What's Next?

December 6, 2012 4:01 AM

This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments. We have a new MeFi record! 8185 total comments.

Per the wiki:

It surpassed the previous record holder, my job is not to worry about those people, about a leaked video from a private fundraiser for Presidential nominee Mitt Romney, posted on September 17, 2012 with 5817 comments. Prior to the Romney leaked video thread, the previous record holder was the 5555 comment Sarah Palin thread about the Vice Presidential nominee pick of Republican Presidential candidate John McCain, created on August 29th, 2008. While the Sarah Palin thread is no longer the longest thread, it held the record for more than four years, a period greater than any record holder prior or since.

Congratulations to everyone who participated, and welcome to the 2016 US election cycle. ;)

posted by zarq to MetaFilter-Related at 4:01 AM (96 comments total)

welcome to the 2016 US election cycle.

2014, surely?
posted by the man of twists and turns at 4:03 AM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

Errr... Presidential election cycle. ;)

But uh, yes, 2014. I need coffee.
posted by zarq at 4:04 AM on December 6, 2012

It couldn't be more appropriate that homunculus got the last comment. He made 263 comments in that thread, most of them being links, and the links were always interesting.
posted by Kattullus at 4:10 AM on December 6, 2012 [23 favorites]

That was a great thread, a real treasure trove of information and informed opinion.
posted by OmieWise at 4:13 AM on December 6, 2012

We are both right: 2016 Presidential Election cycle has started
posted by the man of twists and turns at 4:13 AM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

it's worth noting that was the thread Mefites were hanging out in on Election Night. Starting with this comment at 11:12pm EST, people just go nuts. The entire site was up and down for about 10 minutes at that point, which I attribute to members sighing with relief.

Later on the links posted to thread become extraordinarily delicious, as the true arrogance and narrow minded of Romney's campaign becomes blindingly obvious. If case you haven't heard, Romney wound up with 47.3% of the popular vote.

Yeah, the thread was a pretty good example of huge thread down mostly right. There were a few fights or derails here and there, but mostly it was great information resource, right up to the end.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:29 AM on December 6, 2012 [8 favorites]

If it went on any longer, I would have had to upgrade my laptop just to get the thing to load.
posted by octothorpe at 4:33 AM on December 6, 2012 [3 favorites]

That thread can finally build its house in La Jolla in peace.
posted by Burhanistan at 4:34 AM on December 6, 2012 [4 favorites]

Longest ever but also one of the most productive. I'll return to it again and again. Interesting discussion and links from a thoughtful group.




So who's this Tim Drudge guy again?
 
posted by Herodios at 4:35 AM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

Yeah this was a great thread, thanks and well done everyone. About the best channel of election news (and not noise) on the night itself.
posted by carter at 4:47 AM on December 6, 2012

Now consider that a separate chat site was set up specifically to vent steam from that thread on election night and it STILL got that big.
posted by charred husk at 5:08 AM on December 6, 2012

Yes, and sadly all the useful commentary on the campaign promises of President Baby and President Cat are therefore not included in this historical thread.
posted by elizardbits at 5:39 AM on December 6, 2012 [4 favorites]

Is this also the first time a MeFi thread has had an afterparty?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:41 AM on December 6, 2012

The Long Boat was one extended afterparty.
posted by OmieWise at 5:52 AM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

I said so in the thread but I'm happy to say it here again: it was great. It saved my sanity a lot, and kept me amused and distracted and taught me stuff. Bravo, mefites! Encore! (But honestly I'm kind of hoping - in vain, I know - that the next election cycle will have less crazy.)
posted by rtha at 6:05 AM on December 6, 2012

My life is one extended afterparty.
posted by item at 6:08 AM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

I've had that tab open this whole time (but I'm lazy and sloppy like that); there are 146 new comments since I last loaded the page but I didn't go back because a part of me never wanted it to end. Participating in that thread, and the three or four that came before it, was some of the most e-fun I've had in a long time.
posted by Room 641-A at 6:09 AM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

The sheer amount of happy in that thread after the comment Brandon Blatcher linked to is overwhelming.
posted by royalsong at 6:14 AM on December 6, 2012

It couldn't be more appropriate that homunculus got the last comment.

With a link to Tim The Enchanter, no less. They need to go ahead & put him on staff as the official MetaFilter Link Augmenter.
posted by Devils Rancher at 6:17 AM on December 6, 2012 [2 favorites]

It couldn't be more appropriate that homunculus got the last comment. He made 263 comments in that thread, most of them being links, and the links were always interesting.

