Unanswered AskMes?

February 16, 2005 12:15 PM

For the samaritan looking to knock off a good deed for the day (and for symmetry, how I love thee), how about an AskMe button that shows only unanswered questions?
posted by mzurer to Feature Requests at 12:15 PM (14 comments total)

On post-view, I mean questions not marked with a best answer.
posted by mzurer at 12:24 PM on February 16, 2005

I'd also really appreciate this feature. /no duh :)
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 12:56 PM on February 16, 2005

Since that would be pretty much everything posted, I don't see the point.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 1:12 PM on February 16, 2005

and by that I mean right now Ask Mefi lists 45 questions. There are 40 unanswered questions, and 5 answered ones. The front page is 89% unanswered questions. Do we really need a 100% unanswered front page? I would say no, not really.

If the answered/unanswered ratio moves closer to 50/50 than I could definitely see the use, but not the way it is currently.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 1:14 PM on February 16, 2005

What about one that shows questions that have received fewer than five responses in, say, the last week? Perhaps this would allow some of the more obscure questions to be seen by those that can help.

I've never actually considered that until I read this thread, so it might not hold water.
posted by The God Complex at 2:40 PM on February 16, 2005

Maybe for those that have slipped off the front page unanswered?
posted by AstroGuy at 2:44 PM on February 16, 2005

I was actually thinking of a "needs an answer" tag option that people could use if they don't get no satisfaction... But then I realized that a lot of people would probably forget to "un-tag" them, which would make a bit of a mess.
posted by taz at 3:02 PM on February 16, 2005

Perhaps a sort of 'bump' button, which the original asker might use (once only?) to bump his or her unanswered question back to the chronological top of a special 'unloved and unanswered' view or page....
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 3:45 PM on February 16, 2005

"Needs an answer" could automatically drop once a "best answer" is indicated. I like the bump idea, too.
posted by caitlinb at 4:15 PM on February 16, 2005

Perhaps a sort of 'bump' button, which the original asker might use (once only?) to bump his or her unanswered question back to the chronological top of a special 'unloved and unanswered' view or page....

Mmm hmm. Something like that would accomplish what I was getting at. It's strange this idea never occurred to me before. Perhaps I don't use askme enough, but it does seem potentially quite useful.
posted by The God Complex at 4:27 PM on February 16, 2005

The only problem I could anticipate a "need an answer" feature would have is abuse--that is, everyone marking that they need to know what everyone's favorite book is. But it's still a pretty pony, and I'd ride it.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 5:45 PM on February 16, 2005

But it's still a pretty pony, and I'd ride it.

Thank goodness MetaFilter exists so that we can say these things in public without being persecuted.
posted by DaShiv at 8:10 PM on February 16, 2005

Metafilter: I'd ride it.
posted by nile_red at 9:20 PM on February 16, 2005

You people and your equine fetish weirdness flat out give me the creeps.
posted by taz at 1:10 AM on February 17, 2005