Not A Forum April 12, 2013 2:23 PM Subscribe
Should "Metafilter is a community blog, not a forum" be in the guidelines?
A lot of users seem to agree that Metafilter is not a place whose primary purpose is discussion. That is: FPPs are for links to interesting content on the web; if they spawn interesting discussion, all the better, but the thought behind an FPP should be "hey, this is cool and I think people will want to see it" rather than "I want to hear people's thoughts about this".
I've seen this argument in a number of deletion MeTas in defense of deleted posts - "I posted XYZ because I really wanted to see the subject discussed on MeFi". This MeTa where I posted a comment saying essentially what I'm saying now is a clear example; today's MeTa on the Gosnell trial is not, but the subject is being brought up in the comments.
So my question is, would the community be a better place if this were explicitly asked for in the post guidelines? Does this come up often enough that we need it? Is it even true?
I'm not here to ask for this as a pony. I'm more interested in just hearing everyone's thoughts - both mods and community members. I'm a relative newbie and so there may be reasons why this is a Very Bad Idea that are flying over my head. Any thoughts?
A lot of users seem to agree that Metafilter is not a place whose primary purpose is discussion. That is: FPPs are for links to interesting content on the web; if they spawn interesting discussion, all the better, but the thought behind an FPP should be "hey, this is cool and I think people will want to see it" rather than "I want to hear people's thoughts about this".
I've seen this argument in a number of deletion MeTas in defense of deleted posts - "I posted XYZ because I really wanted to see the subject discussed on MeFi". This MeTa where I posted a comment saying essentially what I'm saying now is a clear example; today's MeTa on the Gosnell trial is not, but the subject is being brought up in the comments.
So my question is, would the community be a better place if this were explicitly asked for in the post guidelines? Does this come up often enough that we need it? Is it even true?
I'm not here to ask for this as a pony. I'm more interested in just hearing everyone's thoughts - both mods and community members. I'm a relative newbie and so there may be reasons why this is a Very Bad Idea that are flying over my head. Any thoughts?
This question had to be raised during mad men season, didn't it?
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 2:51 PM on April 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 2:51 PM on April 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
MAD MEN IS SOMETHING COOL ON THE WEB
EACH AND EVERY EPISODE
WHAT IS UP WITH PEGGY'S HAIR HELMET
posted by shakespeherian at 2:53 PM on April 12, 2013 [12 favorites]
EACH AND EVERY EPISODE
WHAT IS UP WITH PEGGY'S HAIR HELMET
posted by shakespeherian at 2:53 PM on April 12, 2013 [12 favorites]
A lot of users seem to agree that Metafilter is not a place whose primary purpose is discussion. That is: FPPs are for links to interesting content on the web; if they spawn interesting discussion, all the better, but the thought behind an FPP should be "hey, this is cool and I think people will want to see it" rather than "I want to hear people's thoughts about this".
POSIWID.
MetaFilter functions in my life equally as a place where I find out about things and a place where I talk about things with a community I respect. Take away the latter, and I'd have little interest in the former - I've got a feedreader and Twitter and Pinboard and IRC and mailing lists and so on and so forth for finding stuff. I think it's kind of silly to act like people shouldn't/won't write posts with this reality in mind.
I know that a bunch of topics have been pretty rough for the mods to cope with lately, but I don't think that trying to artificially constrain the talk-about-things part of this balance beyond the current standard of "a thing should be an interesting post, not just a call for comments" is a very useful tack to take. That's a good standard, not least because it leads to better discussion, but it's nowhere near the same as a decision that most of my motivation for being here is invalid, and I don't think I'm all that unique in my motivation for being here.
posted by brennen at 2:56 PM on April 12, 2013 [9 favorites]
POSIWID.
MetaFilter functions in my life equally as a place where I find out about things and a place where I talk about things with a community I respect. Take away the latter, and I'd have little interest in the former - I've got a feedreader and Twitter and Pinboard and IRC and mailing lists and so on and so forth for finding stuff. I think it's kind of silly to act like people shouldn't/won't write posts with this reality in mind.
