Product Announcement Threads ... April 8, 2002 10:43 AM   Subscribe

Product Announcement Threads ...
posted by sawks to Etiquette/Policy at 10:43 AM (17 comments total)

ok, a few of these have sprung up recently (and the photoshop one is bascially a triple post, and i thought it was worth bringing the matter up in here...

i know a lot of us are geeks and web developers, so these are always going to be interesting posts with useful discussions, but i dont think they really fit within the posting guidelines, and there are already a number of great resources for this kind of thing

to put things in perspective, i have several hundred open source unix packages installed on my computer, not to mention dozens of commercial apps - i think they are all worth knowing about, but do you guys? :)

i also think its important that a post about a vital update (security patches, worms, etc) doesn't get drowned in a sea of less vital info...
posted by sawks at 10:44 AM on April 8, 2002


I don't use the links, and skip right by 'em on a regular basis. However, two of the three links you had showed a pretty healthy discussion thread; Quod
Erat Demonstrandum. I'm jake with 'em.
posted by Perigee at 11:04 AM on April 8, 2002


'a regular basis' - exactly, less could be more in this case, i think...

even if you dont read em they're still taking up space in the db

its a weird one for me, because i find them interesting and will usually contribute, but they also feel similar to the cnn/fark/slashdot type posts that i'm not a huge fan of 1 (need to loosen chip from shoulder here, probably)


1i'd like mefi to be about websites, not content on a webpage that could also be found elsewhere, and yes i do know its a tired arguement, and too late now :P


posted by sawks at 11:24 AM on April 8, 2002


Does there need to be an informal rule saying that, if it was on slashdot in the past 72 hours it isn't news and doesn't need to be a FPP?
posted by mkelley at 1:56 PM on April 8, 2002


Not everyone reads Slashdot, Fark, Obsucre Store, Guardian.co.uk, Wired, etc.
posted by riffola at 2:15 PM on April 8, 2002


We've had countless threads on PhotoShop now, and a week ago we had a thread about a new Sony product, and the link was to Sony's page. This is becoming ridiculous. We're not here to be sold products. I'll turn on the TV or listen to the radio to be brainwashed into buying things I don't need.
posted by BlueTrain at 4:26 PM on April 8, 2002


BlueTrain -- enough with the "we" already. Or do you have tapeworms?
posted by Mid at 5:43 PM on April 8, 2002


Easy there, Mid, BlueTrain may be an editor or a monarch.
posted by kindall at 5:48 PM on April 8, 2002


If it fosters an actually good discussion here, I say let it be. We need more of those.
posted by Hackworth at 6:13 PM on April 8, 2002


> If it fosters an actually good discussion here, I say let it be. We need more of those.

I agree.

Personally, I enjoy the products links and such. Many times, I find people will post links to other things they like or, that they've used in the past. Because of that, I've discovered many new and cool things. Such as Trillian, Abiword, 602 Pro PC Suite 2001. All of this stuff I learned about here and because of discussions like the above.

However, since your references were all about/for Mac software and mine are not, perhaps the two concepts aren't similar?
posted by Dean_Paxton at 9:13 PM on April 8, 2002


I'd say the first link was fine, since it is pretty interesting that microsoft is somewhat embracing the macintosh, and the third link was saved by the resulting discussion (some interesting points about software pricing were made). however the second link isn't really front page material in my opinion. if someone were genuinely interested in the progress of chimera's development, then there are certainly alternative sources (as sawks as pointed out) and, of course, there's always the official chimera site.
posted by mcsweetie at 9:18 PM on April 8, 2002


Dean Paxton - those 3 posts were all on the front page at the same time, thats why i pulled them out

metafilter needs to be a about the *best* of the web - not *all* of it, thats the essence of how i'm feeling...
posted by sawks at 10:45 PM on April 8, 2002


my tapeworm tells me what to do.
posted by jcterminal at 4:41 AM on April 9, 2002


metafilter needs to be a about the *best* of the web - not *all* of it, thats the essence of how i'm feeling...

Ah, subjectivity....
posted by rushmc at 9:51 AM on April 9, 2002


Mid, you made me spatter my monitor! Talk about ROTFLMAO! Thanks!
posted by Lynsey at 11:37 AM on April 9, 2002


Yes, rushmc: subjective! --this board is what you make it!

I will admit that although I've been a member for a year, I mostly remained a lurker until recently. Since I was asked for my opinion, I shall say, yes. I do expect this board to be a sort of community that allows people to shed light on topics of their choosing. However, on the subject of what to post, I expect to see posts relating to internet community, online news articles and blogs, etc., not commentary on products. If I want to read technology reviews, I go to CNET or pay for magazine subscriptions, just as if I'm in the market for buying something, I ask friends and family and read the comparison reports available.

But what do I know.
posted by beejaywhy2k at 11:40 AM on April 9, 2002


Ah, subjectivity....

there's nothing wrong with subjectivity if it's stated as such and not beaten to death ... um ... in my opinion.

and to pipe up, I think product announcement links are boring at best and annoying at worst [when people link to amazon products using their affiliate code, for example] BUT they really do seem to engender good discussion and help folks learn more about the products. I'd prefer not to see as many of them, but I think I'd start by encouraging better and more interesting links about new products than just blacklisting them.
posted by jessamyn at 1:21 PM on April 9, 2002


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