June 11, 2004

3:49 PM

“Much as I hate to admit it, I like Metafilter and I wish that I could become a member so that I could participate in yet another failed attempt to acheive concensus in our grand extended mediated public conversation thing we got going on here (or, from a different perspective, this fantastically successful attempt to foster fractious contention).”

“Listen, not everyone is meant to be ‘With It,’ right. Long ago I decided that the least I could do to stand up for all that divides us is to refuse to be the kind of person who milled in line in front of the club whose cache was primarily granted by the fact that you (and the likes of you) couldn't get in. The rest of us have two choices. We can mill around in the line, playing the fools to justify the chosen types, or we can go it alone.”

“And thus meta-meta-metafilter is born. Metafilter already has a meta-Metafilter, Metatalk, so I had to take the next step down.” [more inside]
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood to MetaFilter-related at 3:49 PM (87 comments total)

It appears that “Jonathan”, frustrated that he can not add his comments to MetaFilter, has setup a Blogger site so that he can comment on threads even with out an account.

Has it really come to this? Are there really that many people just drooling over the chance to post here? And if this is the case, should membership really be reopened?
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 3:50 PM on June 11, 2004

not with the current server, IMO.
posted by trondant at 3:51 PM on June 11, 2004

Predictable, but still disappointing.
posted by jonmc at 11:25 AM PST on June 11"

I'm having trouble deciding whether I like jonmc or not... but I say that one's a fair call. We really have not escaped from the whole gender-based mindfuck which is thees modern world

You better watch your step jonmc, he's still on the fence about you. One false move and POW, it could all end.
posted by eyeballkid at 3:55 PM on June 11, 2004

I saw this earlier today. Not the first, but still kind of amusing. Once I get this server on better footing, I'll be allowing folks back in, but it's still really unstable and crash-prone.
posted by mathowie at 3:57 PM on June 11, 2004

The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.
posted by vacapinta at 3:58 PM on June 11, 2004

Is opening the floodgates such a terrific idea if loonbags like this are waiting out there?
posted by CunningLinguist at 4:04 PM on June 11, 2004

Well, heck, loonbags like me are already in, and you all deal with it just fine.
posted by konolia at 4:07 PM on June 11, 2004

...and he's not even using trackback to make his little blog postings show up on the thread?
posted by scarabic at 4:09 PM on June 11, 2004

TB is off after Rod Stewart sexed it to death.
posted by dabitch at 4:12 PM on June 11, 2004

you should let him in, Matt--and he gets an A for initiative.
posted by amberglow at 4:13 PM on June 11, 2004

Well, heck, loonbags like me are already in, and you all deal with it just fine.
posted by konolia at 4:07 PM PST on June 11

And how!
posted by angry modem at 4:24 PM on June 11, 2004

So wait, so now we're all going to go read about what he says about what we said about what he said about what we said?

I need a drink.
posted by CunningLinguist at 4:26 PM on June 11, 2004

More meta than you can handle CL?
posted by eyeballkid at 4:28 PM on June 11, 2004

Waaaaay more.
posted by CunningLinguist at 4:30 PM on June 11, 2004

Yeah, CL, expect the ebullient "yay! somebody noticed me!" posting tomorrow at the latest.
posted by scarabic at 4:30 PM on June 11, 2004

Before I had an account, I used to sometimes comment on my own site about threads that were happening here... I didn't set up a separate site, but to start a blogspot deal takes about 4 seconds, and this way you concentrate any metafilter-related thoughts, and possibly catch the attention of mefites who will root for you to get a special account because you care so much. (on preview - see amberglow)
posted by mdn at 4:35 PM on June 11, 2004

yup : >

let him in, Matt, but not the 70000 imitators this thread/his blog will inspire.
posted by amberglow at 4:40 PM on June 11, 2004

anyone got his email?
posted by mathowie at 4:46 PM on June 11, 2004

There's an email address for him in the paypal payment details on his other Blogger site.

