favorites]

Woops.

I second that request.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 2:27 AM on November 5, 2010

Heh. I'd rather have a "omgwtf I just clicked "post comment" instead of "preview" what kind of idiot am I" button that returns me five seconds into the past and immobilizes my clicking finger.
posted by taz at 2:36 AM on November 5, 2010 [6 favorites]

As a matter of fact, On Preview, I usually regret my comment enough to erase it all, close the active browser tab, return to the front page on another tab, scroll back to the FPP, reopen it in a new tab and scroll down to my old place in the thread. You know, just to be sure.

Somehow I get the idea that even if a simple integrated solution were presented it might not be enough for you.

From Comment Preview page,

Browser Back Button
Click anywhere in the text area
CTRL-A
BACKSPACE
CTRL-R
Page Up as necessary
posted by carsonb at 2:43 AM on November 5, 2010

How about a "crash my browser NOW" button?
posted by fourcheesemac at 2:57 AM on November 5, 2010 [2 favorites]

Is this where we all recommend therapy?
posted by lollusc at 3:06 AM on November 5, 2010

Does any one else do this?

Most of the time, believe it or not.

So what? You are imperfect.

“To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness.” - Robert Muller

"I make the pussy purr with the stroke of my hand they know they gettin' it from me" - Ted Nugent

“To err is human, to forgive divine.” - Alexander Pope

Come the armed insurrection I'll probably go with Ted but absent that I'll go with a good nights sleep.
posted by vapidave at 3:07 AM on November 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

I open links in new tabs. A lot. Hence, browser back buttons are rare.

My connection is really really slow at work so I often go to the front page and scroll down, opening fpp's of interest in new tabs until I have a half a dozen or so open. Then I just work my left to right across the open tabs. I guess I assumed this was a common tabbed browsing technique...and not yet an indication for therapy.
posted by klarck at 3:15 AM on November 5, 2010

can we get some sort of "I change my mind, God no, this is stupid, NFW am I going to put this in print" button under the comment pane? --- Your computer has a reset button, doesn't it?
posted by crunchland at 4:24 AM on November 5, 2010

My connection is really really slow at work so I often go to the front page and scroll down, opening fpp's of interest in new tabs until I have a half a dozen or so open. Then I just work my left to right across the open tabs. I guess I assumed this was a common tabbed browsing technique...and not yet an indication for therapy.

Ah. In that case CarsonB's advice seems spot on.
posted by Omnomnom at 4:30 AM on November 5, 2010

I think we are going at this the wrong way. I would prefer a Pony that added 50 wit-units to every post I make. Rather than deleting my dumb half-considered blather, it could all be fixed in post-production!
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:31 AM on November 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

I write out long impassioned comments and delete them 3/4 of the way through all the time. I usually don't regret deleting them. If I figure I might change my mind, I'll copy what I've written and paste it in an email or somewhere. My Drafts box is full of abandoned half-comments.

It's kind of like when I'm at the mall and see something I sorta want to buy. In those situations, I decide to continue to another store and come back later if I still want it. I almost never return.
posted by Metroid Baby at 4:35 AM on November 5, 2010

I must have typed out 'Moon-faced Tory [not word we use of MetaFilter]' about three times on the thread about Cameron's latest policy wheeze, but realised that while undeniably true it was hardly a contribution to the debate. Any road, you can right-click on the date-stamp of the comment above and open that in a new tab to get back to where you were in the thread.
posted by Abiezer at 4:48 AM on November 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

I always just burn down whatever building I happen to be in. Then I salt the earth.
posted by shakespeherian at 4:48 AM on November 5, 2010 [8 favorites]

I always comment using my sock puppet account.
posted by Sailormom at 4:59 AM on November 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

As someone who barely bothers to proofread his comments before hitting 'post' -- let alone 'preview' -- I would like a GreaseMonkey script that interprets my flailing at the keyboard like an angry chimp so I don't even have to bother with typing my polemics.
posted by griphus at 6:24 AM on November 5, 2010

"...you can right-click on the date-stamp of the comment above and open that in a new tab to get back to where you were in the thread."

Thanks. That ought to work okay. (marked best answer)
posted by klarck at 6:24 AM on November 5, 2010

For clearing out a comment box, carsonb's select-all-and-delete move has got it. I will sometimes use ctrl-x to cut instead if I think the comment needs to not happen right now but there might be something in there that on consideration deserves a second look after some pause.

