AskMe sorting and posting

December 18, 2005 10:34 AM

1 Etiquette, 1 request.

Etiquette - are you allowed to post to ask.mefi with no comments at all in threads? (looked all over etiquette questions+wiki couldn't find the thread/answer)
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Request:
Any way to filter Ask.ME questions to those questions with <5 (or 10) answers with no best answer?br>
It'd be very useful to see all the questions with only one to four responses...that often get scrolled by.
posted by filmgeek to Etiquette/Policy at 10:34 AM (25 comments total)

are you allowed to post to ask.mefi with no comments at all in threads?

Yes. That's how I got my start on MetaFilter -- commenting in AskMe threads before I took the plunge to the Big Blue.
posted by Gator at 10:37 AM on December 18, 2005

Oh, maybe you meant posting a question? Not sure about that one. Slinking away now.
posted by Gator at 10:38 AM on December 18, 2005

The first question isn't clear at all. What do you mean, filmgeek?
posted by mediareport at 10:45 AM on December 18, 2005

I think it could be rephrased as, "Does a new member have to post in threads (respond to other posts) before being able to ask a question him/herself?" Kind of like training wheels or getting the feet wet before the big dip.

I think the answer is no -- they can post a question before giving any comments, but I'm not sure.
posted by fionab at 10:48 AM on December 18, 2005

I know they can't post a thread in the blue untill they've made a few comments, so I suspect the ask thing is similar.
posted by delmoi at 10:52 AM on December 18, 2005

It looks like you can post a question without having otherwise contributed to the site.

As for the request, I think that'd be a good idea. The dropdown menu on the Blue, that lets you sort the threads by date, recent comments, my comments, and most comments, would be handy on AskMe too.
posted by Gator at 10:54 AM on December 18, 2005

You can't ask a question until after 7 days of being signed up, but that's the only limitation I know of. If that's what you're getting at.
posted by jetskiaccidents at 10:55 AM on December 18, 2005

If that's the question - "Do I have to provide a few answers in AskMe before posting a question?" - the answer's no. There is a one-week waiting period for new users before they can post questions, as described in the "caveat" near the bottom of the new user message. Perhaps the fact that you can offer answers right away but not post a question is what lead to filmgeek's question, but you don't *have* to comment during that first week before you post your first question.
posted by mediareport at 11:01 AM on December 18, 2005 [1 favorite]

I know they can't post a thread in the blue untill they've made a few comments, so I suspect the ask thing is similar.

I vaguely recall that change in the blue, delmoi, but the blue and the green are different enough in purpose that I don't think a similar rule has been implemented in AskMe.
posted by mediareport at 11:06 AM on December 18, 2005

If we move from "can they" to "should they", let me be the first to opine that we DON'T want a requirement to post X comments (answers) on AskMetafilter before being able to ask a question.

Why not? Because we'll just get mediocre (at best) comments/answers. [And yes, I'm aware that this argument can be extended to the blue, but it does seem that reviewing comments is a good way to evaluate the spamishness of FPPs, which isn't generally a problem in the green.]

As to the other matter, yes, it would be helpful to have a filter to see those questions which only had a few answers, and nothing marked "best".
posted by WestCoaster at 11:21 AM on December 18, 2005

and nothing marked "best"

Not everyone marks a 'best answer,' even after some mighty fine answers have been posted (and even acknowledged as mighty fine by the asker).
posted by mediareport at 11:40 AM on December 18, 2005

Having a page on the site that showed particularly underserved questions (0 or maybe <5 answers) is a great idea. And it's also a good idea to screen out anything with a "best answer." Sometimes the question is nailed in 1 or 2 comments, and that's that. You wouldn't want to see those on a "Questions Needing Attention" page. It would also have to exclude anything still on the homepage, or it would just wind up resembling the homepage most of the time.
posted by scarabic at 12:20 PM on December 18, 2005

Realistically: it's a community site. Shouldn't you have to post, say 5 comments (even if they're throwaways) to say you're actually trying to be a member of the community?