Cool!

Is there any way to easily figure out who made the most comments in the thread? Was it homunculus?
posted by zarq at 6:23 AM on December 6, 2012

fuck - 398
shit - 265
asshole - 66
poop - 8
douchebag - 5
prick - 4
dickwad - 2
asswipe - 2

Ohio - 323 (Ohio! - 22)
Florida - 277
Pennsylvania - 44

Obama - 1808
Romney - 1505
Mittens - 18
Barry - 7
posted by dirtdirt at 6:26 AM on December 6, 2012 [7 favorites]

Great thread but I had to stop participating because my C2D Macbook Air choked on loading it like George W Bush on a pretzel.
posted by modernnomad at 6:46 AM on December 6, 2012 [3 favorites]

Screw 2014, NYC has a mayoral election in less than 11 months.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 6:46 AM on December 6, 2012

At first I thought these were usernames. Carry on...
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 6:46 AM on December 6, 2012 [5 favorites]

Now consider that a separate chat site was set up specifically to vent steam from that thread on election night and it STILL got that big.

MeFi Chat is now officially one month old and still going!
Best thing to come out of the election on this site IMO.
posted by flex at 6:49 AM on December 6, 2012 [3 favorites]

Oh you poor saps who have to wait for the 2014 midterms ... we here in the Old Dominion are already well into the 2013 gubernatorial campaign. Terry McAuliffe vs. Ken Crazyass, lord help us all.
posted by headnsouth at 6:53 AM on December 6, 2012

I am so undercaffeinated that I spent almost a full minute wondering about the ethnic background of the last name Crasyazs.
posted by elizardbits at 7:06 AM on December 6, 2012 [6 favorites]

Maaaan, that thread exists in a weird, awesome context for me. Stuck hundreds of miles away from home for a convention, wired to the gills on election adrenaline and information, I was just holed up in a hotel room with a TV on (switching channels furiously) and 8 or 9 browser tabs open while I worked my way through some suspiciously week beer. I wouldn't want to spend every night like that, but it was a pretty righteous way to do it that time.
posted by COBRA! at 7:06 AM on December 6, 2012

Ohio - 323 (Ohio! - 22)

In 1986 the city council of Hamilton, Ohio (in John Boehner's district) voted to change the spelling of the city's name to Hamilton!
 
posted by Herodios at 7:08 AM on December 6, 2012 [5 favorites]

May it stand as a monument to an American triumph of common sense.
posted by Miko at 7:13 AM on December 6, 2012

this feels appropriate
posted by The Whelk at 7:23 AM on December 6, 2012 [3 favorites]

> We are both right

Thank god.
posted by heyho at 7:38 AM on December 6, 2012

dirtdirt:
"Ohio - 323 (Ohio! - 22)"

Ah, it is so nice to be an unimportant fly-over state again. Next time an Ohioan complains about being ignored, remind them about the election.
posted by charred husk at 7:39 AM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

I gotta agree with flex. Not only do we have a monument to the end of election-year anxiety, but we also have an awesome place for a chat over dinner.

Also, homunculus, I don't know if you browse political sites for a living or what, but thanks for posting all the links.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 7:45 AM on December 6, 2012

roomthreeseventeen: "Screw 2014, NYC has a mayoral election in less than 11 months."

Wait, really? You mean Bloomberg didn't permanently install himself as emperor of NYC yet?
posted by Grither at 7:47 AM on December 6, 2012

He will retire to control the flow of spice through NYC's many underground tunnels and lost ruins, slowly gorging himself on the very stuff itself until he grows to fill his container.
posted by The Whelk at 7:53 AM on December 6, 2012 [2 favorites]

Is he Leto II or a Guild Navigator in this scenario? Also who is Shaddam IV?

I would also like to see some data on how many unrelated MeTas descend into Dune references and madness.
posted by elizardbits at 7:54 AM on December 6, 2012 [2 favorites]

What I find amazing is that of the 10 longest threads in metafilter history, 5 were posted in the seven week period from September 17, 2012 to November 6, 2012. I wonder what accounts for that anomaly?
posted by RichardP at 7:55 AM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

no one has a job anymore.
posted by The Whelk at 7:57 AM on December 6, 2012 [12 favorites]

Oh look, I thread in the grey I can actually load long enough to type and comment and hit publish.
posted by infini at 8:00 AM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

It's a combination of us posting more because of residual dissatisfaction from the Olympics and an attempt to read and comment constantly in order to make ourselves not listen to the tiny fears in our heads about Community being moved to mid-season and taking Dan Harmon away. Basically, it's all NBC's fault.
posted by NoraReed at 8:01 AM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

That was a great thread and I am going miss seeing it updated in my recent activity. Thanks everyone!
posted by shothotbot at 8:05 AM on December 6, 2012

I don't know about all you other people, but I was posting in the megathreads because only the megathreads were giving me any indication that Romney might lose.

