August best post contest

July 31, 2012 4:52 PM

August 1st is tomorrow, and that means a new BEST POST CONTEST!!!

We're going to continue the tradition of doing a podcast in early September where we all come up with a collective top three posts of the month to MetaFilter during August (previous contests and results). We'll do the same this year with similar prizes (1st place: new iPad, 2nd place: $250, 3rd: $100, all could be cash instead or donations to a charity of your choice). As always we are basing this off any post made between Aug 1st at midnight west coast time to midnight Aug 31, me, cortex, and jessamyn will figure out what three we like best and I'm sure we'll also come up with some personal favorites (as will taz and restless_nomad) to mention on a podcast as well.

Go forth and make awesome posts, just wait 7.25 more hours before you start.

posted by mathowie to MetaFilter-Related at 4:52 PM (172 comments total)

WOOOO
posted by elizardbits at 4:59 PM on July 31, 2012 [1 favorite]

mathowie: As always we are basing this off any post made between Aug 1st at midnight west coast time to midnight Aug 31...

I feel like this is some sort of August Fool's Day post. Isn't this contest always in December?
posted by gman at 4:59 PM on July 31, 2012 [10 favorites]

Hey, I've got some ideas for posts I've been meaning to develop. Maybe this will actually get me off my butt (er, no, on my butt) to get researching and writing them.
posted by orange swan at 5:00 PM on July 31, 2012

fuck traveling poor connectivity all month fuck.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 5:06 PM on July 31, 2012 [2 favorites]

CHALLENGE MODE: Combine fuzzy animals behaving in a slightly anthropomorphic way with liberal-indignation-bait about police brutality.
posted by shakespeherian at 5:19 PM on July 31, 2012 [12 favorites]

shakespeherian: :(
posted by the man of twists and turns at 5:25 PM on July 31, 2012 [2 favorites]

CHALLENGE MODE: Combine fuzzy animals behaving in a slightly anthropomorphic way with liberal-indignation-bait about police brutality.

No, it has to be science fiction stories about cooking cute animal recipes, Indian style, in your well fitted bra.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:35 PM on July 31, 2012 [3 favorites]

fuck traveling poor connectivity all month fuck.

Worst palindrome ever.
posted by cashman at 5:42 PM on July 31, 2012 [32 favorites]

OH MAN SO MANY PEOPLE ARE GOING TO FIND OUT ABOUT RON PAUL BECAUSE OF ME
posted by The White Hat at 5:46 PM on July 31, 2012 [34 favorites]

...aaaaaaaand The White Hat admits to being Google.
posted by shakespeherian at 5:51 PM on July 31, 2012 [7 favorites]

fuck traveling poor connectivity all month fuck.

Worst palindrome ever.

But a fantastic mnemonic device.

Now to just figure out what for, exactly.
posted by Ufez Jones at 5:52 PM on July 31, 2012

But a fantastic mnemonic device.

Unlike Keanu Reeves.
posted by urbanwhaleshark at 5:57 PM on July 31, 2012 [9 favorites]

whoa
posted by shakespeherian at 6:00 PM on July 31, 2012 [4 favorites]

Unlike Keanu Reeves.

I'm not even on Facebook and you're telling me what to do?
posted by laconic skeuomorph at 6:16 PM on July 31, 2012 [16 favorites]

@laconic skeuomorph: Yes.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:18 PM on July 31, 2012

I fear it will only dilute the inevitable, but I hope this to try to mitigate the upcoming silly/electionfilter season.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 6:26 PM on July 31, 2012 [2 favorites]

Congratulations Rhaomi!
posted by griphus at 6:43 PM on July 31, 2012 [30 favorites]

Stupid n00b, everyone knows the best post contest is in December! Go ask the mods for your five bucks back, we don't wancha.

Also, what the hell is up with smileys being phased out of online discourse? :) There. I did it. I'm not sorry.
posted by Slap*Happy at 6:55 PM on July 31, 2012

I'VE NEVER POSTED BEFORE. THE PRESSURE!!!!

GAHHH!!!
posted by roboton666 at 7:02 PM on July 31, 2012 [3 favorites]

Oh boy. I sat the last one out, but I might play this time. It's my last month before the semester starts - therefore my best chance to post away without procrastinatory guilt.
posted by Miko at 7:06 PM on July 31, 2012

Old school judges only?
posted by Burhanistan at 7:24 PM on July 31, 2012

Judging others is where I'm a Viking.
posted by arcticseal at 7:38 PM on July 31, 2012 [4 favorites]

I do plan on making a completely amazing post sometime in the next month.

Everyone can rest at ease knowing it is impossible for me to win.
posted by hippybear at 7:48 PM on July 31, 2012 [2 favorites]

Ron Paul is that black guy who dresses in drag, right?
posted by cjorgensen at 7:51 PM on July 31, 2012 [4 favorites]

Oh, and instead of these prizes you should give out the new Nexus Q. First prize is a Nexus Q. Second prize is two Nexus Queues. Third prize is thee Nexus Queues.

I bet people could get their prizes by 2014!
posted by cjorgensen at 7:53 PM on July 31, 2012

I want to lobby for a category for Best SHORT Post (or an official mod pronouncement that short posts are good posts and people shouldn't just aim to do super-ultra-mega linkdump posts).

