Comments on: Self-linking policy

Self-linking policy

davebug — Tue, 13 May 2003 16:05:00 -0800

I'm sure this has been covered before, but I'm fairly new here (to posting, especially), so I thought I'd ask again. Please don't kill me, but:

I've had aspects of a meme-type thing that I helped to create posted about here. These linked to a site I contribute to but, since I didn't ask for or advocate the subject were in the clear.

Now, I've got a site dedicated to the subject that inspired the first game/challenge that the original story was part of. It seems to me that if people here enjoyed the tidbit on the matter they'd like to see the new whole site.

But...it would very obviously be a self-link, and I completely understand the point of outlawing those. What's a guy to do? Is there some third-party I could suggest a link to? Should I wait till a vaguely applicable post comes up and post it in the message boards? Should I just wait around and hope that eventually someone from here manages to find it?

I'd like to participate, but I'm too new to guess at these rules. I'm glad I at least found this area to post in (and I'm hoping that fact will shield me a bit from the flames I'm expecting to receive).

By: Pretty_Generic

Pretty_Generic — Tue, 13 May 2003 16:09:26 -0800

I'd like to participate

Yeah, just like Hitler wanted to participate.

By: quonsar

quonsar — Tue, 13 May 2003 16:12:03 -0800

user 2468 and you consider yourself new? wow.

By: quonsar

quonsar — Tue, 13 May 2003 16:12:33 -0800

you may be mefi's oldest virgin.

By: dg

dg — Tue, 13 May 2003 16:19:40 -0800

Apart from you, of course, quonsar.

Self-links, appropriately acknowledged as such and suitably apologised for in advance, are usually accepted in comments within a thread, so you have probably solved the problem by starting a thread about whatever the subject is so can safely post your link in a comment.

Or you may be shot down in flames, depending on the mood of the day. You pays your money and you takes your chances.

By: quonsar

quonsar — Tue, 13 May 2003 16:23:29 -0800

*quonsar gathers up the pieces of his shattered hymen and retreats indignantly*

By: dg

dg — Tue, 13 May 2003 16:25:20 -0800

Being bent over a barrel in MetaTalk doesn't count, quonsar.

By: holloway

holloway — Tue, 13 May 2003 16:34:36 -0800

I've been riding the CentraDoc meme-train, but I don't think Mefi is the appropriate place for it.

(a vaguely applicable post comes up)

By: mattpfeff

mattpfeff — Tue, 13 May 2003 16:35:40 -0800

I see from the comments above that we're back to MeTa as self-serving wank-fest. Oh joy.

davebug, you can submit your site to the MeFi Projects list. Someone on the list might think it's worth posting to MeFi itself.

By: mathowie

mathowie — Tue, 13 May 2003 17:07:05 -0800

Should I just wait around and hope that eventually someone from here manages to find it?

Ideally, that'd be the best method. Put it up, put it out there, and if it's good enough and there are enough metafilter users scouring the web for interesting bits, they'll find it and post it.

In the less perfect world, there is the aforementioned MeFi projects list.

By: Hildago

Hildago — Tue, 13 May 2003 18:38:45 -0800

Kindall, matt just gave you a new slogan for the projects list. Write it down, write it down.

Anyway Davebug, I wish there could be some distinction between self-links and links to things you have helped create. The term "self-link" to me implies some sort of vanity, like you're linking on metafilter to get more hits. That should be shunned, but what you're doing (if I am to believe your motives *takes long drag on cigarette*) is offering something you think will help the community, that you know of because you coincidentally happened to be a part of it. Me, I don't have a problem with it, but if Matt does, then well, better luck next crime.

By: squirrel

squirrel — Tue, 13 May 2003 20:38:27 -0800

Well, if I were in your situation, I might go back to the thread (or some similar thread) where users were volunteering their interest in your topic, find some folks who might find your site useful and interesting and mail them directly about it. If they like it enough they'll sponsor a new thread for you. Yes, it's "impure," but is it wrong?