I know that a bunch of topics have been pretty rough for the mods to cope with lately, but I don't think that trying to artificially constrain the talk-about-things part of this balance beyond the current standard of "a thing should be an interesting post, not just a call for comments" is a very useful tack to take. That's a good standard, not least because it leads to better discussion, but it's nowhere near the same as a decision that most of my motivation for being here is invalid, and I don't think I'm all that unique in my motivation for being here.
posted by brennen at 2:56 PM on April 12, 2013 [9 favorites]
I love the conversations here, I always have, but as I've moved more into a poster role, I've developed a weird goal. I want to come up with a well liked post that generates no comments at all.
I have no idea why, but I think it's sort of an extension of something that someone said here a long time ago; the best posts tend to have more favorites than comments.
I don't actually think that's true (I've had a lot of those, and I didn't think they were better than any of the others), but it remains a weird achievement on my bucket list nonetheless.
Good comments are probably most of the fun of the site for the vast majority of visitors. I know it was for me for years and years, but once I started focusing on the posts themselves, I found myself interacting differently. I suspect that for most people, they'd need to go through a similar experience before they changed how they view the best use of the space.
Personally, I'm just happy if most of the comments are just along the lines of "Hey great find!" or "This is awesome!". If it actually creates an interesting and useful discussion; that's just gravy.
posted by quin at 3:02 PM on April 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
I have no idea why, but I think it's sort of an extension of something that someone said here a long time ago; the best posts tend to have more favorites than comments.
I don't actually think that's true (I've had a lot of those, and I didn't think they were better than any of the others), but it remains a weird achievement on my bucket list nonetheless.
Good comments are probably most of the fun of the site for the vast majority of visitors. I know it was for me for years and years, but once I started focusing on the posts themselves, I found myself interacting differently. I suspect that for most people, they'd need to go through a similar experience before they changed how they view the best use of the space.
Personally, I'm just happy if most of the comments are just along the lines of "Hey great find!" or "This is awesome!". If it actually creates an interesting and useful discussion; that's just gravy.
posted by quin at 3:02 PM on April 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
If you people aren't interested in reading my dot, why do you keep posting news about celebrities' deaths??
posted by found missing at 3:02 PM on April 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by found missing at 3:02 PM on April 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
After years of fighting this fight I have finally (with the aid of a helpful mod or two) recognized the fact that really not that many people care either way.
I still try to encourage people to stick with interesting things on the web versus outrage of the day type posts, but I consider it largely a lost cause.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:06 PM on April 12, 2013
I still try to encourage people to stick with interesting things on the web versus outrage of the day type posts, but I consider it largely a lost cause.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:06 PM on April 12, 2013
WHAT IS UP WITH PEGGY'S HAIR HELMET.
Regarding hair on the new season, actor Ben Feldman (copywriter Michael Ginsberg):
Regarding hair on the new season, actor Ben Feldman (copywriter Michael Ginsberg):
GQ: Whose hair was the biggest shock when you came back to set?posted by ericb at 3:08 PM on April 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
Ben Feldman: [Laughs] Well, I talk to them every once in a while, and all the guys were told not to cut their hair. God, it's so weird, this is the first time I'm talking, because I was so not allowed to talk about this before! I still kind of get panicked that I'm giving something away. But I guess the episode aired...
... But yes, we were told not to cut our hair, and then we had a meeting and they decided what they wanted to do with each person. But I think the most shocking was easily Jay Ferguson, who plays Stan. Because that's all real. Jay can grow a beard. He's like a grizzly bear. And he walked around for five months with all of that hair on his face. I can't even imagine! Jay is definitely more of a man than I will ever be, as far as facial hair. There were a good couple weeks when I couldn't help but laugh every time I saw Jay.
Stan's beard is AWESOME.
posted by Chrysostom at 3:27 PM on April 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Chrysostom at 3:27 PM on April 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
But if this is supposed to be for cool stuff found on the web, then why the obit posts? It's not like anyone could miss the death of Margaret Thatcher or Roger Ebert.
posted by Ideefixe at 3:51 PM on April 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Ideefixe at 3:51 PM on April 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
Im pro conversation cause yer all witty motherfuckers.
posted by The Whelk at 4:03 PM on April 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 4:03 PM on April 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
Cortex talked about this a little in the Thatcher MeTa, but basically obits are special cases that the community in general seems to like and expect, and while we push hard against careless one-liner obits (I deleted two or three today on Jonathan Winters, for example) we don't outlaw them entirely because we are fundamentally driven by community demand.