I didn't contribute to his cause
posted by loquax at 4:52 PM on June 11, 2004

Not that it's my call to make, but I think it's a bad idea. If you let "Jonathan" in, don't we have to let all the groupies in?

We all know it'll just lead to endless snark and resentment.
posted by esch at 4:55 PM on June 11, 2004

...and he's not even using trackback to make his little blog postings show up on the thread?
because trackback is disabled?
posted by rhapsodie at 4:55 PM on June 11, 2004

creepy, creepy, creepy.

interesting thread, tho. thanks Steve, good catch
posted by matteo at 4:55 PM on June 11, 2004

"If you let "Jonathan" in, don't we have to let all the groupies in?"

Yeah, I think there's a fairly large contingent of groupies who have been snarking about Metafilter on #mefi that deserves to get in before some lamer with a Blogspot account.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 4:58 PM on June 11, 2004

And, just to chime in, what about a lot of the fine folks over at MoFi?
posted by thatothrgirl at 5:02 PM on June 11, 2004

I agree that this would set a bad precedent. I probably speak for most of the "new arrivals" when I say: He's gonna have to wait his turn. I was a lurker here for almost two years before I managed to (barely) snag an account. Matt's going to open up registration soon anyways, or at least that's the plan, so why jump the gun?
posted by neckro23 at 5:03 PM on June 11, 2004

what's the big deal? matt's given memberships out before and sometimes for less reasons, and given the probably limited nature of signups (when they reopen), he might not make it in.
posted by amberglow at 5:24 PM on June 11, 2004

We must set quotas. Obviously. And a staging ground on an island somewhere, for inoculations.
posted by ook at 5:31 PM on June 11, 2004

The hand of Matt is just and fair. And arbitrary. So be it.
posted by ColdChef at 5:31 PM on June 11, 2004

And tubgirl too. She earned it.
posted by yerfatma at 5:49 PM on June 11, 2004

Amberglow: you seem to have a vested interest in this guy. What gives?

If we're going to start handing out memberships to everyone who idolizes MetaFilter, there's a line formed behind these guys.
posted by esch at 5:49 PM on June 11, 2004

I'm having trouble deciding whether I like jonmc or not..

eyeball, that's how just about everybody who dosen't know me personally feels about me, and that's a sign that I'm doing something right.
posted by jonmc at 5:51 PM on June 11, 2004

Amberglow: you seem to have a vested interest in this guy. What gives?

Is he cute?

*runs*
posted by WolfDaddy at 5:52 PM on June 11, 2004

/me winks at WolfDaddy.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 5:55 PM on June 11, 2004

i bet he is cute, but i have a vested interest in everyone getting in. I've spoken about opening membership since almost the moment i got in.

This guy has pluck. /lou grant
posted by amberglow at 5:57 PM on June 11, 2004

This guy has pluck. /lou grant

*throws hat in the air*
posted by jonmc at 6:01 PM on June 11, 2004

We should let him in, then smack him around, and kick him back out again.
posted by inpHilltr8r at 6:15 PM on June 11, 2004

Unless amberglow is quoting a Mary Tyler Moore Show line that I'm not familiar with, I believe the actual quote is:

Lou Grant: You know, you've got spunk!

Mary Richards: Well, thank you.

Lou Grant: I HATE spunk!

Not necessarily the sentiment amber might have been aiming for, but it sums up my feelings pretty well ;)
posted by filmgoerjuan at 8:12 PM on June 11, 2004

Given our UK readership, I think the bowlderized version is better....
posted by CunningLinguist at 8:15 PM on June 11, 2004

Don't people whose sites get mentioned on here get accounts for the purpose of rebuttal?

I bet Jon would like to defend himself against claims of creepiness.

