What is the consensus regarding posting images to the front page? November 4, 2002 9:45 PM   Subscribe

What is the consensus regarding posting images to the front page? I don't have issue with it, I am just wondering. I find no mention of it in the guidelines, but I never see it happen....
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood to Etiquette/Policy at 9:45 PM (47 comments total)

Bad. Obvious.
posted by Stan Chin at 9:48 PM on November 4, 2002


Couldn't you have waited, say, the half day it takes Matt to axe it and then come to the obvious conlusion that it's bad?

I was wondering if anyone would feel the need to bring this to Metatalk. Bad. Bad. Bad.

on preview: So concise, Stanley!
posted by The God Complex at 9:49 PM on November 4, 2002


What a very odd way to bring this up.

(I never see it happen, but I see it and it freaks me ...).


My take: let Matt make the call and don't sweat it.
posted by Wulfgar! at 9:51 PM on November 4, 2002


Make.It. Not. So
posted by dash_slot- at 9:56 PM on November 4, 2002


IMAGES?
BAD.
OBVIOUS.
posted by Yelling At Nothing at 10:06 PM on November 4, 2002


it's a bad thing.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 10:12 PM on November 4, 2002


Even if it's animated?!
posted by Hildago at 10:17 PM on November 4, 2002


Even if it's animated?!

Of course not. Why even ask such a stupid question, Hidalgo? Everyone knows that animated gifs are a-ok, no matter what the scenario. The only thing better than an animated image on the front page is one that plays music.
posted by The God Complex at 10:19 PM on November 4, 2002


I'm thinking that one should be archived as *the* bad post.

Is it just me, or did that post actually highjack itself?

I tried to get a screen shot, but I think everyone was reloading so fast that the site came to a crawl.

Oh. My God.
posted by y6y6y6 at 10:22 PM on November 4, 2002


It 'twas truly unique in its awfulness.
posted by Zora Neale Hurston at 10:23 PM on November 4, 2002


The mathowie has spoken. Our answer is known.


OOOOhhhhhhhhmmmmmm.
posted by Wulfgar! at 10:32 PM on November 4, 2002


Say, does Matt have like a Batphone that certain users have the number so that they can call when something bad happens? The swiftness is quite extraordinary.
posted by Stan Chin at 10:34 PM on November 4, 2002


It's called the MattSignal, and you only use it when there is no other choice.
posted by Hildago at 10:37 PM on November 4, 2002


*Socko*
posted by Wulfgar! at 10:41 PM on November 4, 2002


The Mattsignal is a big M, and one time there was some confusion because if you look at it from the wrong direction it looks like a W, which as everybody knows is what you use to summon Wim Wenders.
posted by Hildago at 10:41 PM on November 4, 2002


Double-post!

Quick, to the MattCave!
posted by Yelling At Nothing at 10:49 PM on November 4, 2002


Have you heard that President Bush is going to....

POW!!!

One thing that drives me crazy about creationists is...

WHAM!!!

According to Yahoo News...

WHACK!!!


Holy vibrating broomsticks Mattman!
posted by gsteff at 11:27 PM on November 4, 2002


Couldn't you have waited, say, the half day it takes Matt to axe it and then come to the obvious conlusion that it's bad?

I guess, more clearly, my question is why do the guidelines not mention this?
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 11:59 PM on November 4, 2002


I_think_the_guidelines_should_make_people_have_snappier_names_so_they_dont_sound_like_stephen_hawking_theres_a_thought_steve_at_hawking.
posted by sgt.serenity at 12:07 AM on November 5, 2002


The guidelines don't mention most things that are frowned on around these parts because if the guidelines are too specific, then whenever anybody does anything wrong that isn't forbidden in the guidelines, the response will inevitably be well that wasn't in the guidelines.

Plus - we're not five. The hope is that in posting we can use common sense and don't need a lot of parental structure imposed on us. A quick glance at MeFi will show that not a lot of images are posted to the front page. Shouldn't be a huge leap to then realize that probably wouldn't be a good idea.
posted by willnot at 12:39 AM on November 5, 2002


That post was truly impressive. I was worried that I would miss out on the opportunity for mocking, but fortunately the post is (highly) visible on LoFi, in all its Chris Kattan-like glory. Please, somebody tell me I'm not the only one who sees this.
posted by Galvatron at 12:43 AM on November 5, 2002


i resemble that remark, sgt.serenity.

(i didn't know you could use spaces - years of logins where spaces are verboten have conditioned me).
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 1:32 AM on November 5, 2002


same here joe's spleen...
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 2:20 AM on November 5, 2002


maybe you could start running the place for us all........

i refer the right honorable member to the end of the
proclaimers song "letter from america"


posted by sgt.serenity at 2:51 AM on November 5, 2002


clearly there has to be some... legitimate use of this... ability.

it was used frivolously here, no doubt, but what if....?

What could justify a front page picture post?

