Comments on: I don't see what was wrong with my post, and I'd like to know why it got deleted.

I don't see what was wrong with my post, and I'd like to know why it got deleted.

bookman117 — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:21:11 -0800

Why was my post regarding the interview with the lifeguard working at the pool in Brooklyn deleted? I don't see anything wrong with it.

By: crunchland

crunchland — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:23:22 -0800

My guess is the "More inside" editorializing is what ultimately killed it.

By: zamboni

zamboni — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:23:44 -0800

This post was deleted for the following reason: Wee NYPost piece plus personal commentary is more of a "post this on your blog" thing than a good metafilter post. -- cortex

That seems pretty straight forward.

By: bookman117

bookman117 — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:24:51 -0800

Ok. I guess I see that. On the other hand, I also editorialized two of my other posts and they didn't get deleted, but whatever it's no big deal.

By: cortex

cortex — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:25:45 -0800

Two issues:

1. It was a little like 700 word news-of-the-weird/ugly thing of the sort that's not really a great foundation for a metafilter post to begin with.

2. Your personal note in the more inside is totally at odds with the expectation that posters won't editorialize or otherwise use Metafilter posts as a sort of chatty "here's my opinion" spot.

By: cortex

cortex — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:27:32 -0800

On the other hand, I also editorialized two of my other posts and they didn't get deleted

Which, not a huge deal but something to avoid going forward, yeah, though neither of them were anything like "lol, clusterfuck".

It's totally fine for you to have an opinion about the stuff you're posting about, but just save it for a comment later in the thread itself once the post has been up for a while.

By: cjorgensen

cjorgensen — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:28:16 -0800

Poop.

By: kate blank

kate blank — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:32:10 -0800

Oh wow, the idea of lol this mayhem is entertaining at a pool where people are swimming is just not something I would expect on MetaFilter. I mean, you know that drowning is fatal, right?

By: carsonb

carsonb — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:32:16 -0800

On the other hand, I also editorialized two of my other posts and they didn't get deleted, but whatever it's no big deal.

Yeah don't do that.

By: Rock Steady

Rock Steady — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:36:31 -0800

I know MeTa threads aren't supposed to serve as proxies for deleted posts, but FIVE MINUTES FOR POOP? Twenty-four hours of bleachy scrubbing hardly seems enough.

By: Faint of Butt

Faint of Butt — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:36:31 -0800

I was fine with the post above the fold, but then you said "Lol," and that was the clincher for me.

By: bookman117

bookman117 — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:37:14 -0800

K, I understand where you're coming from now and I won't editorialize anymore when I post, and I'm no longer contesting the deletion, but it also seems y'all had issues with the article itself aside from that, which is something I still don't really get, but it's fine it's not like I really cared all that much about that post anyway.

By: cortex

cortex — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:41:34 -0800

I know MeTa threads aren't supposed to serve as proxies for deleted posts, but

I am always confused when people type stuff like this and then continue typing afterward.

By: Wordwoman

Wordwoman — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:41:49 -0800

I am growing increasingly irritated with people who complain about their very, very important deleted posts and obligatory links to same in MetaTalk.

By: Snarl Furillo

Snarl Furillo — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:42:26 -0800

I think there is probably a good post here about the current summer heat wave, the rise of crime/bad behavior in hot weather, and the racialized history of public swimming pools and beaches, that would include the NYPost interview. It just needs to be a lot deeper.

By: carsonb

carsonb — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:43:20 -0800

I am growing increasingly irritated

There's a cream for that.

By: George_Spiggott

George_Spiggott — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:44:10 -0800

I'm glad of this MetaTalk post because I'd been wondering why I couldn't get into the site for five minutes.

By: griphus

griphus — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:44:15 -0800

...but it also seems y'all had issues with the article itself aside from that, which is something I still don't really get...

If you're asking, my issue with it -- bear in mind I didn't flag it or anything because I really didn't care -- is that "teenagers are assholes at the municipal pool" isn't that interesting or novel of a subject.