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 4:04 PM on April 12, 2013
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 4:04 PM on April 12, 2013
I guess everyone hopes to get something different out of MetaFilter; like brennen, the appeal for me is both the links to interesting things *and* the community's discussion of them. Elsa's analysis of the series' characters and themes in the latest Mad Men-related FPP is some of the most interesting and insightful I've read anywhere... a FPP about Mad Men may not be unique or novel, but it's a show a lot of MeFites are interested in and the discussion here is often a lot more interesting than reading 100 "Woo! Can't wait for Mad Men!" Facebook and Twitter updates, or TV critic roundups.
At the other end of the spectrum, I also love the posts about totally obscure, highly specific things that people dig up on the internet; sometimes I can't think of anything to say, so I'll leave a favorite. I've made a couple of FPPs like that myself, and even if they don't lead to much discussion it's neat when one gets some favorites.
posted by usonian at 4:13 PM on April 12, 2013
At the other end of the spectrum, I also love the posts about totally obscure, highly specific things that people dig up on the internet; sometimes I can't think of anything to say, so I'll leave a favorite. I've made a couple of FPPs like that myself, and even if they don't lead to much discussion it's neat when one gets some favorites.
posted by usonian at 4:13 PM on April 12, 2013
Thanks restless_nomad. That really does help me articulate what I'm trying to ask about here. Nowhere in the FAQ or guidelines does it stress, or even suggest, the idea that trying to start a discussion in itself is not justification for a good FPP.
Is the link you're about to post provocative enough to show to everyone? If so post away.
I think this sentence even starts to say the opposite, because it suggests that something being provocative makes it a good post. It seems like these days the consensus is that something being provocative makes it a bad post, unless there is something else present to justify it.
I do think otherwise the FAQ/guidelines make it very clear that good posts start with interesting content, and that being inflammatory on purpose is trolling, but I definitely don't see anything stating specifically that discussion is not the primary purpose of the site, or that "I want to post this because I want to know what MeFi thinks about this topic" isn't quite hitting the nail on the head. And my thought is that if there is a community consensus about that, newbies don't know it.
Now I definitely understand that you might not want to do this, as it's clear even from this thread that the distinction between "I don't want to see posts that are just there to start a discussion" and "I don't want to see discussion/I don't value the discussions on MeFi" is difficult to communicate.
IMO an obituary thread is very much not posted for discussion, but posted in the spirit of "I want Metafilter to know that this person has passed away and why their life should be remembered." I think most obituaries framed as "I want to see MeFites debate the worth of this person's life" are bad posts.
So maybe this conversation should be about 'debate' or 'arguments' rather than 'discussion'. I don't know. Here's another example of a MeTa where the subject came up. The OP of the deleted post says I was hoping that the post would remain up so that eventually people could actually shed more light on the validity of the data it links to. And here's cortex saying that's not really what MeFi is for. But there's nowhere in the rules or guidelines that really says that's not what MeFi is for.
I apologize for the wall of text here. I'm trying to get my thoughts in order! Thanks for bearing with me.
posted by capricorn at 4:19 PM on April 12, 2013
Is the link you're about to post provocative enough to show to everyone? If so post away.
I think this sentence even starts to say the opposite, because it suggests that something being provocative makes it a good post. It seems like these days the consensus is that something being provocative makes it a bad post, unless there is something else present to justify it.
I do think otherwise the FAQ/guidelines make it very clear that good posts start with interesting content, and that being inflammatory on purpose is trolling, but I definitely don't see anything stating specifically that discussion is not the primary purpose of the site, or that "I want to post this because I want to know what MeFi thinks about this topic" isn't quite hitting the nail on the head. And my thought is that if there is a community consensus about that, newbies don't know it.
Now I definitely understand that you might not want to do this, as it's clear even from this thread that the distinction between "I don't want to see posts that are just there to start a discussion" and "I don't want to see discussion/I don't value the discussions on MeFi" is difficult to communicate.