I don't follow politics very well.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 8:10 AM on December 6, 2012

Here's a quick table of the number of comments by username.
posted by Rhomboid at 8:16 AM on December 6, 2012 [6 favorites]

A thing I like... scrolling through that thread and randomily reading comments at different points, especially in the election day time frame. It is like a brief snapshot of history:

I'm glad I fired up our lava lamp early so it'd be good and calming as the numbers roll in.
posted by yoga at 5:57 PM

It's just past his bedtime and my son can hear me watching the TV and so wants out of confinement. Son, this is gonna be a long fucking night for both of us.
posted by sonika at 6:14 PM

NBC may not call NJ at all until Friday.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:02 PM

I thought you guys were joking about the MSNBC ice rink. You were not.
posted by Dr. Zira at 8:31 PM

DOWN.

GOES.

AKIN!

LEGITIMATE BEATDOWN!
posted by tonycpsu at 9:06 PM


Iowa for Obama!

ARUGULA FARMERS GET THEIR REVENGE
posted by barnacles at 10:09 PM

Horses and bayonets for everyone!
posted by spock at 11:09 PM


(and hey, word today is Jim fucking DeMint is leaving the Senate)
posted by edgeways at 8:21 AM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

That reminds me -- I totally forgot to to an updated version of my Mefites on Obama - 2007 vs 2008 vs 2010 thingy. Will have to update here when I get home.
posted by Rhaomi at 8:25 AM on December 6, 2012

You had this on your calendar, didn't you?
posted by boo_radley at 8:28 AM on December 6, 2012

Only 9? I would have had more if it weren't for the thread crashing on my desktop, iPad and phone you pesky kids!
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 8:30 AM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

roomthreeseventeen: 72
Room 641-A:         71

dammit.
posted by Room 641-A at 8:30 AM on December 6, 2012 [2 favorites]

Here's a quick table of the number of comments by username.

Cool! Thank you!
posted by zarq at 8:47 AM on December 6, 2012

You had this on your calendar, didn't you?

Mentally, kinda. Wasn't paying close attention, but I knew we'd need to update the wiki when the thread closed, so it's been on my mind.
posted by zarq at 8:50 AM on December 6, 2012

I would say I showed remarkable restraint in there, but really my heart belonged to the 47% record-breaker and I was done with the election by the time the big thread got posted.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:51 AM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

Here's a quick table of the number of comments by username.

homunculus 261
tonycpsu 170
Miko 100
sonika 92
Brandon Blatcher 84
EmpressCallipygos 83


Huh. A search in the thread for "posted by Brandon Blatcher" gets 88 hits. You skimming some of my comments off the top, is that it? Bruno ain't gonna like this when he hears about it.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:01 AM on December 6, 2012

cortex: "I would say I showed remarkable restraint in there, but really my heart belonged to the 47% record-breaker and I was done with the election by the time the big thread got posted."

Yeah, ditto. I was obsessive in the first and second presidential debate and the VP debate threads, but by the time the third debate rolled around I was just done, so I followed the election on Twitter and then took a break from politics for about a month. Much needed.
posted by Phire at 9:07 AM on December 6, 2012

A search in the thread for "posted by Brandon Blatcher" gets 88 hits.

This probably happened four times. :)
posted by zarq at 9:07 AM on December 6, 2012

Yeah, you've got to watch out for quoted text. I made sure the numbers added up to 8186 (the post text itself counting as a comment) to ensure that I was only counting real bylines.
posted by Rhomboid at 9:11 AM on December 6, 2012

I was obsessive in the first and second presidential debate and the VP debate threads, but by the time the third debate rolled around I was just done, so I followed the election on Twitter and then took a break from politics for about a month. Much needed.

Mitt?
posted by davidjmcgee at 9:12 AM on December 6, 2012 [11 favorites]

That thread makes my iPhone go into some weird emergency page loading state.

You can almost smell smoke.
posted by BeeDo at 9:19 AM on December 6, 2012

Here's a quick table of the number of comments by username.