By: koeselitz

koeselitz — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:44:58 -0800

This may not have been a very good post for Metafilter, but as far as actual editorializing goes, "lol, what a clusterfuck" is a better statement on the election than anybody at the New York Times seems to have managed lately.

By: lampshade

lampshade — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:45:11 -0800

but it also seems y'all had issues with the article itself aside from that, which is something I still don't really get,

It is a blurb article about a pool that, aside from being a dormant dinosaur in hipsterville that suddenly got a new shot at life, is fairly irrelevant in the pantheon of pool history.

To put it another way, it just is not that interesting, controversial or relevant to anything other than that neighborhood.

By: cairdeas

cairdeas — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:51:10 -0800

Ah McCarren Park Pool, the only place where I have had the joy of being sexually harassed by a group of 11-13 year old boys when I was 21.

By: carsonb

carsonb — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:51:57 -0800

"I know MeTa threads aren't supposed to serve as proxies for deleted posts, but"

I am always confused when people type stuff like this and then continue typing afterward.

The trick is, if you do continue to type in this sort of situation, to make the very last thing you type "CTRL+A, BACKSPACE". Best of both worlds.

By: mullacc

mullacc — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:52:04 -0800

This post was deleted for the following reason: the rule is five minutes for poop and 25 minutes for throw-up.

By: OmieWise

OmieWise — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:52:26 -0800

it also seems y'all had issues with the article itself aside from that, which is something I still don't really get, but it's fine it's not like I really cared all that much about that post anyway.

I think the issue is that the post is slight, without substance, and ultimately, without a lot of merit. You seem to understand this yourself given your own attitude toward the post. If you want to make a good post, it might be better to choose something that you are at least nominally excited about (although being too excited can lead to bad posts too.)

By: troika

troika — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:52:32 -0800

I only saw the post after it was deleted and even then I tried to flag it as breaking the guidelines. To me, "I feel" has no place in a post on the blue.

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:53:38 -0800

Now, if it was about a celebrity apologizing for pooping in the pool...

By: never used baby shoes

never used baby shoes — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:04:21 -0800

We did have Scott Adams apologize for peeing in our cesspool, does that count?

By: cjorgensen

cjorgensen — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:05:32 -0800

Did he ever apologize? I don't seem to recall him ever doing so.

By: Tell Me No Lies

Tell Me No Lies — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:15:34 -0800

"lol, what a clusterfuck" is a better statement on the election than anybody at the New York Times seems to have managed lately.

Woo-hoo! And I was afraid there might be a thread this month that didn't drag in the U.S. election in some way...

By: emelenjr

emelenjr — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:19:29 -0800

it's not like I really cared all that much about that post anyway.

Bad idea to pull the trigger posting it to the blue, then.

By: Rock Steady

Rock Steady — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:19:59 -0800

cortex: "I am always confused when people type stuff like this and then continue typing afterward."

It's like when you say something offensive but preface it with "No offense, but..." It means you have immunity from consequences! Because magic words!

Sorry, cortex. I'll try harder to resist next time.

By: never used baby shoes

never used baby shoes — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:20:24 -0800

Did he ever apologize? I don't seem to recall him ever doing so.

It's kinda a backhanded apology, but there it is.

By: Specklet

Specklet — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:21:22 -0800

but it's fine it's not like I really cared all that much about that post anyway.

Here's me complaining:

But you should care about your post. Your post should be something interesting or thought-provoking, or in some way the best of the web. Why are you making posts you don't care about? Grar.

And next time you get a post deleted, email the mods with your question as to why, if you don't find the explanation clear enough. Fer chrissake.

By: George_Spiggott

George_Spiggott — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:21:51 -0800

No praise, but you're clever and handsome. Yeah. Doesn't work in reverse either.

By: sid

sid — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:24:17 -0800

It was a single link to a blog-like article about a situation that, while interesting and relevant to residents of the neighbourhood, is not really discussion-worthy or particularly special in any way to others.

