Gmail Invites aren't cool in AskMe September 21, 2004 12:30 PM   Subscribe

I have a much bigger problem with the people who shit all over this thread than I do with the thread itself, which was rather cute. I still think it would've been a valid AxMe post even if the "win a gmail invite for being cute" portion hadn't been there.
posted by SpecialK to Etiquette/Policy at 12:30 PM (41 comments total)

Why do MeFi members need to be assholes about these kinds of threads? MeTa is here for us to discuss the issues with particular threads; no need to shit all over the thread itself, which could've turned out to be really cute and happy for all involved.

I'm really kind of pissed off at, in no particular order, inksyndicate, Kwantsar, kenko, baltimore, Johnny, b1tr0t, and devilsadvocate. Y'all can go to heck now, kthxbye. Maybe we need another Preview step before posting that asks "Have you checked against these guidelines? Are you being an asshole that craps all over threads?"
posted by SpecialK at 12:34 PM on September 21, 2004


*sets up beach chair, umbrella and cooler; dons sunglasses*
posted by quonsar at 12:43 PM on September 21, 2004


yeah, one comment quipping on the gmail tihng would have been maybe OK. But everybody doing it? What's the point?
posted by Space Coyote at 12:47 PM on September 21, 2004


If my motive to rerail a derail is waggish, can I still make K's list?
posted by mischief at 12:50 PM on September 21, 2004


I think most people had a problem with the idea of having to compete for something that everyone else was giving away for nothing. I didn't find it "cute", personally. In her defense, I think that she thought that gmail accounts were still in really high demand, and she probably didn't know about the wiki, or that other posts similar to hers had been deleted. Unlike some of us you, she probably doesn't live here 24 hours a day. I think she's taken enough of a beating, judging by how the thread looks now. Geez - what a wreck.
posted by iconomy at 1:03 PM on September 21, 2004


I don't really consider calls for stories or anecdotes great askme questions in general, but I'm super finicky. From this crappy computer chair, I thought some of the comments were funny. As was aacheson's minor FREAK OUT halfway through.

If you're into snarking your way through the day, there's also cantfindongoogle, primed and ready for you.
posted by Salmonberry at 1:03 PM on September 21, 2004


We definitely need more threads about *cute* things where people win prizes.
posted by Witty at 1:07 PM on September 21, 2004


Thing is, since it's called "Ask Metafilter", the poster could have asked a question. And the freakout was uncalled for.

If "You can post whatever you want here," I propose that we start the first annual Ask Metafilter Bukkake Photo Contest.
posted by Kwantsar at 1:12 PM on September 21, 2004


We definitely need more threads about *cute* things

Cue: quonsar's ass.
posted by BlueTrain at 1:12 PM on September 21, 2004




Yeah, I'll click that.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 1:18 PM on September 21, 2004


Shouldn't that be "slippery slop"?
posted by Blue Stone at 1:19 PM on September 21, 2004


No, Space Coyote. Wrong.

P1: I am permitted to post whatever I'd like to post.
P2. I would like to post bukkake photos.
C: I am permitted to post bukkake photos.

From your link: Reductio ad absurdum is a legitimate form of refutation. Statements really do have logical consequences, and where those consequences are unacceptable, the statements themselves must be unacceptable as well.

Care to try again?
posted by Kwantsar at 1:22 PM on September 21, 2004


I have to say the whole thread is redeemed by this contribution from mischief, which I'll paste in its entirety, because it's disturbing on at least four levels:

After we decided to have a child, I married her. Sixteen months later, I was the one to place our son in her arms the first time. At that moment, I promised her that as long as she was capable of caring for him, I would never take him from her regardless of what happened between us.

I believe that is the only promise in my life that I have ever kept.


That's a keeper.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 1:27 PM on September 21, 2004


Do I still get an invite?

mischief@mail.ru

Tank-oo!
posted by mischief at 1:30 PM on September 21, 2004


Shadow puppets of baby animals eating baby vegetables, reading little inspirational messages in their little baby gmail accounts is totally *cute*.
posted by Witty at 1:37 PM on September 21, 2004


The thread is gone now. What the hell happened in there?
posted by ashbury at 1:56 PM on September 21, 2004


matt called peeg a motherfucker. it was teh kewl!

no wait...
posted by quonsar at 2:00 PM on September 21, 2004


That was a mis-use of ask metafilter, as it wasn't really a question. No biggie.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 2:04 PM on September 21, 2004


So next time we'll get:

I want to do something really nice for my spouse. What's the nicest thing you've ever done for yours? Thanks in advance for the ideas.

Which in fact could have been kind of a neat thread. I guess it's all in the framing.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 2:12 PM on September 21, 2004


I'm really kind of pissed off at, in no particular order, inksyndicate, Kwantsar, kenko, baltimore, Johnny, b1tr0t, and devilsadvocate. Y'all can go to heck now, kthxbye.

I'm not on the list but personally, I don't think I'd really be upset about pissing off a box of cereal.
posted by Stynxno at 2:20 PM on September 21, 2004


P1: I am permitted to post whatever I'd like to post.

This was never asserted. The actual assertion was "I think that asking about other people's experiences is a valid ask.me question."