I am the top-producing Devils _$ !
posted by Devils Rancher at 9:22 AM on December 6, 2012

Oh, and the next biggest thread will be when aliens land on the 22nd.
posted by BeeDo at 9:23 AM on December 6, 2012

the aliens have already landed. they just make if official on the 22nd when they cancel Christmas.
posted by philip-random at 9:28 AM on December 6, 2012

Hey, has anyone seen Cookiebastard? Did he make it out before the thread closed, or is he still trapped down there?
posted by homunculus at 9:37 AM on December 6, 2012

Eaten by a grue.
posted by elizardbits at 9:41 AM on December 6, 2012

It was nice to have the politics cordoned off in one giant thread instead of spawning mini-threads for the last month.
posted by stoneweaver at 9:42 AM on December 6, 2012 [2 favorites]

Eaten by a grue.
posted by stoneweaver at 9:43 AM on December 6, 2012

(and hey, word today is Jim fucking DeMint is leaving the Senate)

Jim DeMint And The Heratage Foundation: A Match Made In Heaven
posted by homunculus at 9:55 AM on December 6, 2012

Thanks in large part to the Superthreads (and Nate Silver) I got to play the part of the calm, well-informed, and confident guy at my election night party, keeping a cool head while all around me, others who were caught up in the media-manufactured horserace narrative, were losing theirs.
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:57 AM on December 6, 2012 [3 favorites]

I was out and about in Cuzco with only my 3G data connection. I shudder to think what a single load of that thread would have cost at international data rates.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 10:16 AM on December 6, 2012

NOOOOooooooooooooooooo!

I hereby call for a reopening of the Palin thread. I have a lot more to say about Sarah Palin.
posted by Flunkie at 10:51 AM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

NOOOOooooooooooooooooo!
posted by homunculus at 11:06 AM on December 6, 2012 [2 favorites]

Uh oh, I'm feeling a huge bout of schmoopy coming on
posted by infini at 11:12 AM on December 6, 2012

As a new-ish user, that posts taught me so much. I had no idea there was a favorite limit until Obama won Ohio and everyone freaked out. I hadn't really understood the usefulness of Recent Activity and how much posts live on after they're off the front page.

And until yesterday I hadn't realized that posts get closed after a month.
posted by DynamiteToast at 11:16 AM on December 6, 2012

How many unique IDs were present in the comments count?
posted by infini at 11:22 AM on December 6, 2012

I know it's wrong to use this MetaTalk to artificially extend the life of The Big Thread, but this is so delicious I have to share.

Drinky Die's antepenultimate comment linked to this "Should Ron Paul Run for President in 2016?" poll on the ronpaul.com website. Below the poll there is a link-bar with icons for "Post to Facebook", "Post to Google+", etc.. The link-bar is called out with a little note that says "Sharing is caring!". Ayn would be so disappointed.
posted by benito.strauss at 11:23 AM on December 6, 2012 [2 favorites]

word today is Jim fucking DeMint is leaving the Senate

At RedState this is great news for conservatives! Now the Governor will appoint a replacement until a special election in '14. While I wouldn't put it past Haley to appoint herself (at least in theory, she can) Rep. Tim Scott and Rep. Trey Gowdy seem to be early favorites. Interestingly, Gowdy is pretty much an embodiment of the Tea Party-ism that's causing Boehner so much heartburn right now and Scott (who threatened to impeach Obama over the debt ceiling and who pings the hell out of my gaydar, tbh, Mary) is Alan West-grade nutty. A non-Tea Party choice would be Henry McMaster, a safe, establishment Republican and the State's favorite slumlord.

Or, possibly, Colbert for Senate.
posted by octobersurprise at 11:29 AM on December 6, 2012

I hadn't really understood the usefulness of Recent Activity and how much posts live on after they're off the front page.

you'll want to follow ericb and homunculus.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 11:31 AM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

How many unique IDs were present in the comments count?

Doing a quick wc -l on Rhomboid's file and subtracting two for the header lines, the answer appears to be 1,009 distinct users commenting in that thread.
posted by cortex (staff) at 11:34 AM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

AKA, the usual gang of idiots.
posted by klangklangston at 11:52 AM on December 6, 2012

Do we have a jacket? I want a jacket.

Also, a gang sign. What should it be?
posted by rtha at 11:58 AM on December 6, 2012 [2 favorites]

This may be the final update, owing to both the difficulty in finding relevant comments from my ad-hoc focus group and the inevitable waning of the Obama presidency (end of a fucking era!), but we'll see what 2014/2016 brings. But for now:

Reactions to Barack Obama on Mefi:
January 2007 vs. November 2008 vs. 2010 vs. November 2012

2007:
Oh I'm so tired of this guy.
post by delmoi at 6:00 PM on January 16, 2007 [+] [!]