Likers of short posts, represent.
posted by LobsterMitten at 7:53 PM on July 31, 2012 [21 favorites]

Also, best post contests are fun, yay fun things. (Didn't mean to sound negative in previous comment)
posted by LobsterMitten at 7:54 PM on July 31, 2012

Ron Paul is that black guy who dresses in drag, right?

No, you're thinking of Zeppelin's bass player.

Ron Paul invented a pocket fisherman thingie, along with a bunch of other sold-on-TV gadgets back in the 70s.
posted by jquinby at 8:11 PM on July 31, 2012 [1 favorite]

Sweet! I have this cool post I've had ready for months and never got the courage (I know, I know) to post. Since I have three hours of desk tomorrow, that baby is getting posted.
posted by librarylis at 8:20 PM on July 31, 2012

I drank a lot back then. I don't remember much of the 70s.

Thanks god the 80s were in full swing by the time I hit middle school! Ok, so I don;t remember much of that either, and the 90s were also a blur, and no one knows that to call whatever came after the 90s (it's like everyone agreed to pretend like that decade didn't even happen). Thanks God we're finally in the...shit. What do we call this decade? Screw this. I'm just gonna keep drinking until the 20s!

What are we talking about again?
posted by cjorgensen at 8:21 PM on July 31, 2012 [3 favorites]

Ron Paul is that black guy who dresses in drag, right?

No, you're thinking of Zeppelin's bass player.

Ron Paul invented a pocket fisherman thingie, along with a bunch of other sold-on-TV gadgets back in the 70s.

Incidentally, this is where dressing in drag, pocket fisherman, and Zeppelin meet.
posted by swift at 8:38 PM on July 31, 2012 [3 favorites]

Do I actually have to make a post and lose my FPP purity ring to enter? Or is there some kind of no-purchase-necessary option for entering?
posted by IndigoRain at 8:40 PM on July 31, 2012

Yeah I think in the December contests we do short, long and megapost categories. I don't think we're doing that for this one though I suspect we'll have a ton of honorable mentions in many categories.

For the record, past December best post contests:2006 (results), 2008 (results), 2010 (results), 2011 (results)
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:40 PM on July 31, 2012 [3 favorites]

isn't this contest always in December?

I could have sworn we've done both December and August in the past. I remember Crunchland winning a summer one, or coming close to it.

And yeah, we'll include restless_nomad and taz's personal favorites as well.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 8:50 PM on July 31, 2012

We've definitely done at least one August one in the past; possibly the very first one in 2006?
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:54 PM on July 31, 2012

So, it's a new tradition, then. All traditions have to start somewhere, after all.
posted by Curious Artificer at 8:58 PM on July 31, 2012

This is my first year being around for this, and upon listening to 2011's winner's podcast, my first thought was:
oh, good. I've been pronouncing jessamyn's name right.
posted by FirstMateKate at 9:04 PM on July 31, 2012

The other one is pronounced Math-owie, like a paper cut from doing long division. Just so you know.
posted by Curious Artificer at 9:12 PM on July 31, 2012 [2 favorites]

The R in cortex is silent.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:14 PM on July 31, 2012 [35 favorites]

griphus: "Congratulations Rhaomi!"

Ha! August actually happens to be in between the only big "scheduled" posts I've had planned recently (OK Computer in late June, another big musical one in November). There were some other solid ideas I had floating around, though, including two science fiction ones and some animation ideas left over from last year. But it's been hard working on them, as my laptop has grown increasingly sluggish while my iPad is so much nicer for idle browsing (but not so much for postwriting -- talk about collapsing on laurels).

Though as luck would have it, I happened to have just dropped a chunk of saved-up change on a nice new IdeaPad to replace my rickety Dell. And my 100th FPP is in sight. Perhaps with the power of quad-core i7 and solid state drives, I shall construct THE GREATEST POST EVER.

Or spend my free time playing Steam games I was never able to run before. Either/or.

Also, re:last year's contest: cortex totally forgot Mod of Constant Sorrow! ಥ_ಥ
posted by Rhaomi at 9:18 PM on July 31, 2012 [1 favorite]

Roboton666 is actually pronounced "Jessie Lusanne Rylie", in the oft-chance my incredible first post wins.
posted by roboton666 at 9:32 PM on July 31, 2012

It's, you know, marinating.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:34 PM on July 31, 2012

I am still available for backup vocals
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:35 PM on July 31, 2012

in order to not unfairly influence the contest I will refrain from making a post all year.

I know I know, but it is for the good of the people.
posted by The Whelk at 9:43 PM on July 31, 2012 [1 favorite]

Year being defined as one month.

So say we all.
posted by The Whelk at 9:44 PM on July 31, 2012 [1 favorite]

*falls into keyboard*
posted by The Whelk at 9:44 PM on July 31, 2012 [2 favorites]

...cortex is pronounced "Kotex"?
posted by maryr at 10:05 PM on July 31, 2012

I miss Trurl.
posted by homunculus at 10:33 PM on July 31, 2012 [2 favorites]

REAL CHALLENGE MODE: Win, place or show with a U.S. election post.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 10:34 PM on July 31, 2012 [9 favorites]

But my posts suck!
posted by mazola at 11:15 PM on July 31, 2012

maryr: "...cortex is pronounced "Kotex"?"

That was the joke, yes.
posted by IndigoRain at 11:21 PM on July 31, 2012 [3 favorites]

That was the joke, yes.