To which kwantsar made the bukkake argument. Clear slippery slope fallacy.
posted by Space Coyote at 2:54 PM on September 21, 2004


Our conversations would be considerably more civil if, in the future, instead of writing "shit all over the thread" we were to write "go poopie all over the thread".
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 3:10 PM on September 21, 2004


God, you ungrateful little monkeys. Dance for your supper! Don't Question!

Chrorus: Beeee niiiiiice. Be nice. Beeee niiiiice.
posted by dame at 3:24 PM on September 21, 2004


Space coyote, I'm pretty sure Kwantsar is basically quoting an assertion that aacheson made in the ask.me post. It was along the lines of 'this is not metafilter, you can post whatever you want here.' And the slippery slope between that attitude and what Kwantsar's suggested is short and steep.
posted by jacquilynne at 3:25 PM on September 21, 2004


How about "drop warm loads in the lap of the thread"?
posted by Witty at 3:25 PM on September 21, 2004


I'm really kind of pissed off at, in no particular order, inksyndicate, Kwantsar, kenko, baltimore, Johnny, b1tr0t, and devilsadvocate. Y'all can go to heck now, kthxbye.

Wow, my first MeFi grudge! It's about damn time — I've been around for over two years now.

Seriously, I guess I just took exception to the "I'll do you this favour if you jump through this hoop" tone of it. If you want to dump some invites, go right ahead, but don't expect me to sit up & beg for them. Plus, as an extra bonus rationalization, the "share a past experience of such-and-such type" threads (as evidenced here, here, here, and here) tend to be the dullest of all threads on Ask MeFi, and I could easily do without them.
And yes, before someone calls me on this, I did contribute to the second thread listed above. But I expect people skipped over it, just like I skimmed over a good amount of the other stories contained therein.
posted by Johnny Assay at 3:36 PM on September 21, 2004


"spew chocolate logs upon the thread".
posted by reklaw at 4:04 PM on September 21, 2004


Wow, my first MeFi grudge! It's about damn time — I've been around for over two years now

You call that a grudge? Hell, in my day, users would email other users employers and try to get 'em fired!! This, this is child's play.
posted by jonson at 4:22 PM on September 21, 2004


To which kwantsar made the bukkake argument. Clear slippery slope fallacy.

Space Coyote, aacheson made the "We can post whatever we want" comment. She said it her second to last comment, right before she asked Matt to delete the thread.
posted by BlueTrain at 4:23 PM on September 21, 2004


The phrase that I placed in quotations is a direct quote, Space Coyote.
posted by Kwantsar at 4:37 PM on September 21, 2004


I keep missing the outrage. What was the original question?
posted by milovoo at 5:11 PM on September 21, 2004


milovoo: aacheson posted a question to the effect of "Post the nicest thing you've ever done for your spouse/SO, and the ones that I think are best will get a shiny new GMail invite." I and several other members of the assorted rabble thought that such a post was not the best use of Ask MeFi, and proceeded to post snide comments within. Wacky hijinks ensued.
posted by Johnny Assay at 5:20 PM on September 21, 2004


How about some referential deletion around here.....jeez, I'm reading a thread about another thread that got deleted. This MeFi database thing....need to relate some threads man.
posted by SpaceCadet at 5:41 PM on September 21, 2004


It was a crap "question," largely heading up a thread with crap responses -- although there were a few sincere ones -- and the poster demonstrated profound ignorance of the purpose of Ask in saying something along the lines of "We can post whatever we want." People who knew that to be untrue went apeshit and started tearing up the joint.

Any questions?
posted by majick at 7:22 PM on September 21, 2004


SpaceCadet, I think you're dealing with the "king of the shit pile" concept again: Matt isn't really looking for ways to memorialize bad threads.

Doesn't this thread memorialize a bad thread, yet without the evidence of the thread itself? I don't understand why threads get "soft deleted" on the blue (they're flagged deleted) whereas on Ask, they're "hard deleted" (i.e. gone!). Nothing to refer back to. No reason for deletion on the thread itself.
posted by SpaceCadet at 2:02 AM on September 22, 2004




YES
posted by shepd at 3:04 AM on September 22, 2004


Thank you?
posted by mischief at 7:07 AM on September 22, 2004


Wow, my first MeFi grudge! It's about damn time — I've been around for over two years now.

Heck, it's been almost three for me. I don't know whether SpecialK was referring to my first post in the thread, my second, or both. My first comment was indeed out of line, and I'm just as happy to see the thread deleted so it didn't stick around, and I apologize for it. I do not apologize for my second comment in the thread.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 8:01 AM on September 22, 2004


And I must say, the redheaded chick that ad is based on makes me quite happy too. ;)

Still, this issue is epidemic. Don't like a thread and think it should be deleted? Post in MeTa rather than in the thread itself. If it's a double post, once someone's said that it is, you don't need to dogpile on the poster .. it's tired after the fifth or sixth person that says "This has been posted already" in various insulting and childish ways.
posted by SpecialK at 9:49 AM on September 22, 2004


Thank you?
posted by mischief at 7:07 AM PST on September 22


Teehee.
posted by iconomy at 11:09 AM on September 22, 2004


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