Abiezer's force-refresh at the timestamp works too.

On the prevention front, I've gotten better over the years at sort of interrogating myself whenever I'm writing a comment for some reason other than just plain joyful Woo This Is Awesome feelings about whatever I'm responding to. If I'm writing to zing someone or to holler at someone or to try and right some wrongful aspect of what somebody else is saying, or anything else that's potential trouble, I try to ask myself what my comment is accomplishing and whether I think I'm actually going to be making the thread or the site a better place at all by adding it.

Doing that enough over the years, I've managed to front-load the process and can cut myself off a lot of times before I ever get as far as writing up my regrettable whatever; as soon as I reach for the keyboard I start trying to evaluate my motives and it can lead to just closing the tab or letting it go without having to go through any type-preview-hem-haw-delete bother.
posted by cortex (staff) at 6:58 AM on November 5, 2010

As a matter of fact, On Preview, I usually regret my comment enough to erase it all [...]
Does any one else do this?

Yes. Often. And therefor, Preview works as designed.
Still want a 30 second edit window, however.
posted by Old'n'Busted at 7:15 AM on November 5, 2010

Wait, you think about what you've written before you hit "Post"?

I never realized that was an option.
posted by quin at 7:16 AM on November 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

writing up my regrettable whatever

i want this on my family crest.
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 7:16 AM on November 5, 2010 [2 favorites]

I do my best to compose both comments and FPPs in WordPad and cut and paste when I've thought it through.

I use a similar method, but with Stickies instead of WordPad. Because they're yellow. And yellow is awesome.
posted by sonika at 7:25 AM on November 5, 2010

I would go through a hell of a lot of Stickies. Do you have any idea how much filth I pour onto this site every day?
posted by shakespeherian at 7:59 AM on November 5, 2010

Heres an even better pony request: pb adds a button that allows us to send our poorly thought out and awkwardly worded comment to some fancy script that cortex writes (maybe using some sort of advanced Markov engine generator) that transforms our crappy post/comment into a really good one. Maybe we can even add options to fine tune the script like:

[] Make it funny!
[] Make it intelligent!
[] Make it extra snarky!

What do you think, guys?
posted by jpdoane at 8:47 AM on November 5, 2010

I meant "Stickies" the Mac program, not the physical ones. You think I would have a PEN around here? With CHILDRENS? Heavens, no.
posted by sonika at 8:51 AM on November 5, 2010

I do this all the time. *Angry typing* followed by "oh, god, why would I actually post that!?" Followed by "Oh god, please don't let me accidentally click the wrong button and post that instead of deleting it with fire, burying it with a shovel and pushing it off a cliff." I too, like to be double-sure my idiotic brain farts don't accidentally get up in here by some dumb luck. Half of them, like this one, do anyway.

I think an "Oh God, NO do not post THAT" button might give people a visual cue to think it over. Not that it's gonna happen, but.

Hug, anyone?
posted by Devils Rancher at 8:52 AM on November 5, 2010

Usually if I'm at the point where I'm leaving a comment that I'm sure to regret, it's a good idea to just close the browser and go for a walk. I'm not sure how to build a button that will do that for you, however.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:52 AM on November 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

I meant "Stickies" the Mac program, not the physical ones.

But then I have to crumple up and trash my whole monitor, not just a little square of paper.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:05 AM on November 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

Metafilter: it's a good idea to just close the browser and go for a walk

hmm...
posted by lonefrontranger at 9:12 AM on November 5, 2010

INSTALL GREASEMONKEY SCRIPT THAT HIDES THE PREVIEW BUTTON



POST COMMENTS WITHOUT ABANDON
posted by not_on_display at 9:24 AM on November 5, 2010

or, with abandon. whichever. ha ha ha, I am free of the shackles of self-editing woooo woooo woooo!
posted by not_on_display at 9:30 AM on November 5, 2010

Selfish? If you would post your crummy comment, the rest of us could enjoy piling on derision and snark.
posted by Cranberry at 11:16 AM on November 5, 2010

When I preview for the first time, I almost always find something to change.