It's always better when you have to explain them.
posted by Hobo at 11:54 PM on July 31, 2012 [5 favorites]

Ah, dammit. I KNEW I shoulda waited til August to make that goat man post.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 12:04 AM on August 1, 2012 [3 favorites]

LobsterMitten: I want to lobby for a category for Best SHORT Post

Heck, I want a short post to win outright. I always just skip long posts with dozens of links. I like things a bit more filtered than that. That said, in the end it's a matter of taste.
posted by Kattullus at 1:53 AM on August 1, 2012 [7 favorites]

Long posts always fuckin win.

actually, I have no statistical evidence whatsoever to back that up

just a hunch
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:35 AM on August 1, 2012

This is the shortest
Song
In the world.
posted by spitbull at 3:59 AM on August 1, 2012

Ron Paul is that black guy who dresses in drag, right?

Ron Paul was a one hit wonder, but what a hit it was -- Me and Alex Jones.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 4:58 AM on August 1, 2012 [1 favorite]

CHALLENGE MODE: Combine fuzzy animals behaving in a slightly anthropomorphic way with liberal-indignation-bait about police brutality.

Sleepy bear can't stay awake, gets roughed up by zookeepers.
posted by spitbull at 6:24 AM on August 1, 2012 [1 favorite]

mathowie: " I could have sworn we've done both December and August in the past."

Yep. I'm trying to update the wiki page today between meetings. Decembers first, then Augusts.
posted by zarq at 6:38 AM on August 1, 2012

And here I was, hoping for a podcast where I'd get to hear all about moderating the circumcision wars of 2012. I guess a month of fantastic posts will have to do instead.
posted by pharm at 6:41 AM on August 1, 2012

Sleepy bear can't stay awake, gets roughed up by zookeepers.

NSFW! NSFW!
posted by griphus at 6:51 AM on August 1, 2012 [2 favorites]

This announcement has come just in time for me whilst debating between a single link here you go vs a dug up work of art on the same topic.

Just keeping fingers crossed no one FPPs it in the meantime. Got some continents to cross...
posted by infini at 8:22 AM on August 1, 2012

Oh sweet, there is even a banner at the top of the front page.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 8:27 AM on August 1, 2012

SRS BZNS!
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:29 AM on August 1, 2012 [2 favorites]

Man, it's August already?
posted by eriko at 8:37 AM on August 1, 2012

Sleepy bear can't stay awake, gets roughed up by zookeepers.

NSFW! NSFW!
posted by griphus



Trigger warning, spoiler alert....
posted by spitbull at 8:41 AM on August 1, 2012

My post is gonna be all about what an awful hellhole of hot it's been outside lately. For instance our tapwater coming out of the "C" side of the faucet isn't the usual lukewarm it is in the summer but instead it's actually hot enough to make a cup of tea - weak tea, but still - and I know because I tried it yesterday. So my post will win because everybody (well, everybody in my hemisphere) will see it and totally agree with me that it's just miserable out and maybe they'll understand that seasonal depression isn't just something that people in Maine and Canada get in the throes of winter, but that it's something that some folks (i.e.: me) who live in hellishly hot locales get in the summer, as well.

Sorry for rambling. Don't steal my post idea, though to be honest my posts tend to not be the types that win these things and you know what? I'm goddamn fine with that.

Jesus Frisbee Christ it's hot out.
posted by item at 10:05 AM on August 1, 2012 [10 favorites]

Hot enough for ya, item?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 10:07 AM on August 1, 2012

This is so easy.

(1) Use wikipedia's random article generator, but find a really long one
(2) Make every word in it a link to some site about that word
(3) ????
=
iPad
posted by resurrexit at 10:58 AM on August 1, 2012 [4 favorites]

Speaking of contests, the Mefi Music OK Computer Cover Challenge already has 43 entries and has been extended through the end of August.
posted by Rhaomi at 11:54 AM on August 1, 2012

resurrexit: " (2) Make every word in it a link to some site about that word"

(3) Grouchy userbase sets fire to MetaTalk. Burns OP in effigy.
posted by zarq at 11:58 AM on August 1, 2012 [1 favorite]

Every letter should be a link, otherwise you're doing it wrong.
posted by soundofsuburbia at 12:26 PM on August 1, 2012 [2 favorites]

I think I've asked this before, but could we have an option to turn the banner off?
posted by zamboni at 1:22 PM on August 1, 2012

my laptop has grown increasingly sluggish

Know why?

CAUSE YOU'VE GOT TOO MUCH AWESOME ON IT, THAT'S WHY

(embittered by knowledge I have no chance at iPad)
posted by Egg Shen at 1:56 PM on August 1, 2012

(embittered by knowledge I have no chance at iPad)

Why so? Imagine if this guy thought like that?
posted by infini at 2:10 PM on August 1, 2012

Off and on I've been working on a post about trepanning and another post about Moleskine notebooks. Now I'm going to combine them into one awesome August post!
posted by cjorgensen at 2:11 PM on August 1, 2012

I think I've asked this before, but could we have an option to turn the banner off?

We can discuss it. Is it causing problems for you? Just an annoyance?
posted by pb (staff) at 2:15 PM on August 1, 2012

Best. Mods. Ever.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 2:30 PM on August 1, 2012

Just an annoyance?

