MeFi's Own Toekneesan Sees the Future of Books

May 29, 2012 9:35 AM

MeFi's Own Toekneesan has interesting ideas about book places in the digital age. Andrew Sullivan and Inside Higher Ed's Scott McLemee think so too. Congratulations, Toekneesan!

Toekneesan's thinking about the future of the bookstore is garnering national attention, and deservedly so. Well done!

(Mods and others, I did give Toekneesan a heads-up about this, and he agreed that it was fine to provide these links.)

posted by MonkeyToes to MetaFilter-Related at 9:35 AM (29 comments total)

Doesn't this belong in MetaFilter and not MetaTalk?
posted by demiurge at 9:51 AM on May 29, 2012

It might (and mods, feel free to move it, if so). My intention was to let readers know that a MeFite is getting recognition for his idea, rather than to promote the idea itself. (But by all means, somebody should do a FPP on it!) I have met Toekneesan, and consider him a friend, which was another reason I chose the grey over the blue.
posted by MonkeyToes at 10:06 AM on May 29, 2012

It's well written and interesting fodder for discussion. Congrats Toekneesan. I agree it mgiht make a good blue post.
posted by Miko at 10:10 AM on May 29, 2012

Very cool!
posted by Kimberly at 10:14 AM on May 29, 2012

and mods, feel free to move it, if so -- Just so you know, mods don't move. They may delete it, and they'll instruct you to repost it.
posted by crunchland at 10:22 AM on May 29, 2012

I would love that bookstore. I would move in to that bookstore.
posted by eyeballkid at 10:30 AM on May 29, 2012 [2 favorites]

Would you be the display, used, or rental copy, eyeballkid?
posted by Think_Long at 10:35 AM on May 29, 2012

On demand, obviously.
posted by eyeballkid at 10:36 AM on May 29, 2012 [1 favorite]

Post this over at That Blue Links Place! We all paid for a membership there so we could hang out and read and discuss the links.
posted by RogerB at 10:46 AM on May 29, 2012 [1 favorite]

MonkeyToes can't - someone else is going to need to do it. Someone who doesn't know Toekneesan personally.
posted by batmonkey at 10:51 AM on May 29, 2012

We all paid for a membership there so we could hang out and read and discuss the links.

Except those of us who got in for free. /NOT HIGHUSERNUMBERIST
posted by The Michael The at 10:51 AM on May 29, 2012

I illegally downloaded my usernumber.
posted by shakespeherian at 11:07 AM on May 29, 2012

MonkeyToes can't - someone else is going to need to do it.

Wait, I understand no-self links, but you can't link to stuff of people you know either?
posted by bonehead at 11:08 AM on May 29, 2012

Nope.
posted by shakespeherian at 11:10 AM on May 29, 2012

The same difficulty-of-evaluating-quality applies to your friends' stuff as to your own.
posted by ook at 11:13 AM on May 29, 2012

The wiki may need changing then as it only mentions self-linking.
posted by bonehead at 11:19 AM on May 29, 2012

I'll adjust the page now. Give me a few mins. I want to find a comment from a mod to link to that explains the friends linking thing.
posted by zarq at 11:21 AM on May 29, 2012

Self-linking ("Posting a link to your homepage") is mentioned on the guidelines page, but not "Friend-linking" also.

I've honestly never seen the no friends linking "rule" articulated as "policy" before.
posted by bonehead at 11:24 AM on May 29, 2012

It's not a direct explanation of the policy or anything but a quick search turned up this comment by Jessamyn which makes it sound pretty As Given that friendlinking is the same thing as self-linking.
posted by shakespeherian at 11:31 AM on May 29, 2012

Not sure how MonkeyToes knows Toekneesan, but I asked for a friends-linking-thing clarification some time back, and cortex answered:

Yeah, the concern with friends-linking is primarily with preexisting or external-to-mefi relationships or associations; if the only reason you know someone is because you were both members of mefi and made a connection that way, there's a lot less troubling potential there. Plus both people are probably invested enough in the community to be a little more aware of not wanting to go in weird directions with such stuff.

This is something of a grey area, but nothing that can't be solved by running it past the mods before posting to the blue.
posted by zennie at 11:47 AM on May 29, 2012

Toekneesan, I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

The Espresso Book Machine is an inspired notion. We have 3D printers, why cannot we have individual books, made to order?

I hereby surrender any claim to the Flying Car/Jetpacks we were all promised and opt for this alternative, Espresso Book Machine-featuring future instead.

I plan to stock my personal library with lush illuminated manuscripts, inscribed with the finest ink from the most pampered squids on the costliest parchment and then encased in buttery soft leather covers with buckle closures, colorful Calvin and Hobbes comic anthologies and Pop-up kitty picture books.

I can have my Mefi dinosaur, too, right?
posted by misha at 11:52 AM on May 29, 2012 [1 favorite]

I adjusted the wiki page on self-links, to include wording based on the FAQ.
posted by zarq at 12:07 PM on May 29, 2012

bonehead "Wait, I understand no-self links, but you can't link to stuff of people you know either?"

The FAQ includes "close friend or relative" in the self-link category, rather than just "someone you know," so you were not exactly wrong in your impression, but I get the feeling (I'm too lazy to try and find hard evidence) that this is one of those things that has evolved over time to be construed much more restrictively. I don't think that it has yet reached the "anyone you have ever met" stage yet, but it seems to now include anyone with whom you have an ongoing relationship, which may or may not be very close.
posted by Quinbus Flestrin at 12:37 PM on May 29, 2012

I'd suggest that the page that most needs clarification is the guidelines page. It's the one linked to by the New Post page, and likely the one looked at most often (if at all) by new posters. It refers to self-links only.
posted by bonehead at 12:42 PM on May 29, 2012

Keen article. I'll post this, if no one else is working on re-posting this.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:44 PM on May 29, 2012

Posted. Sorry if I stepped on anyones toes in cross-posting this.
posted by filthy light thief at 1:01 PM on May 29, 2012

I love that this was completely taken care of without a mod having to be directly involved.
posted by batmonkey at 1:16 PM on May 29, 2012

Shucks. Thanks, folks.
posted by Toekneesan at 1:38 PM on May 29, 2012 [1 favorite]

Hey coming in to this late but that's sort of interesting. Glad to read it Toekneesan. If people have questions about the self/friendslink thing let me know. The posting guidelines say pretty explicitly "Don't link to friends' or family members' sites."
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 7:14 PM on May 29, 2012