Comments on: Phear of the Dark Green.

Phear of the Dark Green.

nickrussell — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 17:05:44 -0800

How shameless can one be on MetaFilter Projects? I've read the documentation, and guidelines. I've looked through posts. Being that I am so good at running afoul of MetaRules, can I be completely shameless about my company on there? We're part of an incubator programme and I'd like to give another team some love too. Can I be shameless about putting them on there?

Every time Jessamyn deletes my comments, a little piece of my heart dies. And if it's the pimp-hand of Cortex, I hide under a blanket smoking unfiltered cigarettes in self-flagulation for my offence. So, rather than complaining later, I'm asking first (see, one can learn!). What is the appropriate way to use MePro? (P.S. Nothing like a bit of fresh air to clear the head. Since I started a little company, there's sadly little time to argue about deleted comments and the small tag. Although, I must say, this community is really amazing. Perhaps I started to take it for granted a bit, and got a bit demanding about the way I wanted it to work. It's just so nice that it's here.)

By: mathowie

mathowie — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 17:16:37 -0800

If you have something to show off that's done and ready to use and it's something on the web people can use then sure, go ahead and post it. If it's just your company site, that's kind of not really a thing people can check out (look at other projects to see what typically gets posted, commercial stuff is fine, but it has to be interesting and not just a brochure site).

By: nickrussell

nickrussell — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 17:21:46 -0800

The idea of feedback would be amazing. It's a commercial site, definitely, and I think it's interesting. It'd be great to have the community push-and-pull at it. We're taking the scary route of developing it live on the web, warts and all because it's designed to create a community... and make money, but not at the moment. At the moment, it's all free.

So a company can be a project?

By: jessamyn

jessamyn — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 17:42:07 -0800

So a company can be a project?

Projects needs to link to something On The Web, so assuming there is a website that talks about what you do and what you're about and creating, sure. has to be your stuff though, not the stuff your friends do.

Perhaps I started to take it for granted a bit, and got a bit demanding about the way I wanted it to work.

Possibly. You can also always hit us up on the contact form if you have isolated questions about things.

By: michaelh

michaelh — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 17:44:15 -0800

Nick, you can link to your company in your profile, you know. It's not as public as projects but it would probably get you some feedback over time. I'm interested, at any rate.

By: Horace Rumpole

Horace Rumpole — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 17:51:47 -0800

Every time Jessamyn deletes my comments, a little piece of my heart dies. And if it's the pimp-hand of Cortex, I hide under a blanket smoking unfiltered cigarettes in self-flagulation for my offence.

I don't recall what you might have done to raise hackles initially, but I defintely don't recommend posting a paragraph like this ever again.

By: nickrussell

nickrussell — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 17:55:08 -0800

I defintely don't recommend posting a paragraph like this ever again.

Why's that?

By: Chocolate Pickle

Chocolate Pickle — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 17:57:57 -0800

"For Christ's sake, there must be some way I can legally spam Metafilter! There's just got to be a way!"

By: Horace Rumpole

Horace Rumpole — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 18:03:10 -0800

Why's that?

It reads to me as comically over the top, to a degree that makes me question your sincerity, and I don't much care for the "pimp hand" metaphor either. Also, and I realize I'm being petty here, you misspelled "self-flagellation".

By: subbes

subbes — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 18:11:24 -0800

Besides, smoking under a blanket seems a sure way to catch yourself and your bed on fire.

By: mannequito

mannequito — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 18:18:31 -0800

but self-flagulation works on so many levels!

By: nickrussell

nickrussell — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 18:18:51 -0800

Horace: Point taken. Not insincere. Hyperbole.

By: justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow

justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 18:21:57 -0800

I definitely don't recommend posting a paragraph like this ever again.
Why's that?

I had a comment deleted once, maybe twice. I didn't think I'd stepped out of line, but I trust that the mods around here know better than I do what makes for good discussion. If I'd had comments deleted so often that I had started to form emotional responses specific to the mod doing the deleting I might want to take a step back and think about what I was doing on metafilter.

That paragraph sounds bad, and I don't think it's representative of you. You're a guy who tells stories like this around here. It's surprising that they were written by the same person.

By: Horace Rumpole

Horace Rumpole — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 18:26:35 -0800

Point taken. Not insincere. Hyperbole.

Fair enough, but there's such a history of people complaining in MetaTalk about site moderation in just these kind of terms that it's an immediate red flag for me.

By: jessamyn

jessamyn — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 18:29:35 -0800

Yeah I'm used to people talking shit about me, but it's nice when they don't, even as a joke.

By: nickrussell

nickrussell — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 19:11:29 -0800

That paragraph sounds bad, and I don't think it's representative of you. You're a guy who tells stories like this around here. It's surprising that they were written by the same person.

It's the problem of not having a delete feature. It all comes from the same place. Without the ability to edit, you get the raw footage, not a finished show. And raw footage is, well, raw.

By: Mrs. Pterodactyl

Mrs. Pterodactyl — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 19:14:47 -0800

Those reactions are really interesting (not sarcasm, totally sincere) because I definitely read that as a gently self-mocking way to say "I really respect and appreciate the opinions of Cortex and Jessamyn and when they judge that I have transgressed site boundaries it makes me feel sad". I totally get where you'd prefer someone not say that, and certainly in the way he did, but I definitely read it as appreciative and complimentary, albeit in an odd way.

I'm aware that deletions are not personal judgements but still, as someone who cares about this site and respects it and the moderators, I understand feeling a bit chastened by a deletion.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 20:14:24 -0800

Without the ability to edit, you get the raw footage, not a finished show.

Don't put the raw footage out there. Be like a director. A pro. Leave the raw footage you don't want in your finished project on the cutting room floor. Not having an edit feature is, I think, truly a *feature* of this site, not a bug. It makes people careful about what they say and how they say it, and that's a good thing, IMO.

Live and learn!

By: bongo_x

bongo_x — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 21:46:48 -0800

By: Cranberry

Cranberry — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 23:19:58 -0800

flagulation
- no dictionary results
Did you mean flagellation? It hurts, so if you are going to do it, you should know its real name.

By: XMLicious

XMLicious — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 01:44:31 -0800

By: aramaic

aramaic — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 09:04:29 -0800

The word "baleful" does not appear nearly as often as it should.

Pause for a moment, just a brief moment, and contemplate this...

...on the Tree of Woe.

By: cortex

cortex — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 09:13:22 -0800

But seriously, enough with the furniture chewing.

By: sgt.serenity

sgt.serenity — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 12:57:02 -0800

If you want to game this site, please use the karpman drama triangle rather than the chatty best mate angle - ok ?

honestly.

By: delmoi

delmoi — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 19:30:31 -0800

Projects needs to link to something On The Web,

What about cellphone apps? They're not technically on the web.

By: cortex

cortex — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 09:58:29 -0800

That's in the weird penumbra of webby/techie projects that we'll sort of call as we see. Ideally a Projects post about a cellphone app you've made will involve a link to a website that shows that off a bit or something rather than e.g. a blind link to the iTunes store or whatever.