Yup. I like competition months, but the mobile site's crowded enough without the banner.
posted by zamboni at 2:41 PM on August 1, 2012 [1 favorite]

Just curious, if pb has the answer with no extra work, what's the current ratio of PC hits vs mobile device hits to Metafilter?
posted by infini at 2:47 PM on August 1, 2012

According to Google Analytics, we're at 21% mobile traffic for MetaFilter, and 32% for Ask MetaFilter.
posted by pb (staff) at 2:53 PM on August 1, 2012 [2 favorites]

Sure - all that browsing Ask in the john.
posted by 2bucksplus at 3:33 PM on August 1, 2012 [2 favorites]

Also, if people could keep metacommentary about the contest out of MeFi proiper, that would be great. While we like the idea of people using the contest as a way to inspire them to make great posts, needling people about it is basically not okay and not that cool. This thread will be open almost all month, you can talk about it here.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 3:34 PM on August 1, 2012 [2 favorites]

and -- I'm guessing -- heckling the needlers as well.

*cough*
posted by boo_radley at 3:40 PM on August 1, 2012

Glad you said something. I flagged that comment. Thanks for deleting it.
posted by zarq at 3:41 PM on August 1, 2012 [1 favorite]

Are past winners of the December Best Post contests ineligible to win this, as was the case with the 2011 December Best Post contest, and no members who join after July 31st? Just wondering, for sake of clarification.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:38 PM on August 1, 2012

Yeah, how about no previous grand prize winners allowed this time out (if you got 2nd or 3rd you're fine too) and we'll only consider users that signed up before yesterday.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 8:30 PM on August 1, 2012

And yeah, we'll include restless_nomad and taz's personal favorites as well.

The bribes get more expensive every damn time!
posted by gomichild at 4:09 AM on August 2, 2012

We added a hide link to you can remove the top banner if you want. It'll set a cookie that tells the site not to show it to you. You'll need to click hide for each browser/OS combo you use.
posted by pb (staff) at 4:21 PM on August 2, 2012 [2 favorites]

Cool! Although when I read it, it looks like it's saying "Beware!" (Like the context is scary or something). Once I saw that, I can't unsee it. But that's probably my problem...
posted by SpacemanStix at 5:06 PM on August 2, 2012 [1 favorite]

pb: "We added a hide link to you can remove the top banner if you want"

Thank you kindly.
posted by exogenous at 5:42 PM on August 2, 2012

Yay! Thank you.
posted by zamboni at 8:46 PM on August 2, 2012

Cheers!
posted by Artw at 9:33 AM on August 3, 2012

Best. Mods. Ever.

Teacher's pet!
posted by Celsius1414 at 3:41 PM on August 3, 2012

Is it under way or underway?
posted by unliteral at 4:41 PM on August 5, 2012

another opinion is underway.
posted by pb (staff) at 7:07 PM on August 5, 2012

Speaking as a sailor, I have a really hard time conflating "under way" in anything but adjective form. Sailing is almost certainly the context the construction comes from, and the way it's used in those contexts almost always lets "way" stand alone, meaning "movement," in a variety of constructions of which "under way" is just one. For instance, "once we have some way on, we can jibe" or "she's making good way on this point of sail" or whatever. But I see that even COLREGS writeups online use both variations, so maybe we all just have to live with the ambiguity. Personally, I'm sticking with "way" as a separate word when "underway" is not being used as a modifier.
posted by Miko at 8:07 PM on August 5, 2012

Under way is conventionally two words when it functions as an adverb or a predicate adjective (E.g., “The ship voyage is underway.”).
pb, I love that they use it as one word in their example.
posted by unliteral at 8:11 PM on August 5, 2012

heh, I caught that too. Writing about English is a cruel business.
posted by pb (staff) at 8:21 PM on August 5, 2012 [2 favorites]

Writing about English is a cruel business.

English doesn't borrow from other languages. English follows other languages down dark alleys, knocks them over and goes through their pockets for loose grammar.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 1:21 AM on August 6, 2012 [4 favorites]

I'm curious what the users who don't like "favorites" think of "best post" contests. Isn't it the same thing writ large? (I suppose most of those users are blissfully unaware.)

I'm not sure why, but awarding money for good posts seems automatically sleazy to me. The fact that it's usually done in December = double sleazy.
posted by mrgrimm at 6:01 AM on August 6, 2012

"Favorites" and "Bests" aren't the same thing at all.
posted by Miko at 6:36 AM on August 6, 2012

I don't know about everyone else, but I use best post contests as bookmarks.
posted by griphus at 7:02 AM on August 6, 2012 [2 favorites]

You're my best favorite. And you? You're my favorite best!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:04 AM on August 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

Nobody does it better. Baby you're the best.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:05 AM on August 6, 2012

Encyclopedia posts are tiresome.
posted by Burhanistan at 7:41 AM on August 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

I think the best post competition makes for some good posts, but also some not-so-good ones. Have we ever done retroactive best post competitions, where prizes are awarded without notice, after the month is finished?
posted by zamboni at 7:59 AM on August 6, 2012

I've been wondering: do best-post contest months look any different than the other months as far as FPP favorites/lengths/discussions are concerned? Like, does the amount of text per FPP shoot up, perhaps?
posted by griphus at 8:31 AM on August 6, 2012

There's one that got a ton of favorites but it's just dozens of links right back to the same site.
posted by Burhanistan at 8:33 AM on August 6, 2012