Not best of the web by any measure.

By: Bunny Ultramod

Bunny Ultramod — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:37:47 -0800

I am always confused when people type stuff like this and then continue typing afterward.

It may be automatic writing. Are we sure ghosts aren't behind it?

By: KokuRyu

KokuRyu — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:39:58 -0800

I had not heard of floating turds in a public pool before. Truly America has descended into a barbaric wasteland.

By: cortex

cortex — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:44:38 -0800

Sorry, cortex. I'll try harder to resist next time.

Aw, hugs.

By: Chrysostom

Chrysostom — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:57:37 -0800

KokuRyu: "I had not heard of floating turds in a public pool before. Truly America has descended into a barbaric wasteland."

Really?

By: Sidhedevil

Sidhedevil — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:57:41 -0800

It was in the baby pool, KokuRyu. As a former lifeguard I can vouch for babies shitting in pools a lot.

In the big pool with a deep end there was only one Turd Incident that I remember, and I believe that the malefactor was a noted jerkweed who did it on purpose.

By: jbickers

jbickers — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:01:05 -0800

Setting aside the slightness and alleged un-interestingness of the post itself. If we were to focus strictly on the More Inside editorializing and, thought experiment, let's say that was the sole reason this got deleted ... well, that's just kinda strange, because if he had said that exact same thing in the first comment, it would have been fine. So we're literally talking about moving one line of text a handful of pixels down, and that changes whether it's an acceptable post?

Just seems like a strange, arbitrary standard.

By: cortex

cortex — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:10:00 -0800

Well, a couple things:

- The more inside text is part of the content of the post itself and gets syndicated just like the above-the-fold bit. So for the great big pile of people and blogs that get Mefi content via RSS, "lol, clusterfuck" is part of the package. Not really okay.

- Dropping some editorial comment immediately into a thread as the first comment, while less strictly problematic because the above doesn't apply, is still not anything we see as being good form, and if we see someone doing that regularly we will tell them to cut it out as well and depending on the comment may well nix it.

You make a post and then it belongs to the whole userbase. It shouldn't be something that comes with a "and here's what I have to say about it!" sort of set-and-spike routine, whether in the post proper or in comment numero uno.

By: jbickers

jbickers — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:17:54 -0800

- The more inside text is part of the content of the post itself and gets syndicated just like the above-the-fold bit. So for the great big pile of people and blogs that get Mefi content via RSS, "lol, clusterfuck" is part of the package. Not really okay.

Hadn't realized that. That makes perfect sense.

By: furiousxgeorge

furiousxgeorge — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:40:40 -0800

The editorializing policy is weird, since it seems to depend on the controversy level of the content of the post to determine if it is allowed or not. Best to just leave it out entirely.

By: cjorgensen

cjorgensen — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:42:45 -0800

I know this is going to make me come off like an asshole, but

By: Atom Eyes

Atom Eyes — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:50:41 -0800

WELCOME TO OUR SWIMMING ---L.
NOTICE THERE IS NO POO IN POOL.
KEEP IT THAT WAY.

By: koeselitz

koeselitz — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:51:20 -0800

furiousxgeorge: “The editorializing policy is weird, since it seems to depend on the controversy level of the content of the post to determine if it is allowed or not. Best to just leave it out entirely.”

The difference between fact and opinion isn't a level of controversy.

By: Sebmojo

Sebmojo — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:52:41 -0800

It's like when you say something offensive but preface it with "No offense, but..." It means you have immunity from consequences! Because magic words!

"No offense, and I really don't want you to take this the wrong way, but you're ugly crippled and fat."

By: HuronBob

HuronBob — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 15:03:44 -0800

you're ugly crippled and fat.

So, if someone is "ugly crippled" does that mean that they are ugly, or not ugly...

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 15:20:29 -0800

Metafilter: Turd Incident

By: GenjiandProust

GenjiandProust — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 15:25:07 -0800

I know MeTa threads aren't supposed to serve as proxies for deleted posts, but

Is it just me, or does "deleted post butt" sound like an unpleasant syndrome that comes from excessive cycling?

