Navigation Question

March 29, 2006 8:19 AM

Anyone else confused by the and links at the bottom? On the Blue, next points to the right, but goes back to the older threads, yet next, for most reading, implies the opposite. And previous page points left, which makes sense, but it goes to the newer threads, which doesn't make sense. The confusion arises in part because we read Metafilter from new to old. To make it more confusing, on AskMe the previous questions link goes to the older questions, which is opposite to the Blue, where right and next mean back in time. Did I get that right?

A simple, parallel solution would be to simply have older and newer, with older pointing left, and newer pointing right for all.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium to Bugs at 8:19 AM (53 comments total)

My hypertext didn't come through. It should read 'previous page / next page" and 'previous questions / newer questions' for AskMe. Looked fine in the preview, sorry.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 8:23 AM on March 29, 2006

If you think of Metafilter as one big long reverse chrono list separated into pages, it makes perfect sense.
posted by cillit bang at 8:25 AM on March 29, 2006

No. The Blue and the Green are different. Have a look.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 8:26 AM on March 29, 2006

Oh, OK.
posted by cillit bang at 8:27 AM on March 29, 2006

Yeah, I considered making a gray post about this earlier but I thought it would be silly. I feel for you.
posted by keijo at 8:30 AM on March 29, 2006

It's not a huge deal, but it is inconsistent. "Previous" means "newer" on the Blue, and "older" on the Green.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 8:34 AM on March 29, 2006

It makes me blink, too. "older" and "newer" is less ambiguous.
posted by cortex at 8:38 AM on March 29, 2006

I knew there was a reason I'd never gotten used to those buttons. wgp has it right.
posted by Faint of Butt at 8:39 AM on March 29, 2006

Hi. I'm back! I still think, as an option, having the newest post in a thread at the top would be interesting. Yes, then you would have to scroll down to the beginning, but it would be much easier to follow a thread there after, no?
posted by ParisParamus at 8:40 AM on March 29, 2006

I'm embarassed to say I've found this confusing, too. Makes me feel like Merlin in _The Once and Future King_.
posted by QIbHom at 8:44 AM on March 29, 2006

Paris, it's not so much how you read it chronologically, but it should be the same for Blue, Green, and Grey, and unambiguous. It's why they use port and starboard on planes and boats instead of right and left. If this were a plane, we'd all be dead. It's that serious.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 8:48 AM on March 29, 2006

If this were a plane, we'd all be dead.

"I want these motherfucking snakes..."
posted by Faint of Butt at 8:51 AM on March 29, 2006

Paris!

I do think it would interesting, but I don't think it would actually be a good idea in practice, and this is why: it's bad enough that a lot of people don't read the thread before commenting on whatever catches their eye -- by top-posting the most recent comment, we're essentially endorsing and encouraging that behavior.

Again, interesting, but probably not so great for Mefi.
posted by cortex at 8:55 AM on March 29, 2006

Good point. Let me fix those.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:01 AM on March 29, 2006

It looks great now, Matt. Thanks.
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:03 AM on March 29, 2006

Blue's not done yet.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:06 AM on March 29, 2006

Done.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:06 AM on March 29, 2006

Bingo. Attaboy, Matt. Thanks.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:08 AM on March 29, 2006

Wow, this always bugged me. Thanks.
posted by smackfu at 9:15 AM on March 29, 2006

Metafilter: If this were a plane, we'd all be dead. It's that serious.
posted by insomnus at 9:22 AM on March 29, 2006

If this were a hospital...
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:26 AM on March 29, 2006

I find the 'Home' links confusing, myself - in MetaTalk or AskMe it takes a couple of clicks on 'Home' before I realise the link will never take me home to MetaFilter. Links called 'Home' do tend to take you to the top level of the site everywhere else on the interweb... or does everyone else think of Meta and Ask as sites in their own right, rather than adjuncts to MeFi proper?
posted by jack_mo at 9:37 AM on March 29, 2006

Unbelievably, I just clicked on 'Home' right after posting the above, in order to get to the front page of MetaFilter. Looks like I'm stuck here forever...
posted by jack_mo at 9:39 AM on March 29, 2006

I agree that "Home" is a bit weird at first, but I think that's for people that used metafilter for a long time (it was the first thing jessamyn asked me to change on the new headers).

But keep in mind that half of the traffic only uses Ask MetaFilter, so "Home" to them is Ask MetaFilter.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:45 AM on March 29, 2006

And the link you want is at the top right, jack_mo.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:49 AM on March 29, 2006

it was the first thing jessamyn asked me to change

and I did get used to it eventually.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 10:08 AM on March 29, 2006

half of the traffic only uses Ask MetaFilter

holy fuck!
posted by matteo at 10:09 AM on March 29, 2006

half of the traffic only uses Ask MetaFilter

There's something seriously wrong with this.
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:29 AM on March 29, 2006

There's something seriously right with Ask MetaFilter.

