Singling out the best single links

November 17, 2011 2:12 PM

What are the best single-link posts in MeFi history?

Single-link posts, especially SLYTs and SLOEs, are often looked down on for being trivial fluff, while lengthy posts with dozens or hundreds of links routinely rocket to the top of the Popular lists and garner scores of positive comments. As a result, sometimes even strong standalone links are padded out with "filler" that doesn't really need to be there, and which people rarely seem to read. But that can't (and shouldn't) always be the case.

I have a hard time making single-link posts myself, but I'd love to see some great examples of the form. Is there a way to comb the Infodump for this, or does anyone have some great ones bookmarked? Single-link videos, games, stories, websites, whatever -- just as long as there's just one link that drew a lot of favorites, comments, praise, and fantastic flags.

(in b4 catscan)

posted by Rhaomi to MetaFilter-Related at 2:12 PM (45 comments total)

That one with the cat. That was great.
posted by lapsangsouchong at 2:16 PM on November 17, 2011 [6 favorites]

Today is the day
posted by Burhanistan at 2:17 PM on November 17, 2011 [8 favorites]

This one, which has a tag 'subjectivity' and the link text is "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
posted by Effigy2000 at 2:18 PM on November 17, 2011

Blatantly sucking up.
posted by The Deej at 2:18 PM on November 17, 2011 [1 favorite]

Is there a way to comb the Infodump for this [...]

Hmm, not directly, I don't think. There's minimal information in there about the actual content of posts: just the title and the tags.
posted by FishBike at 2:23 PM on November 17, 2011

Inside the Mind of the Octopus
posted by John Cohen at 2:28 PM on November 17, 2011 [1 favorite]

Going to the Store
posted by griphus at 2:37 PM on November 17, 2011 [2 favorites]

I'm biased towards my own work.
posted by absalom at 2:39 PM on November 17, 2011

Today is the day

what the what
posted by kmz at 2:47 PM on November 17, 2011 [2 favorites]

Self link: Many of my old posts were Single link'ed
posted by growabrain at 3:38 PM on November 17, 2011

Hmm, not directly, I don't think. There's minimal information in there about the actual content of posts: just the title and the tags.

You don't need infodump, just use the monthly archive pages.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:52 PM on November 17, 2011

Multi-link posts can be made arbitrarily better by just adding more. Is a post with 11 links better than one with ten? Of course, it's one better, innit?

The post author can add more of himself into the post that way, which can be interesting to read and can produce epic content but I feel kind of goes around Metafilter's intent, which is to spotlight someone else's work.

Short posts rely much more on the link itself. Some explanatory content can be useful in introducing the reader to something they may not have information about, which I consider to be the soul of a good Metafilter post.

(This December, my intent is to make only single-link, or at least low-link, posts, one per day. I might not find enough interesting things to link to by then though, I'm still planning this. Maybe I should set a word limit. Also don't forget: December 26 is Zelda Day!)
posted by JHarris at 4:01 PM on November 17, 2011

Does it count if there were more links beneath the fold? If so: I nominate Greg Nog's Keyboard Cat, not for the meme but for this exchange.
posted by Rory Marinich at 4:01 PM on November 17, 2011

If not: TIME FOR SOME STORIES
posted by Rory Marinich at 4:07 PM on November 17, 2011 [6 favorites]

By the way, as much as single link posts get shat upon there is no shortage of them.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 4:07 PM on November 17, 2011

RORY WHO
posted by shakespeherian at 4:19 PM on November 17, 2011

rick

rick

i know which one it was.
posted by mintcake! at 4:28 PM on November 17, 2011 [6 favorites]

HEY RORY IS BACK!
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 4:37 PM on November 17, 2011 [2 favorites]

TIMING
posted by griphus at 4:41 PM on November 17, 2011

I nominate every single link post I have ever made, which is most of them.
posted by reenum at 4:58 PM on November 17, 2011

I knew Rory couldn't stay away from me.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:09 PM on November 17, 2011

You don't need infodump, just use the monthly archive pages.