Has anyone ever linked to this blog? I think I may have a winner right here.
posted by shakespeherian at 8:35 AM on August 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

I think that's what's jumping out at me about best post contests: the motivation of the poster. I'd be much happier with a surprise cash award after the fact for the best post of the month. I'm a cynical and pessimistic sort--any sort of impure motivation leads to some good stuff but a lot of extra dreck. Which is weird, because I am usually in favor of overcontribution.... anyway, good luck! I will post, but not for the money!
posted by mrgrimm at 8:36 AM on August 6, 2012

any sort of impure motivation leads to some good stuff but a lot of extra dreck

Well, it also might create the incentive for people sitting on good post ideas to get it done already. I've got a list of a dozen ideas that need some research and building, and a year has gone by and none have been posted. The contest might give me the impetus to get them off the whiteboard and onto the blue - so it's not really changing the content or quality of the posts I have in mind, just spurring me to take the action finally.
posted by Miko at 8:39 AM on August 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

I'm not sure why, but awarding money for good posts seems automatically sleazy to me. The fact that it's usually done in December = double sleazy.

It's definitely not without its problematic aspects. I think the reason we usually did it in December was because people were all agita about upcoming holidays and there was often a lot of strife and unrest here and this was a way to get people to focus on making some cool posts and not just "Really crappy thing happens over holidaytime!" and other similar stuff. We also liked to have some ready examples of what a good post is to show to people who were like "What's going on here?" or to new people who were figuring out how the site works.

I'm aware that for some people the idea of healthy competition is pretty anathema and as someone often picked last for the kickball team, I sympathize. It's a fine line to walk and for people who find favorites problematic, this probably doesn't help. At the same time, it's good to see a lot of neat posts especially in a month that, in the US at least, is notable for its lack of stuff going on (except for vacations, and hot weather). If we see people talking/teasing about it on the main part of the site we'll pretty much shut that down and we suspect for most people it's just MeFi-as-usual here anyhow.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:40 AM on August 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

The thing I like about the best post contests is not so much just the idea that we'll get The Best Posts out of it that month but that it'll get people thinking a little more actively and critically over the long term about how they post, what they post, how they look at posts, etc. It's sort of a broad investment in site engagement over the long term as much as anything.

English doesn't borrow from other languages. English follows other languages down dark alleys, knocks them over and goes through their pockets for loose grammar.

To be fair, English spent its early years being repeatedly roughed up by other languages, waking up in unfamiliar places with a rash of vocabulary or a syntactic infection that it's not sure how it got exactly. That it developed a somewhat belligerent and opportunistic attitude as a result is not something I excuse here so much as attempt to explain.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:04 AM on August 6, 2012 [8 favorites]

Metafilter: waking up in unfamiliar places with a rash of vocabulary.
posted by jquinby at 9:09 AM on August 6, 2012 [2 favorites]

this one is the best:
http://www.metafilter.com/118613/make-sure-to-feed-her-only-sour-poffins-because-thats-what-she-like
posted by aussiekib at 1:38 PM on August 6, 2012 [2 favorites]

There's one that got a ton of favorites but it's just dozens of links right back to the same site

Is that generally regarded as problematic? I'll generally do it if I've discovered a new cool site that is large and sprawling and I want to point out cool parts of it. That or if there is a series of articles on a blog that are related but there isn't a single page index of them that can be linked to.

Or, you know, YouTube. But the YouTube post is kind of its own thing.

"don't link multiple times to the same site" seems artificially restrictive to me.
posted by Artw at 2:54 PM on August 6, 2012

Is that generally regarded as problematic?

Not really, no. The only time it might be weird is if we're looking sideways at something trying to figure out if it's a friendslink or self-link and having a ton of links pointing to a site for no good reason [i.e. they're sort of random not like "here is a huge site but I've pulled out some good stuff"] might be eyebrow raising.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 3:02 PM on August 6, 2012 [2 favorites]

FWIW I am not Katrina Lumsden. :-)
posted by Artw at 3:11 PM on August 6, 2012

jessamyn: I'm aware that for some people the idea of healthy competition is pretty anathema and as someone often picked last for the kickball team, I sympathize.

I'm in the Providence kickball hall of fame, I love all kinds of competitions, and I mildly dislike the best post contest. What bugs me about it is that it takes a lovely, stress-free hobby, making posts on MetaFilter, and adds a thin layer of competitive anxiety. On top of that the kinds of posts I like aren't the kind of thing that win these things, plus it encourages people to make the kinds of posts I tend to find not that interesting. Taking part in MetaFilter is a bit less enjoyable to me during best post contest months.

