Comments on 12405

Is Projects only for 100% (or close to 100%) web-based projects? I ask, because I'm producing a play that's opening in NYC (where there are many MeFites). I would like to announce it, but it's not a website. (My theatre company HAS a website, and I could link to the play's page, but that seems like a fudge to me. Yes, there's a website, but the real project is in meatspace, not cyberspace.)
posted by grumblebee to etiquette/policy at 7:09 AM (43 comments total)

Musicians have posted links to their music there, etc, so I would say you're probably fine to post it there. The only drawback is that unlike a musician's site where anyone can listen, only New Yorkers can see your play. That's the only place I can see mathowie/jessamyn taking issue with posting it there ... not the fact that it's not web based.
posted by twiggy at 7:23 AM on July 31, 2006

Best of the web is what we shoot for. It should be web-based.
posted by mathowie at 7:24 AM on July 31, 2006

Looks like you should plan a meetup.
posted by klangklangston at 7:27 AM on July 31, 2006

Are there still tickets available for Friday night?
posted by CunningLinguist at 7:42 AM on July 31, 2006

Got it, Matt. Thanks.
posted by grumblebee at 7:43 AM on July 31, 2006

MetaFilter: Best of the web

nah, it'll never work.
posted by absalom at 7:53 AM on July 31, 2006

Now that we've gone this far, surely you can post the link here, no?
posted by StickyCarpet at 7:54 AM on July 31, 2006

Post an AskeMe: Dear Metafilter, I'm involved with <a href="blah">a play</a>. Will you come to it?
posted by blue_beetle at 8:04 AM on July 31, 2006

Here, I'll do it for him. But beware - the last time I tried to go to one of his plays, the address on the website was wrong and I ended up having to give up and go bar hopping with a friend instead. Not that, you know, that wasn't fun too.
posted by CunningLinguist at 8:09 AM on July 31, 2006

Dear Metafilter, I'm involved with a play. Will you come to it?

This post was deleted because: Self-promotion crap. Post it to Projects.
posted by Plutor at 8:28 AM on July 31, 2006

Plutor, I am totally confused by your post. Are you saying that another post -- promoting a play -- was deleted, and that Matt (or Jess) suggested posting it to projects? Well, even if that's true, Matt has clearly changed his mind about non-web projects (scroll up).

CunningLinguist, the address is correct this time :-)
posted by grumblebee at 8:36 AM on July 31, 2006

grumblebee is obviously trying to game the system. I say we lynch him for having a life outside the Internet. I mean, that means he's a witch or something, right?
posted by Eideteker at 8:41 AM on July 31, 2006

I thought it used to be any project with a significant web component.. So, something like bjork24 posting about his movie theatre would be appropriate.
posted by Chuckles at 8:48 AM on July 31, 2006

Hmm.. This is probably what I was thinking of, and I guess it comes down to splitting hairs..

Lotto, how about you make a website about the book, and then post about it. You get to announce both the site and the book.

posted by Chuckles at 8:54 AM on July 31, 2006

It DOES clearly state, on the page, that Projects is for web projects. Of course, web projects CAN have non-web components. But mine is 95% non-web, so it doesn't apply. I was pretty sure of that before I posted this question. But I thought -- what the heck? -- maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Matt will say, "Go ahead and post it." But he didn't, and I respect his rules. When I'm ready to broadcast a play over the web, I'll post it.
posted by grumblebee at 8:55 AM on July 31, 2006

I'm saying that "Will you come to my play?" is not (IMHO) a generally approved use of AskMe.
posted by Plutor at 9:34 AM on July 31, 2006

"I'm saying that "Will you come to my play?" is not (IMHO) a generally approved use of AskMe."

How about "Will you come to play?"

'cause if that's all right, I am totally posting it.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:36 AM on July 31, 2006

Obviously your next play should be web-based. Then we wouldn't even have to leave the comforts of our homes to see it.
posted by languagehat at 9:44 AM on July 31, 2006

Obviously your next play should be web-based. Then we wouldn't even have to leave the comforts of our homes to see it.

Get this man a drink.
posted by cortex at 9:59 AM on July 31, 2006

working on it, languagehat.
posted by grumblebee at 10:05 AM on July 31, 2006

How about "Will you come to play?"

'cause if that's all right, I am totally posting it.

Since you are asking Mefites, I guess that would be completely appropriate for MetaTalk.
posted by Chuckles at 10:23 AM on July 31, 2006

I imagine that sort of "play" would be totally inappropriate, and result at some point in a thread containing many dots.
posted by blue_beetle at 10:37 AM on July 31, 2006

What if the play has spiders, you know, webs?
posted by Cranberry at 10:47 AM on July 31, 2006

or snakes...

SNAKES IN A PLAY!!!
posted by grumblebee at 11:00 AM on July 31, 2006

Best of the web is what we shoot for. It should be web-based.

Without meaning to be snarky, this sounds virtually identical to this situation, in which the opposite ruling was reached.
posted by gsteff at 11:10 AM on July 31, 2006

Without meaning to be snarky, this sounds virtually identical to this situation, in which the opposite ruling was reached.

I was thinking "My Theater group has a new website and shows coming up" would make an ok Projects post. Lots of people I know are in little comedy troupes and have websites with short videos of skits and the like.