Also, awwwww. He's so desperate for an account that he's blogging about Metafilter. That's actually really very cute. :( heeeeee, let 'im in. I'll keep him in line!
posted by precocious at 8:16 PM on June 11, 2004

oops...oh well : >

so is he invited?
posted by amberglow at 8:21 PM on June 11, 2004

[shudders]

Why does this remind me of my first day at Epinions? I was the first person who had ever been a site user *before* being hired to work for the company. On my introductory walk-around-the-office, first day on the job, people reeeeeally looked at me funny. I think this guy is fucked if he's allowed to join now, and we figure out who he is.

Besides, he already said:
I decided I don't need Metafilter
posted by scarabic at 8:51 PM on June 11, 2004

The moment "Jonathan" gets an account, he'll attempt to sell it on:

1) craigslist
2) half.com
3) warbucket.com
4) None of the above; the account will be listed on Monster.com
as a seasonal, part-time position.
posted by Smart Dalek at 9:14 PM on June 11, 2004

Not the sentiment I would have expected. As another former lurker (as so many of us are), I read MeFi every day and all the comments and felt like I knew all you folks and was just itching to join in the conversation. I know, I know—that probably comes as a surprise. But it's true.

I don't think his blog is unreasonable. It's a clever idea, too. What would be really cool is if all those lurkers used it as an outlet to, basically, act as a reality check on those of us that are members. Until they get in. Then their perspective will change, of course.

Anyway, he seems thoughtful and a decent writer. Looks like he'd make a good addition to MeFi. I don't get the hostility here. I really don't.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 9:27 PM on June 11, 2004

Besides, he already said:
I decided I don't need Metafilter

I've decided I don't need a gmail address. I wouldn't take one if it was offerred.

Really.
posted by timeistight at 9:27 PM on June 11, 2004

*Sets up filepilecansuckit.blogspot.com and waits for reverse psychology to kick in*
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 9:47 PM on June 11, 2004

We can mill around in the line, playing the fools to justify the chosen types, or we can go it alone.”

This WAS not brought up at the last coxcomb convention. I am miffed and slightly offended and will have to revert to "I do not remeber" excuses in order to justify my postion concerning said matter.
posted by clavdivs at 9:49 PM on June 11, 2004

“Yay, someone noticed me...
“Are we down to 15 seconds of fame already? The future is so... fast these days.”

posted by Ethereal Bligh at 9:56 PM on June 11, 2004

What a douchebag.
posted by Kwantsar at 10:09 PM on June 11, 2004

Aw... I love him. And I must say: responding to every comment in a thread is a first in my experience. Go, boy, go! I don't think we could *handle* this one even if he *did* want to join!!!

Aw fuck. He ended his dialogue right before my final comment. Ah well. He's got a good thing on, and I have only one word for someone who's learned that he doesn't really need a MetaFilter membership, even after Matt himself emails him with an offer:

RESPECT, man, respect.

/last time I'll ever think about this person
posted by scarabic at 10:25 PM on June 11, 2004

Speaking of spunk, before I had a Mefi account, I masturbated more often, which was nice.
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 10:49 PM on June 11, 2004

Wake me up when we get to VitaMeataMetaFilter.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:55 PM on June 11, 2004

The guy isn't a douchebag, he's a choad. Metaphorically speaking, of course.
posted by interrobang at 11:22 PM on June 11, 2004

My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard. I could absorb a helium nucleus, but I'd have +2 charge.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 12:04 AM on June 12, 2004

Okay, so if he's a choad metaphorically, then is MeFi the asshole or the scrotum? He's clearly caught between here and somewhere else.
posted by scarabic at 12:07 AM on June 12, 2004

He's a choad because he could have the length, but he's willfully chosen to be too wide to allow himself in.
posted by interrobang at 12:11 AM on June 12, 2004

It's a sort of metaperformanceart, or what I like to think of as MetaperFart. Fun!
posted by taz at 12:35 AM on June 12, 2004

I just want to be on-record, and here is as good a place as any, in predicting that within 48, or more likely 24 hours, there will be a FPP about Kerry's unsuccessful courting of McCain as his running mate. I mention this because I'm a real fucking jerk on this topic.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 12:42 AM on June 12, 2004