2008:
But tonight, if everything works out the way it's looks like it will, we'll finally start putting our country back together again. Not to get all sappy, but it's hard being a cynic in times like these.
post by delmoi at 10:39 AM on November 4 [1 favorite +] [!]

2010:
The problem is that Obama hasn't governed well. The stimulus was way to small. At the time it seemed like Obama was more interested in bipartisan comity then governing properly. That's a choice he made at the time and the result has been a disaster. (And the stimulus was obviously a budget vote, he could have passed a larger one via reconciliation). The bottom line is that Obama has been incredibly naïve. He seemed to think that the republicans would just join hands and sing kumbya with him instead of actually try to beat him. He seems shocked that they are. And not only that, he's letting them kick his ass with a minority in the house and barely (or not even) enough seats to filibuster in the senate.
posted by delmoi at 6:47 AM on October 14 [4 favorites +] [!]

2012:
Obama still ahead in OH, but awesomely, Still in FL as well, very very slightly. If he wins in FL it will be a blowout. He wouldn't even need to win OH.
posted by delmoi at 9:12 PM on November 6 [1 favorite +] [!]

* * *

2007:
All the same, I'm not comfortable backing him 100%, because he's never been in a tight spot where he had to make hard decisions. That's when character gets revealed, and as far as I can see, he's never really been tested. Who knows whose side he'll end up on when the shit hits the fan?
post by empath at 6:28 PM on January 16, 2007 [1 favorite +] [!]

2008:
There went the waterworks. I may need to turn the tv off and compose myself. We really did it. I can't believe it.
post by empath at 10:09 PM on November 4 [4 favorites +] [!]

2010:
Here's the worst part of it all. Despite the fact that the Democrats are complicit in mass murder and war crimes, they are still the only goddamned party I can vote for, because the alternative is so much fucking worse. If Obama manages to wind the Iraq War down and doesn't start another fucking war by 2012, I'll have considered his Presidency a success, no matter what else happens.
posted by empath at 10:08 AM on November 9 [10 favorites +] [!] [quote]

2012:
I imagine that as Obama people filter out to the rest of the Democratic Party organizations, it should vastly improve senatorial and congressional campaigns. We'll see how they do in 2014. The economy should be going gangbusters by then. It's unfortunate that there is really no designated successor that could just pick up where Obama left off. Biden and Clinton aren't it.
posted by empath at 10:49 PM on November 8 [+] [!]

* * *

2007:
Just remember: It Can't Happen Here.

Obama on the job: A brief overview of highly questionable voting decisions.
post by Blazecock Pileon at 7:01 PM on January 16, 2007 [+] [!]

2008:
We did it! Congratulations to everyone who played a part in this momentous event in history. We are now back on the road to making a fresh start, to fixing our country.
post by Blazecock Pileon at 10:06 PM on November 4 [1 favorite +] [!]

2010:
I'm tired of "pragmatism" used as a crap excuse to lie to me and to bully me. The Democratic Party and their bullies and liars can shove off and get votes from someone else, as far as I'm concerned. I'm done with their lies, their fear and their bullying.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:29 PM on October 6 [11 favorites +] [!]

2012:
I don't think of him as a good man anymore, but this country definitely dodged a bullet by saying No to Romney. The country said No to raping women. No to funneling money upwards to Romney's rich friends. No to Mormon-sponsored laws that discriminate against gays and lesbians. No to nuclear war on Iran and Pakistan. No to dismantling education and science research. No to a lot of things that really matter. We can still acknowledge Obama's faults while being grateful for avoiding the massive disaster that would have been a Romney/Ryan administration.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 1:27 AM on November 7 [41 favorites +] [!]

* * *

2007:
I look forward to learning more. And I hope he proves to be the man that so many want him to be.
post by stavrosthewonderchicken at 7:04 PM on January 16, 2007 [+] [!]

2008:
For the first time in 30 years, at least for now, I'm hopeful. If any nation in the world, any President, can truly make a historic change to reverse the course of our civilization, it is America, and it may just be this new president of yours. Who knows if our man will be able to shoulder the burden of the hopes of so many that he has willingly assumed. Bless him for trying, whether he succeeds or not.

Thank you, Americans, for doing the right thing, finally, and thanks for fanning that dream of the possibility of a better world alight again in this tired ol' heart of mine.
post by stavrosthewonderchicken at 11:05 PM on November 4 [62 favorites +] [!]

