Community HTML fixes

June 6, 2001 2:22 PM

I like the fact that posters can leave HTML tags unclosed and that other people come along and "save" the page. It builds communty strength. Even if a way is devised to automatically close tags, I vote against implementing it.

(and I don't like that I am incapable of editing copy on a computer screen and don't notice errors until it's too late.)
posted by ParisParamus to MetaFilter-Related at 2:22 PM (16 comments total)

Very cool job of reversing the usual perspective on this issue, Paris. I agree.
posted by rodii at 3:18 PM on June 6, 2001

i find unclosed tags annoying, and i hope that if you take a vote of all active mefi users, you'd find most agree. communal closing of tags seems to me just too outlandish, and your statement reminds me of the old cliche "it's not a bug, it's a feature"
posted by moz at 3:19 PM on June 6, 2001

"seems to me just too outlandish"

I like outlandish.

What annoys me is experiencing the same thing all the time because someone took a vote and decided that's how you decide what's best.

"Let democracy. More Metafilter."
posted by y6y6y6 at 4:14 PM on June 6, 2001

I don't think people closing tags for each other builds community strength. I think it's an example of this communites strength. Barbeques and paint ball...those build community strength.
posted by Doug at 4:49 PM on June 6, 2001

So how do you guys feel about spell checking for other people?
posted by Doug at 4:49 PM on June 6, 2001

I vacillate on mandatory spell checking. There are times when you finish a post and just say to yourself "Bah, spelling be damned!" In fact, it's almost everytime for me. Not to mention bypassing the preview option in Metatalk. Metatalk is like the american old west, partna`
posted by john at 5:02 PM on June 6, 2001

POKEY SAYS: YES
posted by darukaru at 7:02 PM on June 6, 2001

I find...

::cough::

excuse me,

I find the community approach to correcting HTML errors rather charming, though practically, of course, I can see how it is a bug. Still, it can be taken too far--I very nearly closed someone's parenthesis for them earlier today.
posted by moss at 7:03 PM on June 6, 2001

Metatalk is where the fun is tonight! HTML hijinks and shenanigans everywhere!
posted by rodii at 8:28 PM on June 6, 2001

Anyone want to offer a primer on how to close a dangling tag? I'm still too shy to try...
posted by holgate at 9:17 AM on June 7, 2001

common tags:
<a href="url here">link text</a>

<b>bold</b>

<i>italic</i>
posted by rebeccablood at 12:39 PM on June 7, 2001

A question for Matt: I distinctly recall trying to close someone's tag for them some months ago, only to find that it was actually a <SPAN> tag drawing from a CSS. I ended up screwing up the page pretty bad.

Do some users try to use the CSS styles, or was that memory just a horrible, horrible dream?
posted by jpoulos at 12:51 PM on June 7, 2001

I do.
posted by rodii at 3:50 PM on June 7, 2001

darukaru: thanks for the POKEY reference ;)
posted by pnevares at 4:25 PM on June 7, 2001

Since the spelling checker has died on me in the middle of spell-checking a post EVERY single time I've tried to use it, communal spell-checking - if done snarkily - would inspire reverse-snarkism, and then where would we be?

[Except this time. When it was a good little spell checker and snarked at me about snarkish vocabulary.]

[I have no feelings one way or the other about styles and html tag closing. ]
posted by julen at 3:18 PM on June 8, 2001