Etiquette: is it OK to MeTa an open, updated AskMe?

January 13, 2007 3:08 PM

Is it bad form to make a MeTa post that draws attention to a still open AskMe question I made a few weeks back that still remains unresolved and for which I now have new data that could help in it's resolution? Or do I need to bite the proverbial bullet and ask an entirely new question on the AskMe front page with a link back to the old question? I'll admit, I'm reluctant to do the latter because I'll now have to wait 2 weeks before I can ask another question, but I also want to see my question resolved. What's the consensus here?
posted by Effigy2000 to Etiquette/Policy at 3:08 PM (8 comments total)

Please note; I am not criticizing the 2 week policy. If a new question is what's needed then I'll go ahead and do that. I do, however, think it would be better if a problem could be solved in a single AskMe thread rather than over the course of multiple questions so that if, sometime in the future, someone with a different problem scans the archive he or she will have all the information they need in one spot.

Oh, and if the hive mind is of the consensus it is OK to make a MeTa thread under such circumstances (or even under just special circumstances), I'll make a comment in this thread with a link to the specific question. Not before.
posted by Effigy2000 at 3:08 PM on January 13, 2007

And by 'different' I do of course mean 'similar'. Sorry, it's early in the morning and I haven't shot any caffeine directly into my bloodstream yet
posted by Effigy2000 at 3:12 PM on January 13, 2007

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if your question is still open, you can update the thread and people who read the site via the "My Comments" feature (which is, I think, a lot of them) will see your update. Also, if this is asking about asking about something, it seems a little coy. What is your real question?
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 3:13 PM on January 13, 2007

Might be nice if the AskMe home page had a 'Recent comments' tab like the MeFi home page does.
posted by chrismear at 3:16 PM on January 13, 2007

Jess, you are correct in that the 'My Comments' feature could potentially result in new answers to the question were I to update it. But I, personally, have had little success with that method in the past.

My real question would of course be could I link to the question in... erm... question. But I won't do so without some sort of green light from the community. Some might call that coy, and I would not fault them for that, but it is honestly just a wish to do the right thing by a community that I enjoy visiting.
posted by Effigy2000 at 3:17 PM on January 13, 2007

I imagine that if you did, then everyone else would too and that would jack MeTa as an extension of AskMe. Not a good idea IMHO.
posted by snsranch at 3:35 PM on January 13, 2007

I think from a general etiquette standpoint you'll need to post a new question to reattract people's attention.

Certainly a MetaTalk thread is not the right place for it.
posted by tkolar at 3:38 PM on January 13, 2007

snsranch: "I imagine that if you did, then everyone else would too and that would jack MeTa as an extension of AskMe. Not a good idea IMHO."

Now that I think about it, I agree. That would be a very real risk. Perhaps a feature like that which chrismear suggested could be implemented?

At any rate, I'll ask a new question again shortly. In the meantime, I think it's fair to say that this thread has run its course so if Matt or Jess want to close it that would be fine by me.
posted by Effigy2000 at 3:45 PM on January 13, 2007