IMO an obituary thread is very much not posted for discussion, but posted in the spirit of "I want Metafilter to know that this person has passed away and why their life should be remembered." I think most obituaries framed as "I want to see MeFites debate the worth of this person's life" are bad posts.
So maybe this conversation should be about 'debate' or 'arguments' rather than 'discussion'. I don't know. Here's another example of a MeTa where the subject came up. The OP of the deleted post says I was hoping that the post would remain up so that eventually people could actually shed more light on the validity of the data it links to. And here's cortex saying that's not really what MeFi is for. But there's nowhere in the rules or guidelines that really says that's not what MeFi is for.
I apologize for the wall of text here. I'm trying to get my thoughts in order! Thanks for bearing with me.
posted by capricorn at 4:19 PM on April 12, 2013
(And just to be clear, I absolutely deeply value the discussions on MeFi! They are awesome!)
posted by capricorn at 4:21 PM on April 12, 2013
posted by capricorn at 4:21 PM on April 12, 2013
And my thought is that if there is a community consensus about that,
There isn't though, not really, though there's a lot of lip service paid to the idea that a post should be about something cool you want to share, not discuss. But it's the shame as with the pretence that favourites are just for bookmarking and not score keeping, more honoured in the breach than in the observance.
On the other hand, from a moderator point of view it is a useful fiction to keep up, as it does of course raise the barrier for what makes a worthwhile post. The less newsfilter posts that need to be deleted there are, the easier their jobs.
posted by MartinWisse at 4:34 PM on April 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
There isn't though, not really, though there's a lot of lip service paid to the idea that a post should be about something cool you want to share, not discuss. But it's the shame as with the pretence that favourites are just for bookmarking and not score keeping, more honoured in the breach than in the observance.
On the other hand, from a moderator point of view it is a useful fiction to keep up, as it does of course raise the barrier for what makes a worthwhile post. The less newsfilter posts that need to be deleted there are, the easier their jobs.
posted by MartinWisse at 4:34 PM on April 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
What is the sound of one hand FPPing? Be like the unplated bean and all threads will be both closed and open for you, deleted and undeleted, editable and fixed.
posted by XMLicious at 5:01 PM on April 12, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by XMLicious at 5:01 PM on April 12, 2013 [5 favorites]
quin: "I love the conversations here, I always have, but as I've moved more into a poster role, I've developed a weird goal. I want to come up with a well liked post that generates no comments at all. "
One random thing I've noticed from my own posts - there seems to be an inverse relationship between favorites/comments. The more comments it gets, the less people favorite it, and vice versa.
posted by mannequito at 5:09 PM on April 12, 2013
One random thing I've noticed from my own posts - there seems to be an inverse relationship between favorites/comments. The more comments it gets, the less people favorite it, and vice versa.
posted by mannequito at 5:09 PM on April 12, 2013
The more comments it gets, the less people favorite it, and vice versa.
I usually unfavorite a post when I comment on it. I don't want to see it on two pages in Recent Activity.
posted by grouse at 5:11 PM on April 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
I usually unfavorite a post when I comment on it. I don't want to see it on two pages in Recent Activity.
posted by grouse at 5:11 PM on April 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
I know I said this before but just put up an official forum already so I don't have to go to TWOP.
From my perspective you can just turn off the regular site sunday nights cuz I ain't reading about scrimshaw or obscure banking laws when Mad Men and GOT is on.
For the Mefites that cannot watch these shows for some reason, they can read the play by play of the episodes on the forum.
I'll even kick in 5$ or contribute to a kickstarter to make this happen.
tv.metafilter.com, do it!
posted by Ad hominem at 5:12 PM on April 12, 2013 [3 favorites]
From my perspective you can just turn off the regular site sunday nights cuz I ain't reading about scrimshaw or obscure banking laws when Mad Men and GOT is on.
For the Mefites that cannot watch these shows for some reason, they can read the play by play of the episodes on the forum.
I'll even kick in 5$ or contribute to a kickstarter to make this happen.
tv.metafilter.com, do it!
posted by Ad hominem at 5:12 PM on April 12, 2013 [3 favorites]
Guys if I only wanted interesting links, I'd check out del.icio.us, digg, stumbleupon, or blogdex.net!