Just think of it as a spin-off show that is more popular than the original. Nothing wrong with that and we get to see familiar characters in new situations!
posted by mathowie (staff) at 10:33 AM on March 29, 2006

Alice, while Bob had had "had", had had "had had". "Had had" had had a better effect on the teacher.
posted by Plutor at 10:33 AM on March 29, 2006

and Tweedy bitterly croons: "we've been 'had had'..."
posted by cortex at 10:37 AM on March 29, 2006

But keep in mind that half of the traffic only uses Ask MetaFilter, so "Home" to them is Ask MetaFilter.

Tits in a wigwam! Don't suppose you could cook up some pie charts and stuff concerning traffic on the different bits of the MetaFilter empire, mathowie. Would be very interesting to see the growth of Ask over time, the number of new users who are exclusively Askers, etc. Or is all that top secret info for setting advertising rates and such?

And the link you want is at the top right, jack_mo.

I know, I know. I'm just a bit of a slow learner - sure I'll get to grips with it by, I dunno, late 2008.
posted by jack_mo at 10:45 AM on March 29, 2006

Matt's right, of course. I just have a bee in my bonnet over the (probably very few) people who have paid their five bucks just to have all their lives' questions answered.
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:14 AM on March 29, 2006

Yeah, but if you could pay five bucks to have all your lives' questions answered, wouldn't that be awesome?

Ergo: AskMe.
posted by cortex at 11:17 AM on March 29, 2006

MetaFilter : Cheers :: AskMetaFilter : Frazier :: MetaTalk : The Tortellis
posted by gigawhat? at 11:22 AM on March 29, 2006

Cool, i noticed this a while back, but didn't whinge out of a slight fear of a smackdown-for-pedantry. Good call!
posted by Jon Mitchell at 11:31 AM on March 29, 2006

ask.metafilter is metafilter: The Next Generation?
posted by QIbHom at 11:34 AM on March 29, 2006

Here at Ask.Metafilter.com we don't filter the best of the web, we ARE the best of the web.
posted by blue_beetle at 11:58 AM on March 29, 2006

and MetaTalk is the ugly misshapen cousin, still living in it's parents basement at 40.
posted by blue_beetle at 11:59 AM on March 29, 2006

Matt
While you're at it, can you make those links on the tags pages work the same way? Thanks.
posted by raedyn at 12:14 PM on March 29, 2006

QIbHom , I think you have:
MetaFilter : Star Trek :: AskMetaFilter : The Next Generation :: MetaTalk : Enterprise
posted by ooga_booga at 12:21 PM on March 29, 2006

Me: Shatner
jessamyn: Picard
posted by mathowie (staff) at 12:25 PM on March 29, 2006

That makes sense, considering the endless fan wars over which of you makes a better mod.
posted by Gator at 12:31 PM on March 29, 2006

Matt, don't be so hard on yourself.
posted by Plutor at 12:34 PM on March 29, 2006

KHAAAAAAAN!
posted by monju_bosatsu at 12:38 PM on March 29, 2006

Announcing: The First-Ever MeFi FanFic Contest

Note: I didn't actually check to make sure it was the first ever. I was just sort of hoping...
posted by SuperNova at 1:12 PM on March 29, 2006

Metafilter: All in the Family
AskMe: The Jeffersons
MetaTalk: Maude
MetaChat: Good Times
posted by tiny purple fishes at 1:17 PM on March 29, 2006

I was watching an episode of Boston Legal a couple of days ago. Shatner (Denny Crane) had gone fishing with his partner (Alan Shore). They were just bedding down and Shore was reading a book about fishing and mentioned that there was a parasite that hung off the salmon and they were called 'cling ons'. Shatner's face is priceless as he turns to him and says "Klingons!"
posted by tellurian at 2:25 PM on March 29, 2006

Me: Shatner
jessamyn: Picard

You know it. Now who's that guy with the beard, is he in charge of MetaTalk?
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 2:34 PM on March 29, 2006

Anyone else confused by the and links at the bottom?

i pointed this out to the resident usability expert the same day he added those links. i was roundly ignored.
posted by quonsar at 2:56 PM on March 29, 2006

quonsar is the Whoppi Goldberg character.
posted by Mid at 3:17 PM on March 29, 2006

MetaTalk: It's like a conversation with yourself, only, you're not listening...
posted by blue_beetle at 3:31 PM on March 29, 2006

Now who's that guy with the beard, is he in charge of MetaTalk?

Mmm.. Avery Brooks could be in charge of my MetaTalk any day.
posted by Plutor at 6:36 AM on March 30, 2006