I think that, essentially, I don't like best post contest month for the same reason I dislike betting. If I place money on the outcome of something, be it a card game or a sporting event, my enjoyment of playing or watching becomes intertwined with a worry that I'll lose money. While no money is being risked during best post contest month, I find myself worrying a tiny bit about the quality of a post. Instead of fully enjoying the process of making a post about a cool website or an interesting subject, a part of me starts getting competitive about it and starts worrying whether the post is good enough or not. I enjoy spending time making posts. I still do during best post contest months, but just a little bit less.
posted by Kattullus at 7:05 AM on August 7, 2012 [1 favorite]

this one is the best:

The one that's about your own site? I mean, to be clear, it's okay to be happy that someone linked your site on Metafilter, it's okay to be entertained by the content they're entertained by, and it's totally fine to sign up and say "hey, that's awesome that you like that stuff on my site, hi and how are ya" and so on; but just sort of coyly cheerleading it without that disclosure is getting into pretty weird and problematic territory.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:07 AM on August 7, 2012

WIN APPLE PRODUCTS! WIN CASH! ON METAFILTER!

damn, i could sure as hell use an iPad...
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:50 AM on August 7, 2012

Instead of fully enjoying the process of making a post about a cool website or an interesting subject, a part of me starts getting competitive about it and starts worrying whether the post is good enough or not. I enjoy spending time making posts. I still do during best post contest months, but just a little bit less.

In a funk yesterday I made a post (with some undercurrents of miffed and pouty), and my unexpected reward was receiving a memail from a Mefite whom I know to be a practicing Sikh, complimenting me on the post. That there was my grand prize.
posted by infini at 8:55 AM on August 7, 2012 [2 favorites]

Yeah, I think there's a level on which the impacts of competition can be objectively critiqued but there's also a level at which feelings about competition are personal and emotional in nature. Sometimes people might just need to figure out where that line is, and where the competition is something enjoyed by many and has utility as a demonstration of the overall nature of the site, maybe deal with the personal feelings as personal feelings. And it's not like these are the conditions all the time.
posted by Miko at 9:53 AM on August 7, 2012

Kattullus: " I'm in the Providence kickball hall of fame, I love all kinds of competitions, and I mildly dislike the best post contest. What bugs me about it is that it takes a lovely, stress-free hobby, making posts on MetaFilter, and adds a thin layer of competitive anxiety. On top of that the kinds of posts I like aren't the kind of thing that win these things, plus it encourages people to make the kinds of posts I tend to find not that interesting. Taking part in MetaFilter is a bit less enjoyable to me during best post contest months."

May I make a suggestion? Do what I do: ignore it. I make the same kinds of posts during contest months that I do year round. I click on the same posts that I do normally.

These sorts of contests are nice and exciting for the participants and more power to them. But they're a lot like favorites as far as I'm concerned: an interesting dynamic / statistic that really doesn't affect me in any way except when I read the "popular" page to see what other people thought worth bookmarking that I might have missed. They don't have any other utility to me.

Like you, I don't want to feel pressured to make posts. Takes all the joy out of it. So I act as if the contests don't exist. Makes me happier. But the contests make other people happy, so I wouldn't dream of standing in their way.
posted by zarq at 10:06 AM on August 7, 2012 [1 favorite]

Infini - very good and timely post there.
posted by Artw at 10:07 AM on August 7, 2012

My nephew's other grandfather was a Sikh. We were not a happy family yesterday. And the overwhelming ignorance led to negative feelings. Post was my way of dealing with that. I'm glad it was a good enough reflection of a particular culture (as that memail let me know). Thankyou.
posted by infini at 10:33 AM on August 7, 2012 [2 favorites]

The CNN stuff... Gah... Here is not the place, but I feel like something like that was a very fitting response.
posted by Artw at 10:50 AM on August 7, 2012 [2 favorites]

I think this August best post contest is pretty mellow on the "contest" side of things, likely due to this not being an annual event and August being a dull (northern hemisphere) summer/vacation month for folks. If anything, I think the prizes could be reduced, if there's a concern about this becoming too focused on the game of posting. New iPads are great and all, but $20 is still a fun thing to win, and there'd be less hard feelings or grumblings about who won and for what.

I'll admit that I eye my favorites with interest, but I have a weird fixation with trying to understand what people find bookmark-worthy. I ponder how I could have better written something when I share something that I think is really interesting. I look at popular posts and comments and wonder if there is something I could replicate in my own writing. Then on the flip side, I'm genuinely surprised by some of the things I post that get higher attention.

But in the end, I keep posting because I enjoy sharing, even when it seems I've found an isolated niche interest. I follow up on odd things I read or hear because of MetaFilter, and I learn more because of it. If other people enjoy my research, all the better.

In regards to the encyclopedic posts, I understand that the Walls Of Text can be daunting, even with decent paragraph breaks, but I like to think that some will still enjoy taking two minutes to read a long post, then follow the links that might further intrigue them. I know I enjoy such posts.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:14 PM on August 8, 2012

$20 is still a fun thing to win

Chicken feed! Peanuts! Doodley-squat! Small potatoes! Not worth sneezing at! Gimme an iPad or NOTHING!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:50 PM on August 8, 2012 [1 favorite]

Who takes the prize if the best post is spawned from projects?
posted by tilde at 9:45 PM on August 8, 2012

I fear it will only dilute the inevitable, but I hope this to try to mitigate the upcoming silly/electionfilter season.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 6:26 PM on July 31
[2 favorites +] [!]


Congratulations Rhaomi!
posted by griphus at 6:43 PM on July 31
[29 favorites −] [!]


Hmm...
posted by Artw at 5:59 AM on August 11, 2012

That Ryan post took me back. Are his Bachmanesque views on social issues really this unknown?
posted by Kattullus at 4:37 PM on August 11, 2012

I don't know much about him. Not on my radar until now.
posted by zarq at 5:14 PM on August 11, 2012

I hope you seriously consider the Ryan post as one of the best. Wow.
posted by bearwife at 5:18 PM on August 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

zarq: I don't know much about him. Not on my radar until now.