On a related note, I have this preliminary communication study about FFFish and DDark on thread 25379 winding up this week, and I'm wondering how to make it available to those who are interested without treading on the same toes over which you fear to tread.

By: xmutex

xmutex — Tue, 13 May 2003 21:41:31 -0800

I say post the bastard, and let God sort it out.

By: taz

taz — Tue, 13 May 2003 22:08:58 -0800

I've come across some great sites by mefi members that have never been linked here, and the way I usually find them is when somebody makes an interesting post or comment and I check out their user page and follow the link(s). What sort of bothers me about your situation, davebug, is that you've been a member here since 2000, and your only contribution so far is one comment and one metatalk post, both about your project...

Ordinarily, my inclination would be pretty liberal, but this feels less like sharing, and more like using. But, either way, I guess you've now at least partially achieved your objective. We'll see how it goes.

By: Ufez Jones

Ufez Jones — Tue, 13 May 2003 22:29:33 -0800

touche', taz.

By: davebug

davebug — Tue, 13 May 2003 22:50:52 -0800

quonsar: Well, I've always read that you should sit around and watch a community before you jump in and participate. No one ever specified how long I was supposed to wait...Seems like 2 years is probably long enough, I guess.

mattpfeff, mathowie: Thanks for the advice, I hadn't noticed the MeFi Projects and will check it out. No matter what others suggest, I can't bring myself to just directly post the story hoping people won't mind the self-link, so we'll see if the story's deemed worthy by others.

taz: You're generally correct about the content of the 2 posts I've done, but I would like to think that I've limited my contributions to times I thought I could actually add something that wasn't already being said on the site. I'm not one to post "me too!" just to get my name out there.

It does seem a bit odd to be criticized essentially for having joined early on. You'll probably see more of me, but I'm going to continue to hold back until I think I'm offering something new, so no promises.

In any case, thanks for the comments everyone, I've got a much better idea of how to approach this situation now.

By: Pretty_Generic

Pretty_Generic — Wed, 14 May 2003 02:18:53 -0800

You're welcome.

By: twine42

twine42 — Wed, 14 May 2003 03:08:02 -0800

For a small fee I'm now available to post links from MeFi Projects to MeFi. ;)

By: amberglow

amberglow — Wed, 14 May 2003 05:52:37 -0800

Whatever happened to those emails anyway? Is no one doing anything interesting?

By: jonmc

jonmc — Wed, 14 May 2003 06:19:39 -0800

Well at the moment, I'm seeing which finger is best for nose picking, but I didn't wanna publicize the project till I had some hard data.

By: MiguelCardoso

MiguelCardoso — Wed, 14 May 2003 10:10:05 -0800

*in my wildest dreams, to the sweetest night music, davebug's beautiful posting record comes to me.

By: timeistight

timeistight — Wed, 14 May 2003 10:28:40 -0800

"The moving finger having writ moves on, and all your tears shall cancel not a word of it," except, of course, what mathowie deletes.

By: kindall

kindall — Wed, 14 May 2003 11:22:44 -0800

Whatever happened to those emails anyway? Is no one doing anything interesting?

I get very few submissions and, to make things worse, got somewhat remiss in senidng out updates around the beginning of the year, so people forgot it's there to send submissions to.

Additionally, there are a few (perhaps a dozen) people whose mail servers refuse to accept the mailings. (One replies with a bounce that admonishes, "Send your message through your ISP's mail server." Well, if my ISP would accept a message with 300 recipients, I might just do that...) I leave these accounts on the list just in case their ISPs get a clue. If you haven't received a mailing in the last month or two, you might be one of them.

There will be a mailing this weekend because someone did submit an announcement this week.

By: ginz

ginz — Wed, 14 May 2003 11:48:31 -0800

in my wildest dreams...

If only Dave would post one link. Doesn't have to be a particularly good one. Just to make it perfect.

By: MiguelCardoso

MiguelCardoso — Wed, 14 May 2003 11:51:48 -0800

He was saving it for his self-link? ;)