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:24 PM on April 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:24 PM on April 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
I've never thought of MetaFilter as a forum. Forums are hangouts for ill-informed blowhards with a poor command of the mechanics of written English. That is, the opposite of posters on MetaFilter. I guess I just think of the discussions as the "community" part of "community weblog."
posted by scratch at 5:25 PM on April 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by scratch at 5:25 PM on April 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
I don't think of MetaFilter as a forum. I think of it as the Forum. Mostly because it is full of guys in togas complaining about Julius Caesar.
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:46 PM on April 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:46 PM on April 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
Dear MetaFilter Forum:
Though I've been an avid reader of comments for many years, I always thought the outrageous posts were totally made up fantasies that would never happen to me. Then just the other day, something really crazy happened that you'll never believe. It all started during the Margaret Thatcher obituary thread...
posted by Dr. Zira at 5:50 PM on April 12, 2013 [5 favorites]
Though I've been an avid reader of comments for many years, I always thought the outrageous posts were totally made up fantasies that would never happen to me. Then just the other day, something really crazy happened that you'll never believe. It all started during the Margaret Thatcher obituary thread...
posted by Dr. Zira at 5:50 PM on April 12, 2013 [5 favorites]
I'll even kick in 5$ or contribute to a kickstarter to make this happen.
tv.metafilter.com, do it!
I would also support an official or unofficial tv site, even if I have to create a sockpuppet to have someone to talk to about Justified.
Many times I will click through to the comments on posts I might otherwise overlook because there is often an interesting or informative discussion and it's been a good way to learn about new subjects or perspectives. It's not what I expect, however, and not the intended goal of posts I make.
posted by Room 641-A at 5:50 PM on April 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
tv.metafilter.com, do it!
I would also support an official or unofficial tv site, even if I have to create a sockpuppet to have someone to talk to about Justified.
Many times I will click through to the comments on posts I might otherwise overlook because there is often an interesting or informative discussion and it's been a good way to learn about new subjects or perspectives. It's not what I expect, however, and not the intended goal of posts I make.
posted by Room 641-A at 5:50 PM on April 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
quin: "I have no idea why, but I think it's sort of an extension of something that someone said here a long time ago; the best posts tend to have more favorites than comments."
A recent post of mine has a 12.1:1 favourite to comment ratio (181 favourites:15 comments) which was far from my norm and I got to thinking what the highest ratio and what the mean and average ratios are but I can't figure out how to get that information out of the data dump (admittedly I haven't tried very hard).
posted by Mitheral at 6:00 PM on April 12, 2013
A recent post of mine has a 12.1:1 favourite to comment ratio (181 favourites:15 comments) which was far from my norm and I got to thinking what the highest ratio and what the mean and average ratios are but I can't figure out how to get that information out of the data dump (admittedly I haven't tried very hard).
posted by Mitheral at 6:00 PM on April 12, 2013
I would also support an official or unofficial tv site, even if I have to create a sockpuppet to have someone to talk to about Justified.
I tried to start a metafilter TV proboard (the metacooler) like . . . two years ago? but honestly it was too hard to attract all the best TV-chatting members with any regularity, particularly as so much conversation was already happening on this site (who wants to have the same convo in two places?). I do wish we'd have tv.metafilter.com, because this is, bar none, the best place for intelligent tv conversation on the internet. But I understand why it's unlikely.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 6:13 PM on April 12, 2013
I tried to start a metafilter TV proboard (the metacooler) like . . . two years ago? but honestly it was too hard to attract all the best TV-chatting members with any regularity, particularly as so much conversation was already happening on this site (who wants to have the same convo in two places?). I do wish we'd have tv.metafilter.com, because this is, bar none, the best place for intelligent tv conversation on the internet. But I understand why it's unlikely.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 6:13 PM on April 12, 2013
The MetaFilter chat room might be the place for general chatting that doesn't quite fit in the thread.
posted by arcticseal at 6:33 PM on April 12, 2013
posted by arcticseal at 6:33 PM on April 12, 2013
I've never thought of MetaFilter as a forum. Forums are hangouts for ill-informed blowhards with a poor command of the mechanics of written English. That is, the opposite of posters on MetaFilter. I guess I just think of the discussions as the "community" part of "community weblog."
