What about a sense of closure?

December 3, 2005 6:03 PM

What about a sense of closure? [more inside]
posted by SassHat to Feature Requests at 6:03 PM (30 comments total)

I want peace on earth, while we're at it.
posted by Iamtherealme at 6:04 PM on December 3, 2005

I must admit I had a hard time checking if this had been even asked before.

I was just wondering if there could be a way in AskMeFi the person posting the question could follow-up more "officially."

I'm not going to go check every dead thread to see if the questioner came to some great epiphany/solution based on the answers they got.

So, could there be a way to flag a question as "resolved/updated" so that we can follow up?

Feel free to be mean if this is just completely inane.
posted by SassHat at 6:06 PM on December 3, 2005

There are closures in Perl, Python, and LISP, but I don't think Cold Fusion will do it.
posted by grouse at 6:06 PM on December 3, 2005

Iamtherealme: Ok, you definitely won the quick draw contest. Sorry about that. I needed to reword and reflect.
posted by SassHat at 6:08 PM on December 3, 2005

Grouse: lexical environments are sexy.
posted by SassHat at 6:10 PM on December 3, 2005

This has been done. Everyone more or less agrees that it's good that people can test advice and return to post verdict. Whether it needs an icon or not is another story.
posted by fire&wings at 6:10 PM on December 3, 2005

Like, this meta talk post by snsranch is a perfect example. Follow up on the gray?
posted by SassHat at 6:19 PM on December 3, 2005

I presume that any question with a "best answer" has been resolved. This functionality is integrated into the UI fully. If people are over-using it to flag answers that just sound good, then that's a problem. But the feature basically exists already.
posted by scarabic at 6:31 PM on December 3, 2005

A potential drawback to this may be encouraging those who have a hissy fit when there is no closure or followup post already.
posted by edgeways at 6:34 PM on December 3, 2005

Marking something as a 'best answer' is a start and even better is a follow up. There are ways for a poster to acknowledge help built in.

Answers evolve and have been known to make a few turns, they are often expanded on later. Even though the question may have been answered to the original posters satisfaction it doesn't mean a better answer isn't going to come along a month later.
posted by cedar at 6:36 PM on December 3, 2005

You have six months now (or some long period) in which to comment in AskMe posts. Why not just add a comment. Most of us could care less, but those who do can go back and check in posts where they have commented or have had an interest.
posted by caddis at 7:30 PM on December 3, 2005

why not post a followup and mark your own answer as "best answer" since questions with those marked are often considered "done."
posted by mathowie (staff) at 7:35 PM on December 3, 2005

Between this and C_D's complaint, it occurs to me that perhaps I've been missing what must be the deeply compelling dramatic narrative that is AskMetafilter.

Oh, well.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 7:55 PM on December 3, 2005

RESOLVED
posted by jenovus at 8:05 PM on December 3, 2005

Ok, you definitely won the quick draw contest. Sorry about that. I needed to reword and reflect.

No, no, no, the proper response -- the eigenresponse, if you will; I won't -- is, "Gee, thanks everyone, for giving me some time to write my 'more inside' comments."

Please make a note of it.
posted by gramschmidt at 8:51 PM on December 3, 2005

Should I give the standard "write the more inside before posting" now, or should I wait til Sasshat gives the 'expected' retort? I'm easily confused when things go out of order and I'm not sure if now is the time to be snarky or I should wait.
posted by Iamtherealme at 11:18 PM on December 3, 2005

What about a sense of [closure?]
posted by scarabic at 11:28 PM on December 3, 2005

Should I give...

You should probably wait until Sasshat gets indignant over several things at once, one of which will hopefully be a forgotten PLU code or the poor quality of corrugated cardboard these days.

Damn fungi.
posted by gramschmidt at 12:53 AM on December 4, 2005

I've been missing what must be the deeply compelling dramatic narrative that is AskMetafilter

MeFi is all meteors and cabals. MeTa is all bitching. AskMe is real life. Wacky car problems, broken hearts, musical earworms, lazy days spent reading recommended books and listening to new music. I'll take AskMe over all the rest of MeFi any day.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 6:12 AM on December 4, 2005

*flags C_D as fantastic post*
posted by grouse at 8:01 AM on December 4, 2005

1. You should probably wait until Sasshat gets indignant over several things at once

Iamthereal me: Waiting to be snarky? Oh, that's rich...

2. I really did write my "more inside" first. But because y'all are so merciless, I froze at the last second.

3. posted by SassHat to feature requests at 6:03 PM PST.

posted by Iamtherealme at 6:04 PM

Your girlfriend must be one sad panda if you can only hold out for one minute.

4. Someone who works at a grocercy store should know what a fucking portobello mushroom is. And you should, too, you goddamn ignorant Americans.
posted by SassHat at 10:42 AM on December 4, 2005

What was the point of making that a numbered list?
posted by jenovus at 10:46 AM on December 4, 2005

Americans => Amerikans
posted by gramschmidt at 11:20 AM on December 4, 2005

SassHat, those are very EXPENSIVE-LOOKING EARRINGS you're wearing. Jerk.
posted by Gator at 12:25 PM on December 4, 2005

jenovus:
Sasshat gets indignant over several things at once

I tried my best to be indignant over several things at once, hence the list.

gramschmidt: I stand corrected.

Gator: wtf.
posted by SassHat at 1:58 PM on December 4, 2005

I like the idea a lot, and was going to post it myself. Obviously some questions won't need to be followed-up, but the social questions especially (coworker/family trouble, or law issues re: car accidents, or medical issues, etc) have resolutions that I think I and others would like to see the outcomes of. And just because something was marked as a best answer doesn't mean it provides insight into the resolution...the best answer might have been "confront your co-worker about their [obnoxious habit]," but I think having a "resolution" field where the OP could post the aftermath would very pretty interesting. There could be a little symbol next to where the best answer checkmark is, and there can be an option to view only questions where resolutions were posted.
posted by apple scruff at 2:34 PM on December 4, 2005

Sorry, SassHat, I thought you would get it. Oh well, at least I cracked myself up.
posted by Gator at 4:19 PM on December 4, 2005

gator: I forgot about the earrings. But I'm glad you crack yourself up.

apple scruff: thank you.

My whole point was that I thought the "best answer" function is to say who had the best take on the situation, not to follow up and select your own response as the best one.

I was under the impression that might be a faux-pas.
posted by SassHat at 5:36 PM on December 4, 2005

SassHat, I understood the numbered list and giggled a bit - well done. And the "one sad panda" thing is pretty funny, but there is one problem - my profile says I'm a female. If you checked, I find it interesting that you assumed I was gay.
Still, "sad panda" - I have to remember that one.
posted by Iamtherealme at 11:45 PM on December 4, 2005

The joke wouldn't have been as funny, so I just went for it without checking...oops.
posted by SassHat at 10:48 AM on December 5, 2005