Yeah, Ryan has mostly been of interest to politics-nerds, but I don't really think of myself as much of a politics-nerd. My friends and I thought that his anti-gay rights and anti-women's rights views were too extreme for him to be a very likely VP choice (Romney will need at least some women and gay men to vote for him). I was surprised to see a post with so many links that didn't mention it and the comments (homunculus excepted) don't go into it. That said, this part of Ryan's political persona hasn't been getting much play in the media. The one bit of the post where you can figure out the extent of Ryan's social conservativism is in the "more" section, specifically these two links.
posted by Kattullus at 5:40 PM on August 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

Thank you! Much appreciated. I'll have to do some reading.

It was a great post, too. Rhaomi always does a brilliant job.
posted by zarq at 7:36 PM on August 11, 2012

The Daily Beast has a good summary of Ryan's views on various social issues.
posted by Kattullus at 1:41 AM on August 12, 2012

Wow
posted by Artw at 8:31 AM on August 12, 2012

You can stop the contest now, the Orbital post won.
posted by b1tr0t at 1:21 PM on August 12, 2012

I'm surprised no one has posted this. Guaranteed win.
posted by homunculus at 1:39 PM on August 12, 2012 [2 favorites]

I was skeptical at first, but I've noticed more better, richer and deeper posts over the last two weeks than at any time before. I think people are really striving for quality, looking to create well-sourced and thought-out FPPs.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 10:07 AM on August 13, 2012

I know, I've been running out of favourites myself.
posted by infini at 10:14 AM on August 13, 2012

I am imagining filthy light thief as just some dude running in a marathon, slowly but steadily making his way to the front and someone asking him how hard he must have trained to be this good at running a marathon and he's all "I'm just out for my morning constitutional. Who are you people?"
posted by griphus at 11:07 AM on August 13, 2012 [2 favorites]

I salute all the effort that goes into making those monster posts, and my hat is off to folks who love them. Nevertheless I'm going to say: SHORT posts can be great.

I will read them if they're short.
One really great link, with a sentence or two of description.
Short posts.
posted by LobsterMitten at 11:11 AM on August 13, 2012 [3 favorites]

We should have a best single link postmontserrat with the best single link winning an iPod nano or something.
posted by Artw at 11:18 AM on August 13, 2012

I wonder what the shortest YouTube clip ever posted to the front page as a SLYT was? I'd like to think I'm at least in the top 10% with the 38-second one I posted on Saturday.
posted by griphus at 11:22 AM on August 13, 2012

Try focusing on your breath and you might last longer. Some people say to think of baseball or something, but I think that's terrible advice.
posted by Burhanistan at 11:26 AM on August 13, 2012

Also: Is a cat involved?
posted by Artw at 11:30 AM on August 13, 2012

I'm pretty sure mathowie posted a sixteen second video to the front page once, but I might be confusing it with the short-and-icky "monkey eats own spooge" video which I am pretty sure was not posted by Mathowie.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 11:39 AM on August 13, 2012

So mathowie is actually the frontrunner to win this month is what we're hearing is it? *starts notes for expose middle section spread*
posted by infini at 11:47 AM on August 13, 2012

I never dared to watch it, and I've seen a fair amount of disgusting things on the web.
posted by Burhanistan at 11:53 AM on August 13, 2012

Anyway, I dare someone to post this cat video (very SFW).
posted by Burhanistan at 1:06 PM on August 13, 2012

That didn't go so well last time.
posted by homunculus at 1:36 PM on August 13, 2012

Am I the only one who is kinda weirded out at the thought of actual prizes? Have a community vote, sure, *after the fact* each month - but I don't personally like the idea of folks posting *just* to try to win an iPad or whatever.

I'm fine with "We thought this post on made on XYZ was awesome, what charity would you like the $100 to go to?", though. Maybe it makes me hypocritical. Post-for-prizes just seems... wrong.
posted by mrbill at 2:13 PM on August 13, 2012 [2 favorites]

I recognize your fine intentions, mrbill, but I'm actually wanting to speak up against the sense that people shouldn't really "win" anything and that it would always be better and more nobler if it went to a charity. Charities are very good, but if there is one that you really love and admire, you are welcome to go and donate to it right now, and so is everyone, every minute of every day.

It's okay for people to win something. Competition can be okay. Sometimes luck breaks your way, sometimes it doesn't. When I won a prize in one of these a few years ago, I could have opted for the money or the charity or the prize. I took the prize - because I already work for a charity, donate to charities, volunteer for charities, and fundraise for charities, so I figured I had the cjharity thing covered, and because I knew if I took the money I would responsibly apply it to paying down debt, which would have been good, but still, where's the fun in that. There was no way, though, that I'd ever have bought myself an mp3 player given my budget in those days, and it was an enormous, delightful luxury and windfall which I treasured.

I think it should be OK for people to take windfalls when they get the chance - His Noodliness knows they are few and far between enough in this lifetime. I think it's OK to experience winning, and getting a prize, or experience losing, but having made some really great posts along the way that will be part of your posting history forever.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for charitable donation, but it can honestly get forced sometimes and that's not the spirit of the thing. I think if there were a contest with all prizes at one point during the year, and a contest that was all for charity at another point during the year, that might just simplify everything and take the guilt and social pressure out of the "choose a charity! or get the $$$$ if you're a greedy bastard" thing. I really like the idea of a contest that's for charity only.