By: Sidhedevil

Sidhedevil — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 15:35:56 -0800

It's a post butt world.

By: bquarters

bquarters — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 15:41:03 -0800

Yeah, it's actually kind of offensive. "I wouldn't mind watching some young lifeguards literally putting up with shit and maybe watching someone attack them while they try to keep their jobs and the 13 something they are being paid per hour". That's not very "LOL" in my book.

By: furiousxgeorge

furiousxgeorge — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 15:41:37 -0800

furiousxgeorge: "The editorializing policy is weird, since it seems to depend on the controversy level of the content of the post to determine if it is allowed or not. Best to just leave it out entirely."

The difference between fact and opinion isn't a level of controversy.

I know, that's what makes the policy on editorializing so confusing. Controversy should not be the standard, opinion should either be allowed or not allowed.

By: cortex

cortex — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 15:46:57 -0800

The world is complicated and strict binaries are hard to make work well, which is why we have so few of them around here. Our general expectation is for people to try and keep the editorializing out of their posts, and we'd prefer that people were just consistent about that period, but it is in fact a more pressing issue for pushy or hot-button or soapboxing stuff than it is for e.g. "this is neat!" in response to something posted because someone thinks it's neat, and the degree to which we're going to worry about that in borderline cases will vary accordingly.

I don't know if you're thinking of some more specific situation than that. Feel free to clarify if you are.

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 15:49:55 -0800

I'd feel lucky, if I were you, that you weren't permanently banned for using 'lol' in a front page post on Metafilter. Seriously, come on.

By: Catch

Catch — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 15:52:48 -0800

I think this post bombed for two reasons - even if you could filter out your editorializing, the linked piece itself was a bit shallow.
It might be a drain, but maybe you could use a Mefi Mentor to run your posts past - just give them a skim - before you dive in and post them.

I got no sleep last night.

By: Catch

Catch — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 15:54:20 -0800

Is it just me, or does "deleted post butt" sound like an unpleasant syndrome that comes from excessive cycling?

Sounds to me like an occupational hazard in the Pony Express.

By: furiousxgeorge

furiousxgeorge — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 15:55:45 -0800

Our general expectation is for people to try and keep the editorializing out of their posts, and we'd prefer that people were just consistent about that period

Okay got it. I was previously told that there was not a moderation stand against things that weren't controversial news/politics. This is more clear.

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 15:59:54 -0800

I came in here to say what that chicken dude said. Jesus.

By: Dumsnill

Dumsnill — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 16:02:08 -0800

Is it just me, or does "deleted post butt" sound like an unpleasant syndrome that comes from excessive cycling?

Sounds like Romney's retroactive butt.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 16:54:47 -0800

Eww. Glad I live in Queens. Heh.

By: Diablevert

Diablevert — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 18:10:02 -0800

I had not heard of floating turds in a public pool before. Truly America has descended into a barbaric wasteland.

Nah, for evidence of that you might want to go further north. A woman drowned in a public pool in Boston last summer; the body wasn't noticed until it floated to the surface three days later. Pool was open the whole time. Yet people are still going to the public pool near my house. Creeps me out every time I see 'em, can't help thinking about it.

On the other hand, it is a hundred degrees today for like the ninth time in three weeks and if I had a bunch of kids and no air conditioning I might manage to get over it.

By: winna

winna — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 18:27:00 -0800

A woman drowned in a public pool in Boston last summer; the body wasn't noticed until it floated to the surface three days later. Pool was open the whole time.

Thank you my friend I was running low on nightmare fuel.

By: COD

COD — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 18:31:14 -0800

All these why did you delete my post posts are tiresome. Somebody complains here, instead of via the contact form, which is actually the better venue anyway. And one of the first 5 comments will be somebody else cutting and pasting the very clear explanation that the mod provided when the post was deleted.