Once a long time ago, I made a bunch of changes, then hit post and none of my changes went through. It taught me I had to re-preview to get my changes to take, but was so mortifying that PTSD has prevented me from testing to see if we're still doing things that way.

Are we?
posted by jamjam at 11:26 AM on November 5, 2010

"carsonb's select-all-and-delete move has got it."

Well, yes and no. When the page is in comment preview mode and is refreshed/F5, Firefox demands to resend the deleted text. Abiezer's trick works well both before and after hitting preview.
posted by klarck at 11:56 AM on November 5, 2010

Ah, let me clarify. If you've hit preview, your best bet is to hit back. If that leaves you with annoying text once you're off the preview page and back in the normal view of the thread, get your carsonb on.

Refreshing while in preview is fine if it works for you; it's not a view we've done any maintenance work on in a long time, though, so it's missing some of the niceties of the normal thread view and may break some scripts for folks that use them.
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:43 PM on November 5, 2010

get your carsonb on.

er..
posted by carsonb at 1:24 PM on November 5, 2010

Actually I think we need to expand this idea a little farther. Considering the stuff that I personally have deleted un-posted, I think we should reward people who decide not to post their comment.

In addition to Post Comment and Preview, we need a button which, when pushed:

1. Deletes everything you have typed without posting it.

2. Dispenses a reward. I suggest either 10 automatic favorites added to your "Favorited" count, or one random "Best Answer" check mark.
posted by ErikaB at 2:15 PM on November 5, 2010

If pb adds an "I regret typing this" button, 1% of people will click it by mistake and delete their magnum opus. Even with a confirmation dialog, there's a chance.

The fewer options the better. Closing a browser window or reloading the page would be more consistent ways to delete regrettable comments, and have the added bonus of pulling up the latest update...
posted by anthill at 2:53 PM on November 5, 2010

Is this the part where someone suggests an edit capability?

*ducks head*
posted by TedW at 5:29 PM on November 5, 2010

If we do get such a button, what shall it be? Unicorn and Narwhal are already in use. Pegasus?
posted by deborah at 6:20 PM on November 5, 2010

If we do get such a button, what shall it be? Unicorn and Narwhal are already in use. Pegasus?

Manticore

Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends...
posted by TedW at 7:04 PM on November 5, 2010

Every time I post a comment, I want the site to pick a random username that hasn't been on for a while, and add a comment below mine that says "Damn straight, davejay."
posted by davejay at 11:10 PM on November 5, 2010 [2 favorites]

I always get confused between polemic and polenta, do I need to do an AskMe to tell them apart or fluffpuppy my way over to google?
posted by The Lady is a designer at 3:19 AM on November 6, 2010

Please identify this image correctly to win your 52 free AskMe Questions in 2011:

□ POLEMIC

□ POLENTA
posted by taz at 4:30 AM on November 6, 2010 [2 favorites]

it's a good idea to just close the browser and go for a walk. I'm not sure how to build a button that will do that for you, however.

HOW DO I OPEN A DOOR? I TYPED OPEN DOOR BUT DOOR ISN'T PLUGGED INTO COMPUTER CAN'T FIND A CORD OR SOMETHING TO DO THAT WHAT TO DO NO BUTTONS ON DOOR PLEASE HLEP ME!
posted by fuq at 8:08 AM on November 6, 2010

Simplest method is to run some redstone dust from the door to a cobble or wood pressure plate.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:12 AM on November 6, 2010

Press SHIFT+E
posted by taz at 8:16 AM on November 6, 2010

Hah. Here's what I do. I write the comment out in Word. Then I edit it, then i paste it into the comment window. Next,I hit the "preview" button and read. I then imagine what cortex or Jess will think, should they happen to read it. If I decide that that it will make them think less of me as a person, I delete it, and don't post .

This has saved you dipsticks from thousands of obnoxious posts. But not this one.
posted by PareidoliaticBoy at 9:26 PM on November 6, 2010

HOW DO I OPEN A DOOR? I TYPED OPEN DOOR BUT DOOR ISN'T PLUGGED INTO COMPUTER CAN'T FIND A CORD OR SOMETHING TO DO THAT WHAT TO DO NO BUTTONS ON DOOR PLEASE HLEP ME!

Use the Windows.
posted by CathyG at 8:13 AM on November 10, 2010