Not a rhetorical question... what do you think could justify a front page picture post?
posted by cadastral at 3:13 AM on November 5, 2002




and (excuse the double comment)
a pax vobiscum to you too, my non smoking cross burning chum!
posted by sgt.serenity at 3:40 AM on November 5, 2002


Sgt - you look like a young
Mark E.Smith! Is your
handwriting similar too?
If so, here's a font for you. Perhaps it will
help you
kick the
habit. ;)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 3:43 AM on November 5, 2002


I'm confused. Why is it obviously wrong to post an image?
posted by oissubke at 6:39 AM on November 5, 2002


i look like a god lookin mark e smith!
(sorry meant to say good there)

i do a fine-ah mark e-yuh smith imperrrressshunnnnuh!
you like the fall too huh?
we need some fpp's about all things fall-uh!

a miserable scottish-uh hotel,resembled-uh a genesis or marillion-uh 1973 lp cover-uh.
there was me ,
the hoover,
and some
oap
asked-
could he turn killer?

posted by sgt.serenity at 6:40 AM on November 5, 2002


Has anyone noticed that even if the post didn't have an image (bandwidth, oissubke), it would still have sucked? What a trolling mess:


NOW Foundation's Third Annual Feminist Primetime Report TV Reality according to US Feminists:
#1: Men Run the U.S. and the World
#2 The Jennifer Aniston Rule. etc...
Review of the report in SF GATE
/QUESTION/ Is feminism any good for the society from the man's point of view ? What do you guys think ? I assume most Me-Fi users are males, right? //QUESTION//


That it ended with a "Transgendered people - ew!" link is just oil-slick icing on that little sinking ship.
posted by mediareport at 6:46 AM on November 5, 2002


I'm confused. Why is it obviously wrong to post an image?
posted by oissubke at 6:39 AM PST on November 5


I'll take a stab at it: the metafilter front page is a very simple interface of based on four or five colors. Images upset that very clean design, making the whole page surrounding the image look ugly. I'ts why changing the font color on a post is also frowned upon (if not outright banned).

Oh, and bandwidth too.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 6:48 AM on November 5, 2002


Apparently I cannot type this morning.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 6:48 AM on November 5, 2002


its in the old testament oissubke:

and the lord said unto matthew:"'i have formed this ye front page and ye shall in no wise make unto thee any graven image or ye jaypegge of any living thing , neither of ye pancakes nor ye fluffy rabbits to display on this my front page, for it is the lords front page and it is most holy' '"

hope that clears things up.
posted by sgt.serenity at 6:50 AM on November 5, 2002


"Hark ye, squires an auld souls!
Thyne ill tapestries doth tempt an excite thee Page ov Flanders"
posted by Smart Dalek at 8:08 AM on November 5, 2002


"hope that clears things up."

Ummmm........ [blink blink]

Images on the home page - We like to fit lots of post together on the home page. We like to pop in and see what's been updated. Having one image take up a third of the screen is just not going to be tolerated. Sorry. The interface has been refined over the years using hundreds of pages of Metatalk comments. We've tried it every which way. People really like it to be compact and succinct.

If a post needs something like this, the accepted strategy is to use a [more inside].

But even without the picture this post was bad. It covered three unrelated topics. The text was spread over half the page. It was confusing and vague. The image was *totally* unnecessary. And topic(s) very likely to stir up a bunch of nasty name calling.

It was wrong in every way. I'm sure the poster is a nice person who has some great things to contribute to Metafilter. This post wasn't such a thing.
posted by y6y6y6 at 8:09 AM on November 5, 2002


Ignoring the fact that images (particularly large images) are visually disruptive on MetaFilter's front page, the post also linked directly to an image on another server, a practice commonly known as "bandwidth stealing". It's bad etiquette on the Internet, period.

Consequently, everyone who accessed MetaFilter would be forced to download an unnecessary image they otherwise wouldn't have, an added strain on those visitors still relegated to dial-up access.

It's about courtesy to others, for the most part.
posted by Danelope at 8:27 AM on November 5, 2002


I've never seen anyone with the audacity to post an image to the front page before but I know that mathowie has a very low tolerance for images in threads and has threatened to disable the image tag altogether.

If the guidelines spelled out every stupid thing that was forbidden, we'd need another hard drive just to store them.
posted by timeistight at 8:44 AM on November 5, 2002


'This is the three R's
The three R's:
Repetition, Repetition, Repetition'

-ah!

Miguel: I never had you down as a Fall guy ;-)
sgt.serenity: Are collaborative FPPs allowed? We should...
posted by i_cola at 9:09 AM on November 5, 2002


Ah but I am, from the very beginning, i_cola, before even John Peel got his fingers on them. Living in Manchester from 1975 to 1982 helped of course... Bill Is Dead, from Extricate, is probably my favourite song by any band from that period. Name an indie band from that period and it's 10 to 1 I saw them at the Student's Union or somewhere even worse for a quid. I won't say I actually watched them while they were playing (the bar faced the wrong way for that) but I heard them alright and they were all awful.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 10:14 AM on November 5, 2002


"24 Hour Posting People is simply a two-hour rave, an acidic, ecstatic trip through the not-too-distant past in a world called Manchester MetaFilter. Gangly TV reporter Miguel Cardoso (in one of the year’s most amazing performances) sees a new future open before him in a browser window in September 2001..."
posted by rory at 10:51 AM on November 5, 2002


Hip Priest-ah!

Wow, Metatalk just got a whole lot cooler. Thanks for the font link, Miguel! It's perfect for the meth-induced rock lyrics I plan on writing and menacing college kids with. Good to see some more Fall fans at The 'Filter.
posted by dhoyt at 12:21 PM on November 5, 2002


</alliteration>
posted by dhoyt at 12:28 PM on November 5, 2002


*goes on stage, salutes fellow fall fans , falls over drunk,
attacks drummer and sacks entire band*

ps you'll have had your tea then rory?
posted by sgt.serenity at 3:05 PM on November 5, 2002


Metafilter: There is no other choice.
posted by eddydamascene at 4:05 PM on November 5, 2002


an added strain on those visitors still relegated to dial-up access.

26,400bps is the speed of my connection right now and on good days. It varies but rarely goes below 14,000 or above 26,400. The image didnt slow me down or seem like a strain. I guess if there were like 50 of them it would. Do people actually connect at slower speeds than me?
posted by Recockulous at 6:27 PM on November 5, 2002



posted by angry modem at 7:04 PM on November 5, 2002


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