If you have a question for the mods, email the mods. If you are looking for validation that you were wronged by the mods, my off-the-top-of -my-head calculation is that you have about an 80% change of not getting it. People here overwhelming side with the mods in these discussions.

tl;dr - Contact form. use it.

By: cjorgensen

cjorgensen — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 19:37:23 -0800

Yeah, next post I have deleted I swear to gog I am started a metatalk post to thank the mods for preventing me from looking like a total fuckwit.

tl;dr - poop.

By: Potomac Avenue

Potomac Avenue — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 20:25:22 -0800

Eww. Glad I live in Queens. Heh.

By: axiom

axiom — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 20:35:47 -0800

A woman drowned in a public pool in Boston last summer; the body wasn't noticed until it floated to the surface three days later.

That is just BIZARRE. Who goes swimming in a pool where you can't see the bottom? If she went down the slide with a 9 year old, presumably she knows the kid... he didn't notice anything?

Sorry winna.

By: Ritchie

Ritchie — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 20:52:52 -0800

Babies pooping in pools is why I refuse to swim in any artificial body of water that isn't 99% hydrogen peroxide.

By: pompomtom

pompomtom — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 20:59:33 -0800

Shit post.

By: From Bklyn

From Bklyn — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 05:53:06 -0800

McCarren Park pool is a cool thing, an heirloom(?) of the LaGuardia administration and the WPA.

The least you could have done was link to the wikipedia article. Which I'll do right here.

It's a real shame that the same stupidity that closed it down in the 80's might well close it down again. A real case of 'this is why you can't have nice things.'

By: From Bklyn

From Bklyn — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 05:54:57 -0800

And here's another link about the pool, kind of tying in a bunch of other links to the pool's history and etc.

By: taz

taz — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:18:51 -0800

This needs not to become the proxy McCarren Park pool thread, sorry. If you'd like, you can go ahead and put together a post of your own, though.

By: Brandon Blatcher

Brandon Blatcher — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:36:58 -0800

Taz, it's this sort of blantant dictatorial style that is getting out of control around here. I'm tired of it and won't stand for it, you hear?!

*lies down, takes nap*

By: From Bklyn

From Bklyn — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 07:32:09 -0800

OK. if you want to scrub those two links that's cool.

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 08:12:18 -0800

McCarren Park is rioting in the dark,
All those sweet young lifeguards are throwing down,
Someone left that turd in the pool,
And I don't think I can bear it,
'cause it took so long to clear it,
And I'll never swim the backstroke there again,
Oh no...

By: jb

jb — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 08:16:15 -0800

A woman drowned in a public pool in Boston last summer; the body wasn't noticed until it floated to the surface three days later.

This is crazy. I grew up in a poor area of Toronto, where the public pool was utterly crammed with kids every day in the summer between 2pm and 4:30pm ("public swim"), and it was always so clean and clear that we could go diving for pennies on the bottom of the deep end on fundays (special days where they held events, like penny diving). It wasn't that deep a pool - maybe only 11 feet in the deep end, but it was completely clear.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 08:46:11 -0800

Why are you making posts you don't care about?

I remember someone once posted a video which, after people saying WTF? he admitted he hadn't watched more than 20 seconds of. Baffling behaviour.

By: torticat

torticat — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 09:02:06 -0800

Joseph's body was finally found Tuesday night when some kids broke into the pool area.

Holy shit. Sounds like one of George Bluth's object lessons. And that's why you don't go swimming after hours!

By: bquarters

bquarters — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 15:39:38 -0800

Exactly, and the wonderchicken forgot to link this. Everything MUST be in AD reference form.

By: merelyglib

merelyglib — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 20:15:09 -0800

Axiom, the kid went to two different lifeguards to report that she hadn't come up. One was on a break, the other said they were going to do a pool check in a few minutes.

The boy thinks that if he'd been bigger, he could have saved her.

By: From Bklyn

From Bklyn — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 04:01:29 -0800