Advice Threads in MeTa

January 25, 2001 8:27 AM

Would anyone be interested in having a new MetaTalk topic where we could ask advice and opinions of each other? I am interested in buying a digital camera. This one in fact. I know many of you have digital cameras, maybe even the one I want. I would be curious to know what you think. We have tech people here who could advise people about fixing their machines, etc. What do you think?
posted by thirteen to feature requests at 8:27 AM (10 comments total)

Yes! I was wanting to post a question for MeFi just the other day. Now of course I can't remember what it was... Oh yeah, it was about non-compete clauses in job contracts (my story's here).

I think I want that camera too. I have a Nikon 990, but I can't bring myself to carry it around. I've heard lots of people say their S100 is always with them.

Anyway, this would be an excellent topic.

posted by sudama at 9:59 AM on January 25, 2001

A problem with the internet: sites try to be everything to everybody instead of specializing in what they do well. Witness: Netscape.com, Dejavu.com, etc etc.

Now, I am not saying that adding a MetaTalk section for advice and opinions is necessarily a bad idea, but it does seem to be perhaps branching MeFi out into an area it wasn't intended for.

Why not use Epinions.com for your peer review and opinion needs? And there are plenty of tech sites out there if you need help fixing a machine.

That said, I understand the appeal of being able to ask other MeFi'ers for help and advice, because there seems to be a pretty bright bunch that gathers here. I am of two minds on the matter.

BTW, I have the Nikon 990, and I love it. If you want to be able to make prints from your photos, I would get something with more than the Canon's 2.1 megapixels (the 990 has 3.34).
posted by ericost at 10:34 AM on January 25, 2001

I think a MetaTalk category wouldn't dilute Metafilter too much. I was thinking about pointing out epinions also, but there's lots of stuff that I'd like MetaFilistine opinions on, because the membership is a group of people whose opinions I respect.

'Course, I can't think of anything off-hand but an "Ask MetaFilter" (to steal a /. meme, of course) area could be handy.
posted by cCranium at 10:42 AM on January 25, 2001

One concern with a "user-to-user" category is that I would essentially ignore it, so problems, bullies, crackers, whatever might overrun the place.
posted by mathowie at 11:40 AM on January 25, 2001

Interesting, but I don't enjoy slogging through email the way I enjoy slogging through MeFi and MetaTalk.
posted by sudama at 5:50 PM on January 25, 2001

Yeah, I know the idea of a big honking active mailing list doesn't appeal to everyone like it used to. But in my day...
posted by aaron at 9:41 PM on January 25, 2001

I subscribe to the UNIX philosophy: do one thing well.

Epinions. Photo.net. Newsgroups. All these are better suited to the kind of recommendations stuff. Even a quiet email to someone whose posts obviously show a professional knowledge of a subject.

That said, Slashdot has its "ask Slashdot", so MetaTalk could possibly cope with an "Ask MeFi" section.
posted by holgate at 11:16 AM on January 26, 2001

I had not considered that a topic like that could dilute anything. I like e-pinions, and visit frequently, but I also like the free flowing conversational tone we have going here. I have a Slashdot account, but find the site dense and seldom visit any longer. I don't believe I was ever aware of the Ask Slashdot section.
I sort of envisioned threads like the Under$30 dollar contest that was here last year. I became aware of many cool things that I never would have found on my own, because I never would have been searching for them.

I know Metafilter cannot be all things, but it is tempting to want to push it, because it seems like such a nice informational omni-net. It certainly does community well.
posted by thirteen at 11:37 AM on January 26, 2001

Final word: Camera is mighty cool. Tiny enough to sneak into stores to take reference shots for illustration, resolution fine for reference and web. I am a happy guy. Zoom is weak but sufficient. Always pleased by the use of Lithium battery. Recommended.
posted by thirteen at 1:59 PM on January 30, 2001