I don't think you're a real fucking jerk, Ethereal Bligh, but that's going to show up on the front page sooner or later, and it's going to suck when it does.
posted by interrobang at 12:49 AM on June 12, 2004

If you're right, that will be doubly pathetic, as Kerry didn't officially offer the position and therefore McCain didn't offically reject anything. Keep an eye out.
posted by scarabic at 12:49 AM on June 12, 2004

He deliberately didn't officially offer the position, but apparently it's solid that he unofficially offered it. Very interesting news; indeed, I wrote a friend about it as soon as I saw it. But it doesn't need to be posted to MeFi.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 1:27 AM on June 12, 2004

Well, I accomplished what I intended to; I made it on the asshat's blog.

Jonathan: I'm in MPLS too, what say we meet for a drink and talk about old times?
posted by esch at 1:33 AM on June 12, 2004

guys i am so fucking drunk right now i might actually talk to mathowie on aim and ask him waht he thinks of devo
posted by angry modem at 1:35 AM on June 12, 2004

If you let "Jonathan" in, don't we have to let all the groupies in?

No. Not at all. First off, there's no "we", there's just Matt. Second, the site is, indeed, entirely under Matt's control. And it is, in fact, privately owned. So there's no "have" involved here: Matt can not be forced to play fair.

That aside, I think it would be good fun to start down this path: people who do things that catch Matt's benevolent attention get an account. Doing the blogspot thing obviously won't: been there, done that, it's old.

If MeFi is The Place to Be Seen, then such a system would certainly influence the direction of creative development. I'd love to see what sorts of new and interesting ideas people come up with to catch approval! It'd say something about them: that they'll have new and interesting ideas or thoughts, which is cool.
posted by five fresh fish at 1:45 AM on June 12, 2004

I've got a gmail invite for you if you don't let him in.
posted by esch at 1:56 AM on June 12, 2004

the site is, indeed, entirely under Matt's control. And it is, in fact, privately owned. So there's no "have" involved here: Matt can not be forced to play fair.

I love your vision of the future. If only Matt were as egomaniacal as you are on his behalf, this whole site would go down in a self important wankfest (with thunderbolts).

Thank God Matt has never conveyed the atttitude that so many people have on his behalf: that it's his site, and he can do what he goddamn well pleases. In fact, anytime I've ever seen Matt wield administrative thunderbolts, it's reluctantly. He'd always rather see us work it out ourselves.
posted by scarabic at 2:23 AM on June 12, 2004

I just want to be on-record, and here is as good a place as any

No. It's not.
posted by eyeballkid at 3:28 AM on June 12, 2004

nice guy, that Jonathan : >

maybe he'll reconsider when he sees the next post he's itching to respond to or join the discussion, but can't? (I hated that when i was lurking)
posted by amberglow at 5:04 AM on June 12, 2004

If we're going to start handing out memberships to everyone who idolizes MetaFilter, there's a line formed behind these guys.

i dunno, last time i looked they were fairly turned off the idea of becoming one of us (don't blame them one bit either). seems the majority of monkeys who signed up last time aren't even using their accts, and i wonder/worry if that's what will happen with future memberships... they'll be all excited to get the cookie and then quickly realize that it's not that great over here and then abandon their accts. or only use aksme, which doesn't really count.
posted by t r a c y at 5:23 AM on June 12, 2004

I'd love to see what sorts of new and interesting ideas people come up with to catch approval! It'd say something about them: that they'll have new and interesting ideas or thoughts, which is cool.
posted by five fresh fish at 1:45 AM PST on June 12

Considering how there seems to be quite a few requests for increased diversity, I think FFF is on to something. Online, color of skin or country of origin matter much less than the ideas that people present.
posted by quasistoic at 5:29 AM on June 12, 2004

In the interest of honesty, I was NOT formally offered a membership to Metafilter. 'Nuff said, now, that was amusing and I at least had fun (okay, the Ouzo helped) but back to regularly scheduled programming, where I occasionally respond to stuff on Metafilter and nobody pays any attention.