It's not a perfect method, because it doesn't capture the content of the [more inside] section. That said, you can probably do quite well with it by just disregarding any posts that have the [more inside] indicator, since posts with a linkless more-inside seem to be the exception rather than the rule so you wouldn't be missing a lot.
posted by cortex (staff) at 5:10 PM on November 17, 2011

we come in peace det! det!
posted by unliteral at 5:11 PM on November 17, 2011 [1 favorite]

Rory! Where's Amy?

oops, wrong Rory.
posted by oneswellfoop at 5:47 PM on November 17, 2011 [2 favorites]

I can't find it, but one I remember with fondness was just a single link to a photo of a mantis (IIRC) just looking awesome. The link said something like: Look at this awesome guy.
posted by Kattullus at 5:49 PM on November 17, 2011 [1 favorite]

Respect Dad's harp. (I don't dispense favorites much myself, but I'll never forget that one. Just beautiful.)

There've been a few of my own that people seemed to like and I was very pleased with.
posted by Gator at 6:00 PM on November 17, 2011

Plane crashes in to the word trade center.
posted by kirkaracha at 6:03 PM on November 17, 2011 [2 favorites]

Oh, and who could ever forget: What's That? (Incredibly, the original link still works.)
posted by Gator at 6:13 PM on November 17, 2011

I was going to say TIME FOR SOME STORIES, too, but as usual goddamn Marinich is like me only quicker and cleverer and ten years younger.

Uh but welcome back.
posted by pts at 6:40 PM on November 17, 2011 [1 favorite]

The MUSHROOM thread! Ah the memories. Good times.
posted by Miko at 7:06 PM on November 17, 2011 [1 favorite]

Oh, and who could ever forget: What's That?
The obvious answer to that is, I have no idea.
posted by unliteral at 7:23 PM on November 17, 2011

Because I have a fear of heights and because I enjoying triggering it from the safety and comfort of a recliner with a laptop, from 2008 and 2010 and bonus YT link.
posted by marsha56 at 7:51 PM on November 17, 2011 [1 favorite]

The favorite single link I ever posted was tickling the ivories which elicited amusing comments - but it now has a broken link but the NSFW clip can be found here.

I love the single link posts. Here's just a few that stick out in my mind from days of yore.
The Story of Suzanne
An autistic woman speaks her "language" then ours
A Year In Pyongyang
Awesome tapes from Africa
posted by madamjujujive at 8:18 PM on November 17, 2011 [1 favorite]

Wow, that link to "An autistic woman ..." is really wonderful! Thanks for pointing that out madamjjj.
posted by marsha56 at 8:48 PM on November 17, 2011

Just what is the deal with Jughead's weird crown cap?
posted by rollick at 8:55 PM on November 17, 2011 [5 favorites]

The Mushroom Thread is great, but bittersweet considering the poster's untimely death.
posted by Rumple at 9:07 PM on November 17, 2011

HEY YOU GUYS, RORY IS BACK! WITH BRANDON!
posted by P.o.B. at 9:35 PM on November 17, 2011

unliteral: The obvious answer to that is, I have no idea.

I miss tellurian. He made some stunning, out of leftfield posts.
posted by Kattullus at 5:30 AM on November 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

Rory and Brandon broke up?
posted by griphus at 6:15 AM on November 18, 2011

RORY'S GOING TO YALE!
posted by Snarl Furillo at 9:17 AM on November 18, 2011

RORY CAUGHT RICKETS FROM BATS
posted by Rory Marinich at 12:32 PM on November 18, 2011

YOU ARE TOO YOUNG FOR THAT REFERENCE
posted by Gator at 12:49 PM on November 18, 2011 [2 favorites]

Leaving home is the worst thing that can happen to some shows. I mean, you can probably track it to changes in writing and stuff too, but sending Rory to Yale, hanging out on New Caprica (at least this one gets better), leaving Agrestic-- those shows need their environment, and taking the characters out of it really shows how poorly the characters can stand up on their own.
posted by NoraReed at 2:49 PM on November 18, 2011

Rory! Yay! I think I owe you a Bishop Allen CD.
posted by maryr at 9:56 PM on November 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

Loved the Jughead post because that is tracking down cultural history and documenting it. I always had a feeling that Jughead's cap seemed familiar but I was never sure why. How did I never make the link to Goober?
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 11:35 AM on November 19, 2011 [1 favorite]