AskMe feedbacks on design

May 15, 2004 4:15 AM

AskMefi threads asking for critiques in design probably should be discouraged.
posted by crunchland to Etiquette/Policy at 4:15 AM (30 comments total)

Why?
posted by ColdChef at 4:43 AM on May 15, 2004

Yeah, why? Relative to some AskMe's, that one was rather innocuous.
posted by mischief at 4:45 AM on May 15, 2004

ditto. not like there's the huge volume there used to be on that page, these days.
posted by andrew cooke at 4:51 AM on May 15, 2004

well, I'm pretty sure Matt's already said that askmefi isn't the place for things like site checks/critiques for budding web designers, so one could assume the same should hold true for budding logo designers.
posted by crunchland at 5:59 AM on May 15, 2004

I don't see the connection.
posted by mischief at 6:11 AM on May 15, 2004

that post wasn't so bad, but if it sets a precedent things could get real annoying quickly.
posted by mcsweetie at 6:30 AM on May 15, 2004

Yeah, mcsweetie's right. IF it becomes widespread, it's irritating. As a one-time thing, I thought it was neat.
posted by Mayor Curley at 6:39 AM on May 15, 2004

well, that's why I tried to make this post about it a little lower key than the normal screes that usually appear here.
posted by crunchland at 6:47 AM on May 15, 2004

Oh dear.
I didn't realize I was setting a dangerous precedent. Nor did I mean to cause a fuss. I really do appriciate the feedback, and unlike such requests as "my boss needs me to do X by t, any ideas?" I will not benefit financially from the free crit I recieved here.
posted by Grod at 9:48 AM on May 15, 2004

No problem with the thread...I just added to it in fact.
posted by i_cola at 12:56 PM on May 15, 2004

This thread was fine by me.
posted by vorfeed at 2:05 PM on May 15, 2004

I'm sick of the "_______ is a bad AskMe post" posts.

Crunchland... here's some advice my mom gave to me when I was five. If someone is annoying you... ignore them.

Furthermore, I personally appreciate the variety of questions AskMe is producing, and I think a lot of people are really being helped.
posted by banished at 6:56 PM on May 15, 2004

so you're saying my message annoyed you?
posted by crunchland at 8:01 PM on May 15, 2004

It didn't annoy me, in fact, I sympathize with your point of view at some level. I just don't think your message was constructive, nor do I think that line of thinking is positive for the future of AskMefi. To quote more of my mother's advice, which I believe she ripped off the movie "Bambi", "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say it at all."
posted by banished at 9:42 PM on May 15, 2004

I think that if fewer people followed your mother's advice, on both counts, the world would be a much better place.
posted by bingo at 10:13 PM on May 15, 2004

I thought the danger in allowing site "check" threads was their inherent self-linking? No?
posted by scarabic at 1:55 AM on May 16, 2004

I don't have a problem with Grod's post, because it happens to be the kind of thing I am more personally and particularly interested in seeing, and I'm always very interested in checking out the answers to questions like this, especially from MeFites. In fact, I wrote out an all-too-long response myself, but then did what I usually do when in the least bit of doubt whether my answer would be helpful - I didn't post. (For the record, I was going to recommend taking a look at the fabulous beauty of lower-case serif "g"s, since they are one of the most gorgeously rendered letters in good serif fonts).

But, anyway, that's me; I can understand if it's too narrow for the forum, I guess. The only thing that I would really like to throw my two cents at is the idea that self-linking within AskMe is sinful - of the various things that I have contemplated asking about, quite a number would demand some sort of link that I might be able to provide neutrally via a site like photobucket, but some of which absolutely couldn't have been handled that way. I think the group here is smart enough to see when something is just pimping, or when it's a true plea for assistance. Yes? No? Maybe?...
posted by taz at 2:55 AM on May 16, 2004

Well Bingo, in that case, go fuck yourself.
posted by banished at 7:18 AM on May 16, 2004

Uh-HUH!

A little cartoon bluebird just twittered across my path.
posted by bingo at 8:40 AM on May 16, 2004

The links have been removed, but I, personally, didn't see a problem with the thread...especially when it generated a response like this one from loquacious, which...while discouraging...was loaded with valuable info and linkage.
posted by dejah420 at 11:18 AM on May 16, 2004

A little cartoon bluebird just twittered across my path.

While the entire point went right over banished's head.

But anyway... now the thread is super-annoying, since the three logos aren't there anymore and I can't play.
posted by Witty at 11:42 AM on May 16, 2004

Well, you know what banished's mother says about things that annoy you...
posted by crunchland at 12:12 PM on May 16, 2004

Yeah, I figured since I'd already gotten a lot of useful advice and since the thread generated this MeTa thread, I should remove the links. I'll put them back if people still want to play.
posted by Grod at 12:26 PM on May 16, 2004

Alright, I put them back. I'll remove them from the server when the question moves below the fold.

In response to the concern that promted this thread, there are a few reason why I felt it was an acceptable post. Yes, the images are hosted on my server, but if anyone felt compelled to go to the base url they'd have discovered that there isn't anything there. Second, if I were trying to attract business, I hope I would be able to think of a better way than to basically declare "I'm incompetent and have no idea what I'm doing, any pointers?" that hardly inspires confidence in potential clients. Finally, were I looking to sell something, I would do everything possible to avoid offending the rules of the community. In other words, I'd buy a text-ad, put a link on my user page, and put a notice in the metafilter projects mailing list. I'd leave it at that.
posted by Grod at 12:32 PM on May 16, 2004

Witty, you assume too much... and you're ugly.
posted by banished at 3:13 PM on May 16, 2004

The thread itself didn't annoy me, but the idea that, after the thread moves "below the fold", the links are no longer necessary annoys me greatly. One of the stated and re-stated aims of AskMeFi is to build a knowledge base. If you remove the subject of the question, the thread becomes completely useless as a source in the future. If you create a question that relies totally on outside resources to make sense, you should do what you can to ensure those resources remain in place as long as possible.
posted by dg at 4:26 PM on May 16, 2004

dg. OK, It's no strain on me to leave the pictures on my server, I was just trying to make everyone happy. I guess I can't win.
posted by Grod at 4:52 PM on May 16, 2004

I didn't know you could re-edit ask me posts...so, I learned something new. :)
posted by dejah420 at 5:05 PM on May 16, 2004

he didn't re-edit them. he renamed or took his files offline so they wouldn't display.

apologies for even bringing up the subject, however delicately I tried to put it. I wasn't annoyed with grod's post, but I would be if the site started getting a bunch of site-check sort of posts, for self-promotional reasons or otherwise.
posted by crunchland at 5:42 PM on May 16, 2004

... was just trying to make everyone happy. I guess I can't win.
More fool you, then, for ever thinking you could ;-)
posted by dg at 8:14 PM on May 16, 2004