What this does make me reflect on, though, is whether the prizes are really where it's at. Cool as they are, and valuable and exciting, they are still tokens. We're a nerdly bunch and I wonder if we'd play equally heartily for something like a special icon on your profile or similar.
posted by Miko at 7:26 PM on August 13, 2012 [3 favorites]

I wonder if we'd play equally heartily for something like a special icon on your profile or similar.

I would totally play (more likely harder) for that gold star next to my user name... a prize is won and momentarily known, then forgotten whereas that star will shine for a while in the metasphere allowing for immense accrual of virtual capital
posted by infini at 11:24 PM on August 13, 2012 [1 favorite]

Previous: Mefi Medals.

'Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges!'
posted by the man of twists and turns at 2:31 AM on August 14, 2012 [2 favorites]

Badges are hokey ways to make gamers play their online games more. MeFi "Best Post" stars are presented by mods to worthy post(er)s, which would make them much classier.
posted by filthy light thief at 6:14 PM on August 14, 2012 [1 favorite]

Play more online games vs. create more free community content to serve ads against ... not so sure bout your distinction.
posted by mrgrimm at 9:15 AM on August 15, 2012

OK, haven't run a search yet, but it really feels like there are a lot more obituary posts this month than in preceding months.

Odd.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 10:56 PM on August 19, 2012 [1 favorite]

The U.S. Camel Corps was a short-lived experiment run by the U.S. Army before the Civil War, the result of two decades of support for importing and utilizing the foreign pack animal by George H. Crosman and some of his friends and colleagues. More than 70 camels were brought from the Middle East and southern Europe, along with 5 camel drovers from Greece and Turkey, arriving in Texas in 1856. A select few of that bunch made the trek across "unexplored territory" from El Paso to the Colorado River, with camels faring the best among the group of men, horses, and mules. When James Buchanan became president in 1857, there were numerous changes in command, including the commander of the Army in Texas, who "was outraged when he discovered a herd of camels under his command." By the time the Civil War started, the Camel Corps was dissolved and forgotten, but both the animals and the drovers would leave their mark in the West. [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief at 4:05 PM
23 comments +

I nominate this post by filthy light thief for Best Post of August.
It is wonderful because it has camels and their place in US history.
It is a good thorough post and I learned some things I did not know on the subject. I know more than most people on the subject of camels in the US so teaching me anything new on the subject deserves an award right there.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 12:51 PM on August 27, 2012

Yo, yo, yo everybody, check it!
posted by Artw at 7:34 PM on August 27, 2012 [1 favorite]

mathowie: "I could have sworn we've done both December and August in the past; I remember Crunchland winning a summer one, or coming close to it." -- I think you're thinking of anastasiav's 2005 Contest, which only lasted a day, and I was in the top 5, but didn't win.
posted by crunchland at 8:04 PM on August 27, 2012

Damn. JHarris went above, beyond, and in other ways surpassed the limits of ... things (it's early and I'm not working with a full dictionary yet).

I mean him no disrespect, but when a non-MeFite sees that and thinks of the individual segments as entries of sorts, it might ... too much. But I am a fool to comment on "too much," as I made a post that overwhelmed not only the main FPP box boundaries but the remainder did not fit within the limits of a comment box.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:38 AM on August 28, 2012

JHarris made a wall of text that can be seen from outer space.
posted by crunchland at 7:53 AM on August 28, 2012

Holy crap.
posted by zarq at 8:07 AM on August 28, 2012

Spending time working on a long post is definitely not Slack.
posted by Burhanistan at 8:07 AM on August 28, 2012

Stang and friends collected the details and wrote 336 pages on the material. JHarris slacked in comparison.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:26 AM on August 28, 2012

It is true that the HWBM post is extremely long. It didn't seem like doing the subject justice to cut it down, but at the same time, it could have been even longer. The post was also harmed, a little, by my own newness to the field -- when an entry was something on which I have personal knowledge, like Flaming Carrot, it turned obsessive. If it was something I know little about, like Russ Meyer, the writeup turns perfunctory.

I had been wanting my own copy of the book for a long time, and when I finally got it it lived up to its reputation. I have a personal rule: if I find something absurdly fascinating, that's usually good material for a post. Even so, I was half expecting it to get deleted, and was thinking what I would do with the material if it had been. Probably, emailed to the SubGeniuses and offered as supplementary material and updated links to the book, which would have resulted in the material most likely being ignored.

I'm serious about wanting to do a post on Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film, but I don't have a copy of that yet. I could probably do something tying it in to perennial post subject Mystery Science Theater 3000. It's weird, but I don't generally see a lot of things linking MST to other sources of bad movie info.
posted by JHarris at 8:54 AM on August 28, 2012 [2 favorites]

*deeply ponders starting writing chapters of "Marketing Principles for the Informal Economy" as a series of FPPs*

*wanders off to find some pate and crackers*
posted by infini at 8:58 AM on August 28, 2012

Nominate this for best post of August:

http://www.metafilter.com/119424/An-Operating-System-for-Songs-from-God

Fascinating once the programmer joins.

Meta talk thread here: http://metatalk.metafilter.com/22004
posted by mysticreferee at 1:22 PM on August 29, 2012