Whereas Metafilter is a forum for some of the smuggest people on the Internet.
But seriously I love the discussions here.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 6:34 PM on April 12, 2013 [3 favorites]
Whereas Metafilter is a forum for some of the smuggest people on the Internet.
But seriously I love the discussions here.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 6:34 PM on April 12, 2013 [3 favorites]
Like if I just wanted links I'd read Digg or FARK or Reddit.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 6:35 PM on April 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 6:35 PM on April 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
Hmmm... I like that the FPP's can stand alone, without comment. But the comments are the spices that add flavor to the meat.
posted by _paegan_ at 7:01 PM on April 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by _paegan_ at 7:01 PM on April 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
I wish we had tv.metafilter.com, too. I really needed to find an online support group after this weeks episode of Southland. Here, with so many kind people collected in one place, would have been the ideal location.
posted by Brody's chum at 7:12 PM on April 12, 2013
posted by Brody's chum at 7:12 PM on April 12, 2013
Charlemagne In Sweatpants: "Whereas Metafilter is a forum for some of the smuggest people on the Internet."
I thought George Clooney disabled his account?
posted by mannequito at 7:12 PM on April 12, 2013
I thought George Clooney disabled his account?
posted by mannequito at 7:12 PM on April 12, 2013
The biggest downside of the chat room is you can't go back and re read insightful comment on the progression if X like a year later.
posted by The Whelk at 7:26 PM on April 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 7:26 PM on April 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
I definitely don't see anything stating specifically that discussion is not the primary purpose of the site
I really feel like this isn't stated because it's not really true in any way that would be worth putting into the guidelines (which people sort of don't read anyhow most of the time). You've got to start with something on the web but one of the qualities that that something has to have is "might start interesting discussion" so sometimes people jump ahead to that part without the first part. It's mostly okay though, to my mind. The occasional post deletion or "let's all talk about the guidelines" back and forth in MeTa is not really that problematic. People who want absolute rules so that they can guarantee their posts won't be deleted may just fine this place's looser guidelines to not really be to their liking.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 7:52 PM on April 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
I really feel like this isn't stated because it's not really true in any way that would be worth putting into the guidelines (which people sort of don't read anyhow most of the time). You've got to start with something on the web but one of the qualities that that something has to have is "might start interesting discussion" so sometimes people jump ahead to that part without the first part. It's mostly okay though, to my mind. The occasional post deletion or "let's all talk about the guidelines" back and forth in MeTa is not really that problematic. People who want absolute rules so that they can guarantee their posts won't be deleted may just fine this place's looser guidelines to not really be to their liking.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 7:52 PM on April 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
Certainly the least homicidal userbase.
posted by Ad hominem at 8:15 PM on April 12, 2013
posted by Ad hominem at 8:15 PM on April 12, 2013
I want to come up with a well liked post that generates no comments at all.
I think I had a run of a few months where no post of mine got more than like 10 comments.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:04 PM on April 12, 2013
I think I had a run of a few months where no post of mine got more than like 10 comments.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:04 PM on April 12, 2013
Certainly the least homicidal userbase.
Hi. I'm quin. Please allow me to introduce myself.
posted by quin at 10:04 PM on April 12, 2013
Hi. I'm quin. Please allow me to introduce myself.
posted by quin at 10:04 PM on April 12, 2013
The biggest downside of the chat room is you can't go back and re read insightful comment on the progression if X like a year later.
I agree. At the same time, that's also its biggest upside.
posted by Too-Ticky at 2:41 AM on April 13, 2013
I agree. At the same time, that's also its biggest upside.
posted by Too-Ticky at 2:41 AM on April 13, 2013
There should just be a proper IRC channel rather than this web chat malarky.
posted by MartinWisse at 3:10 AM on April 13, 2013
posted by MartinWisse at 3:10 AM on April 13, 2013
quin: I completely agree with you.
I ain't reading about scrimshaw or obscure banking laws
Hey!