Even if they're shitty posts? This would make it a little more difficult for spamming sock puppet accounts to pay the $5 and to promote some level of personal involvement.

Request:
If you have 5-10 responses, someone at least tried to answer your question.

But what about the ones that scroll off the main page and have only 1-2 answers? Likely, they'll never get answered. Hence the filter.
posted by filmgeek at 12:52 PM on December 18, 2005

first post!

this is why we can't have nice things
posted by allen.spaulding at 1:29 PM on December 18, 2005

You seem to be talking about more than one distinct idea here and I'm still having trouble discerning them. There's something about having to comment a few times before you can... ask questions? Do I have that right? And then there's something else about making underserved questions more visible.

Not so sure about the former. Totally behind the latter.
posted by scarabic at 1:30 PM on December 18, 2005

Yes, two things.
1) Perhaps there should be the requirement of commnenting before posting to any part of MeFi, just like the blue.
2) Quick view of Ask.Mefi Questions with few responses (for those of us who like to help.)
posted by filmgeek at 2:16 PM on December 18, 2005

Realistically: it's a community site. Shouldn't you have to post, say 5 comments (even if they're throwaways) to say you're actually trying to be a member of the community?

In AskMe? Oh, please, no. No no no no. There should be nothing at all there that might convince someone to post an answer to a thread unless they know the answer to the question. It's bad enough now (and I'm as guilty as anyone). Requiring people to answer n questions before asking just makes it so that n people get crap answers to their questions.

Posting questions is contributing to the community. I read AskMe because I want to read other people's questions, and other other people's answers to them, and answer some. Paying $5 and asking a question right away makes AskMe work as intended. If the asker sticks around after that, great! If not, no harm done.
posted by mendel at 4:09 PM on December 18, 2005

Requiring the posting of comments in AskMe threads before allowing the posting of a question may not be such a good idea. It may well encourage the quick posting of relatively useless answers just to meet the quota in order to ask a question. Also, some users have ponied up another five dollars in order to ask a question somewhat anonymously, but with the added ability to post follow-up information to those requesting it. I believe AskMe is where you really get your $5.00 worth (and more) and if a question is deemed unacceptable, it will be removed anyway.
posted by Roger Dodger at 4:11 PM on December 18, 2005

Part 2 would be useful. All the questions with 4 or less answers where none is marked best answer.

It may not help though, because the questions that don't get answers are HARD.
posted by smackfu at 7:36 PM on December 18, 2005

WestCoaster: "[And yes, I'm aware that this argument can be extended to the blue, but it does seem that reviewing comments is a good way to evaluate the spamishness of FPPs, which isn't generally a problem in the green.]"

The argument can be, should be, and probably has been. You seem to be under the impression that you need to make n comments before posting an FPP. I don't believe that is true; I think there's only the same 7-day grace period after signing up.

filmgeek: "1 Etiquette, 1 request."

That's totally cheating. You get one MeTa a week for a reason. You're as bad as the asking-without-answering newbies.
posted by Plutor at 1:24 AM on December 19, 2005

That was hyperbole, for those who didn't recognize it.
posted by Plutor at 1:25 AM on December 19, 2005

I always felt that the questions that didn't get answers scroll too fast
posted by filmgeek at 4:57 AM on December 19, 2005

I'd support part 1 if it would rid us of this sort of crappy question.
posted by cillit bang at 5:20 AM on December 19, 2005

You seem to be under the impression that you need to make n comments before posting an FPP.

That is the case. From the About page: "The privilege of posting links to main page comes after posting a few comments and being a member for at least a week."
posted by Gator at 6:56 AM on December 19, 2005

Plutor: "You seem to be under the impression that you need to make n comments before posting an FPP."

Gator: "That is the case. From the About page: "The privilege of posting links to main page comes after posting a few comments and being a member for at least a week.""

Huh. You learn something new every day. Or at least I did, on this particular day.
posted by Plutor at 12:38 PM on December 19, 2005