2010:
It's not everything we'd hoped for, but a damn sight better than we had. This, I suspect, will be the way we remember the Obama administration. And I guess that'll have to do.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 11:09 PM on July 21 [+] [!]

2012:
Me, I feel pretty confident that Mr Obama will win. I'm less thrilled about the prospect than I was 4 years ago. It's surely a better thing, but.

What my dream is -- and it's totally unlikely -- is that the Republican party loses so comprehensively and decisively and humiliatingly this time that the party breaks up into a party of actual, real conservatives, conservatives of actual ideas and dedication to principles and stuff, and a new evil twin party of crazy lunatic teaparty rape-crazed lunatic god-struck assholes, Rusty Venture stylee.

That would be great, because a real, honest, ethical conservative Republican party might just correct the worst excesses of the Democrats, and the loopy bastards could rally around the Loopy Flag, and things would still be entertaining without being terrifying so much any more.

Ain't gonna happen, I know: but I can dream. So hey, if you're American, and confident about Obama winning, and therefore why-bothering: get up, go, vote, and increase the chances of CRITICAL HITS.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 7:02 AM on November 6 [48 favorites +] [!]
posted by Rhaomi at 12:04 PM on December 6, 2012 [18 favorites]

How many unique IDs?
    1,009
        AKA, the usual gang of idiots.


An utterly MAD group.
 
posted by Herodios at 1:31 PM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

Doing a quick wc -l on Rhomboid's file and subtracting two for the header lines, the answer appears to be 1,009 distinct users commenting in that thread.

1,009. Whoa!
posted by ericb at 2:16 PM on December 6, 2012

Now to express 1009 as a percentage of active posters on the blue. Someone help me summon cortex.
posted by ersatz at 3:00 PM on December 6, 2012

you have to cast ENORMOUS DONUT
posted by elizardbits at 3:06 PM on December 6, 2012 [3 favorites]

IT'S MY DAY OFF

though there were about 4,500 distinct users who left at least one comment in the last month on the blue so about 22% give or take
posted by cortex (staff) at 3:17 PM on December 6, 2012 [3 favorites]

rtha: "Do we have a jacket? I want a jacket."

Or at least "I survived thread 121588" t-shirts
posted by octothorpe at 3:50 PM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

Something so we can say "You weren't there. You don't know what it was like, man."
posted by Miko at 3:58 PM on December 6, 2012

Rule one of Day Off.. don't show up to work, because they will find something for you to do.
posted by edgeways at 6:03 PM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

That was a great thread. I only commented once, or maybe twice, but it was great to have it keep showing up in my Recent Activity. Thanks, everyone, for keeping it going with such informative links and comments.
posted by apricot at 7:11 PM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

Your moment in the sun was too short, 47 percent thread.
posted by Artw at 9:51 PM on December 6, 2012

I tried this taking the day off business but my colleague showed up 18 minutes ago at the dot of 9am and I'm still wearing sweatpants. It is snowing outside.
posted by infini at 12:18 AM on December 7, 2012

you have to cast ENORMOUS DONUT

>though there were about 4,500 distinct users who left at least one comment in the last month on the blue so about 22% give or take

/casts Mordekainen's Magnificent Roguelike Reward
posted by ersatz at 4:43 AM on December 7, 2012

4,500 distinct users

This discrepancy between user numbers and actual people typing always confuses me. Why is it so?
posted by infini at 2:30 AM on December 8, 2012 [1 favorite]

According to the latest infodump, the highest allocated account ID is 168433, but there are only 59,516 actual accounts. It's somewhat common to begin the signup process but then chicken out on the paypal step, which consumes an ID number but doesn't create an account.

Of those 59,516 real accounts, 16,317 have made a post or comment anywhere on the site in the last year. I suppose there are a lot of lurkers and/or people who no longer use the site. If you then narrow the criteria down to a month and to the blue only, then you get cortex's ~4,500. I don't have the exact figures handy but it's been worked out that the majority of the volume of user activity is from a small active core of around a thousand users, with a long tail of less frequent contributors.
posted by Rhomboid at 4:43 AM on December 8, 2012 [4 favorites]

ah, now that comment of klang's re: AKA the gang, for the 1009 makes sense
posted by infini at 6:33 AM on December 8, 2012

Look at Mitt and Ann Romney Watch Manny Pacquiao Get Knocked Out
posted by homunculus at 4:18 PM on December 9, 2012