I can't figure out how to get that information out of the data dump
Which posts by Mitheral in MetaFilter have the highest favorites:comments ratio?
Guys if I only wanted interesting links, I'd check out del.icio.us, digg, stumbleupon, or blogdex.net!
The best metafilter posts, I think, are when different links are drawn together in a way that illuminates or highlights some previously-hidden piece of information, the reveal of a deeper connection, or the identification of a previously-unheard-of trend. MeFi, due to the way posts are constructed and the culture that has grown up around it, is uniquely suited for this.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 5:25 AM on April 13, 2013
I ain't reading about scrimshaw or obscure banking laws
Hey!
I can't figure out how to get that information out of the data dump
Which posts by Mitheral in MetaFilter have the highest favorites:comments ratio?
Guys if I only wanted interesting links, I'd check out del.icio.us, digg, stumbleupon, or blogdex.net!
The best metafilter posts, I think, are when different links are drawn together in a way that illuminates or highlights some previously-hidden piece of information, the reveal of a deeper connection, or the identification of a previously-unheard-of trend. MeFi, due to the way posts are constructed and the culture that has grown up around it, is uniquely suited for this.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 5:25 AM on April 13, 2013
Oh I wasn't interested so much in my favourite:comment ratios; my posting history isn't so huge that a visual grep can't solve that problem. I was wondering more all time for all users. Which I now see is straight forward. And ya my 181:12 is way up there at 27th on that dump; I thought it was pretty unusual.
posted by Mitheral at 9:12 AM on April 13, 2013
posted by Mitheral at 9:12 AM on April 13, 2013
I would like to request that if people are going to treat it like a discussion forum, then they at least read some portion of the linked material before they come in to comment - especially if that comment is some dismissive thread-shitting off the cuff remark that clearly reveals they haven't read the material.
posted by codacorolla at 9:19 AM on April 13, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by codacorolla at 9:19 AM on April 13, 2013 [3 favorites]
I agree with codacorolla - one of my pet peeves is when the first few comments are just one-line, snarky remarks. Obviously not every post is going to cultivate thought-provoking discussion, but it's an indicator (to me) that I'm going to have to wait a bit longer than usual for additional insight, if it arrives at all. That said, one reason I continue to hang out here is because of the discussion, in addition to the wide range of interests, topics, and cool stuff on the web that I would never have been exposed to otherwise.
posted by antonymous at 3:58 PM on April 13, 2013
posted by antonymous at 3:58 PM on April 13, 2013
"I tried to start a metafilter TV proboard (the metacooler) like . . . two years ago?"
Yes, I registered there! I recently tried to remember what it was and went combing through my email and bookmarks looking for it. No one I asked knew what I was talking about either so I figured I was misremembering it. I don't think I ever posted because I was too shy at the time.
posted by Room 641-A at 9:49 PM on April 13, 2013
Yes, I registered there! I recently tried to remember what it was and went combing through my email and bookmarks looking for it. No one I asked knew what I was talking about either so I figured I was misremembering it. I don't think I ever posted because I was too shy at the time.
posted by Room 641-A at 9:49 PM on April 13, 2013
MetaFilter functions in my life equally as a place where I find out about things and a place where I talk about things with a community I respect. Take away the latter, and I'd have little interest in the former - I've got a feedreader and Twitter and Pinboard and IRC and mailing lists and so on and so forth for finding stuff. I think it's kind of silly to act like people shouldn't/won't write posts with this reality in mind.Yeah, there are a million places to find "cool stuff on the web". And a lot of sites do it "better" then Metafilter. I suppose a bunch of "let's talk about X" posts could be pretty dull, but metafilter without the comments would be completely worthless, IMO.
I've never thought of MetaFilter as a forum. Forums are hangouts for ill-informed blowhards with a poor command of the mechanics of written English.That's pretty ridiculous. There obviously forums where people know how to write well, it depends on the topic. A few seconds of googling found this place, for example.
posted by delmoi at 9:02 AM on April 16, 2013
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I'm not saying that to discourage conversation about the subject, just to frame it a little bit. It's hard to get people to read the rules as it is, but if you have ideas on how to express that more clearly, then by all means, let's talk about them.
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 2:29 PM on April 12, 2013