Just posting about upcoming gigs or shows? Not so much, that's not what Projects was for. It's for stuff that could someday get posted to MeFi proper.
posted by mathowie at 11:18 AM on July 31, 2006

Without meaning to be snarky

Wait, I'm confused. Where am I?
posted by Skorgu at 11:18 AM on July 31, 2006

How 'bout a webcast of your play?
posted by spilon at 11:29 AM on July 31, 2006

how bout an askme "what's the best way to promote my play to New Yorker Mefites?"
posted by Megafly at 11:41 AM on July 31, 2006

How 'bout a plaster cast of your webbed toes?
posted by cortex at 12:15 PM on July 31, 2006

How 'bout a webcast of your play?

It's in the works. Not for this play, but we're gathering equipment and know-how for future projects. There is an mp3, on our site, of the one-woman show we produced earlier this year -- it's a performance of "Goblin Market," by Christina Rossetti, which is an erotic fairy tale.

Megafly, I would ask that, but I don't think MeFi has anything in place. Besides posting a meetup, centered around the event (which I don't feel like doing, because it seems a little dishonest), the best bet -- given Matt's clarification re: Projects -- would be to post on MetaChat or Monkeyfilter. Hmm. Good idea!

A couple of years ago, when Matt sold cheap ads, I bought one to promote one of my shows. Alas, those days are gone.
posted by grumblebee at 12:21 PM on July 31, 2006

Matt, are you SURE you want to restrict projects to "web-based"? The rule would mean that one of the highest-rated projects of all time now falls outside the guidelines.
posted by aberrant at 12:32 PM on July 31, 2006

Matt, are you SURE you want to restrict projects to "web-based"? The rule would mean that one of the highest-rated projects of all time now falls outside the guidelines.

Yeah, I thought Matt's response up there at #2 was odd based on what I've seen on projects. Lots of times I've seen someone who makes music post it there, and while it's available over the web, music is hardly "web based"...

I'm fine with whatever he wants.. I just interpreted that wrong, I guess.
posted by twiggy at 1:12 PM on July 31, 2006

That post went up soon after the site launched, before there was any guideline and it's for a longtime member testing the waters. I'd say that's a lame post to make today and I doubt I would approve it.
posted by mathowie at 2:10 PM on July 31, 2006

Lots of times I've seen someone who makes music post it there, and while it's available over the web, music is hardly "web based"...

The heuristic I've been running with in my vital, well-attended Armchair Analysis lecture series is that it ought to have some meaningful web content to make sense for Projects.

1. Website-as-project is a gimme;
2. Website-as-contentful-companion to some project is kosher;
3. Website-as-advertisement for non-web-accessible content is not so great.

So it's not so much the subject matter as it is the presence of actual content: a music site could be any of the three:

1. A music-making project (like songs to wear pants to), where the web site exists specifically to host music created for consumption by web readers.

2. A musician's site, with music and miscellaneous content (like TMBG's site or any number of varieties), where the site exists in part as a vehicle/home for non-web music releases, but there's a site with interesting stuff for the web reader.

3. A contentless site advertising a musician's non-web music release(s); the site offers nothing to the reader but a bad photo of the band standing on some train tracks, some bad copy, and link to buy an album.

Projects is for self-links to webstuff, not for free-form advertising, in otherwords. There may not be any hard requirements for the quality of the website, but the website should be something.
posted by cortex at 2:29 PM on July 31, 2006

So, something like bjork24 posting about his movie theatre would be appropriate.

That's a good idea, but I have another project simmering away.
posted by bjork24 at 5:24 PM on July 31, 2006

SNAKES IN A PLAY!!!

Please do this.
posted by bingo at 6:43 PM on July 31, 2006

You could always buy a real ad.

(Can we have a new category of MeTa for "Why doesn't MeFi slice, dice and julienne potatoes?" Or at least realize that self-promotion of this sort would be great for MeCha but not for any of the canonical sites?)
posted by klangklangston at 10:09 PM on July 31, 2006

SNAKES IN A PLAY!!! Please do this.

How about SNAKES IN A PLAY! THE MUSICAL? Complete with a dream ballet. I see dancers in giant snake costumes. Maybe it should be on ice...?

I get no kick on a plane.
Flying too high with some snakes in the sky,
Is my idea of nothing to do,
but I get a kick out of you...
posted by grumblebee at 11:43 AM on August 1, 2006

Are there any musicals that aren't just collections of love songs? I'd actually love to see a musical without any romance or love interests at all. And I'd like to see it do well.
posted by Eideteker at 2:06 PM on August 1, 2006

There are tons of musicals that aren't "just collections of love songs." Some of them contain romances (as subplots), but that's true of most drama & fiction. Many of the following have "done well," some winning Tonys.

"Floyd Collins" -- a musical about a man trapped in a cave.

"Pacific Overtures" -- about America's discovery of Japan

"Sweeney Todd" -- about a murderous barber (contains SOME romance)

"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" -- about a spelling bee

"Assassins" -- about people who attempt to kill presidents

"Company" -- a sort of cynical, anti-romance

"Candide" -- a social satire (with some romance)

"Anyone Can Whistle" -- about a con game (with some romance)

"Bounce" -- the complex relationship of two brothers

"Nightingale" -- based on the Hans Christian Anderson story

"A Doll's Life" -- sequel to Ibsen's "A Doll's House"

"Cats" -- based on T.S. Eliot's poems

"Falsettos" -- about a dysfunctional family (some romance)

"A New Brain" -- about brain surgery (some romance)

"Sunday in the Park with George" -- about the painter, George Seurat (some romance)

"Merrily We Roll Along" -- about friendship (some romance)

"Into the Woods" -- fractured fairy tales
posted by grumblebee at 7:25 AM on August 2, 2006 [1 favorite]

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