October 26, 2004

11:57 AM

What's with the dots? Am I missing a really obvious tradition/in-joke?
posted by ascullion to etiquette/policy at 11:57 AM (23 comments total)

Someone just asked about the same thing on AskMe. It's also been asked at least twice here on MetaTalk. I'm not criticizing you, just observing that it's obviously not a universal internets kind of thing. As long as people keep dying, other people are going be asking about the dots.
posted by iconomy at 12:02 PM on October 26, 2004

AS;LDFJASD;LFKJASD;LJKFJA;LKSDJFLK;ASDLK


seriously. how many times has this been asked and how freakin obvious is the answer?!?!!?!?!?

/bad day rant.
posted by The God Complex at 12:08 PM on October 26, 2004

Sorry, didn't see Ask Me version. Thought (and still think) it is MeTa territory.

Should probably have done a search..

how freakin obvious is the answer

Clearly not very obvious.
posted by ascullion at 12:10 PM on October 26, 2004

Thought (and still think) it is MeTa territory.

I agree.
posted by iconomy at 12:14 PM on October 26, 2004

It's been asked on MeTa a million times also.
posted by Sidhedevil at 12:26 PM on October 26, 2004

Perhaps in the future people could link their dots to one of the "why the dots" threads?
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 12:29 PM on October 26, 2004

Yes, I apologise profusely. I spend so much time here, I don't know how I've never come across it before.
posted by ascullion at 12:31 PM on October 26, 2004

Isn't there like an official FAQ or something where this could be kept? ascuillion, it's not your fault, but this question is pretty much asked every time someone dies. Maybe it should be added to the AskMe and MeTa posting pages. The dot thing, and maybe a line like "Quit bitching about polifilter. It doesn't help, or affect it in any way."
posted by graventy at 12:41 PM on October 26, 2004

Jesus, ascullion, I can't believe you're wasting our time with this. The answer is so freakin' OBVIOUS!




Of course, it wasn't the least bit obvious back when I asked about it.
posted by soyjoy at 12:51 PM on October 26, 2004

Yes, it's a tradition. It starts out as a representation of a moment of silence or one being speechless, then evolves into the traditional asking by someone of what it means, followed by lots of people using the dot sarcastically in the ensuing MeTa thread, thus demeaning the original purpose.
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 1:09 PM on October 26, 2004

posted by quonsar at 1:30 PM on October 26, 2004

quonsar, did you get that thing from the production company that made "The Prisoner"?
posted by wendell at 1:45 PM on October 26, 2004

posted by Peter H at 1:47 PM on October 26, 2004

Oh, come on. It's been at least a month or so since someone asked this. Lighten up on the guy.
posted by adampsyche at 2:52 PM on October 26, 2004

posted by mr_crash_davis at 2:54 PM on October 26, 2004

adampsyche, are you suggesting this isn't a dead topic? knuck knuck.
posted by Peter H at 3:20 PM on October 26, 2004

Jesus. Yes.
posted by scarabic at 3:31 PM on October 26, 2004

posted by mischief at 4:54 PM on October 26, 2004

Wow, when I scroll up and down looking at the Dots pic, I get this neat perspective shifting thingy going on.
posted by euphorb at 8:02 PM on October 26, 2004

Well, in my amazingly different (ignorant) ways, I use a dot when I have nothing to add but like the post and want to get back to it later, and want the post listed in my comments so I can find my way back to it easy.
posted by semmi at 8:11 AM on October 27, 2004

.
posted by moift at 11:33 AM on October 27, 2004

(applause!)
posted by Peter H at 3:29 PM on October 27, 2004

I use a dot when I have nothing to add but like the post and want to get back to it later

i thought that's what most of them were for. and i thought most of us didn't like them. but whatever. i usually skip the obits anyway.

nothing to add. really? c'mon people, you're more creative than that.
posted by mrgrimm at 3:31 PM on October 27, 2004