Huh? (boo matt)
posted by amberglow at 5:41 AM on June 12, 2004

You might want to check out this guy's other blog.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 10:03 AM on June 12, 2004

This is so weird. I found metafilter, I signed up the next week. This whole longing for an account thing is totally foreign to me.
posted by namespan at 10:41 AM on June 12, 2004

Thank God Matt has never conveyed the atttitude that so many people have on his behalf: that it's his site, and he can do what he goddamn well pleases.

Thank God Matt has never conveyed the attitude that so many other people have on his behalf: that he must do as he's told, and he goddamn better not think otherwise.

I was just pointing out that "we have to" is not at all true, and more than a little disrespectful of Matt's autonomy. Just because you say it, doesn't mean he has to do it. I find it offensive that so many people treat our host as a peon to their personal wishes.


Online, color of skin or country of origin matter much less than the ideas that people present.

Fersure. But chances are that someone from another country, raised in a social system foreign to mine ("mine" being that generic educated north american white-boy social system) is very much more likely to have different ideas than I do, than is yet another generic ENAWBoy.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:50 AM on June 12, 2004

Well, I might as well make use of my account to point out, for the record, that CONSENSUS and CACHET are, probably, the correct spellings of the words the author of the quoted text was after.
posted by mokey at 11:24 AM on June 12, 2004

That aside, I think it would be good fun to start down this path: people who do things that catch Matt's benevolent attention get an account.-- five fresh fish

"Your Honor, it is the plaintiff's contention that Matt Haughey, by rewarding outrageous behaviour with a membership in MetaFilter, callously and with total disregard for the safety and well-being of its potential victims created and encouraged an atmosphere of escalating competitive jackassery which could only result in tragedy - the kind of tragedy which occurred when my client, desperate for membership and frustrated by a number of previous failures, attempted to intiate himself into Haughey's club by..."

It's all fun and games until someone cracks a tooth on a gun barrel.
posted by Opus Dark at 12:01 PM on June 12, 2004

No, that's fun and games, too.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 12:17 PM on June 12, 2004

Damn straight. Membership by Evolution.
posted by five fresh fish at 7:30 PM on June 12, 2004

"Metafilter already has a meta-Metafilter, Metatalk, so I had to take the next step down.”

For calling a meta-step a step down, I want this joker permanently barred from membership. [/elitist pedant]
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 7:34 PM on June 12, 2004

Heh, I signed up for filepile back when it started (even though I wasn't initially impressed) but could never remember my login, username, and had no record of it in e-mail. Perhaps I should do something similarly bold to get back in there :-D
posted by wackybrit at 10:19 PM on June 12, 2004

No more John,jon,johnny,johnnyboys
posted by johnny7 at 12:31 AM on June 13, 2004

Okay, I was lying about not taking a gmail account (thanks ray!), but I really, really don't want a FilePile account.

Really!
posted by timeistight at 9:09 AM on June 13, 2004

mr_crash_davis -- I for one shall welcome this lamer with a Blogspot account!
posted by xpermanentx at 11:53 AM on June 13, 2004

That doesn't surprise me, coming from a 17K+ member.

Lamers, the lot of you. I bet you even have a Blogspot account.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:33 PM on June 13, 2004

A Blogspot account? Like this one?
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 11:32 PM on June 13, 2004

*Steve_at_Linwood demonstrating that irony is too subtle a concept for him to grasp.*
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 11:38 PM on June 13, 2004

*picturing Ethereal Bligh as Comic book Guy-"Since we are unfamiliar with the concept of sarcasm,...."*
posted by jonmc at 7:18 AM on June 14, 2004

*picturing jonmc in his underwear*

*picturing alyson hannigan in her underwear*

Hmm. I found the latter far more satisfying. Would Comic Book Guy have a crush on Alyson Hannigan? You bet he would!
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 12:33 PM on June 14, 2004