I like to call out the commenters in this post on credit card billing for being awesome. [more inside]
posted by phyrewerx on Jul 17, 2009 - 10 comments

I AskedMefi about writing term papers for money. I stirred up a hornet's nest if the number of removed comments vs. time is any indication. Let's talk about it here. [more inside]
posted by GilloD on Oct 23, 2008 - 231 comments

MetaFilter: It is what it is? [more inside]
posted by spock on Jul 11, 2008 - 91 comments

Request for another way to interact in Metafilter Music. [more inside]
posted by micayetoca on Jun 26, 2008 - 28 comments

I know... it's about the links, not the discussions... [more inside]
posted by prefpara on May 30, 2008 - 43 comments

Does the five bucks make a difference in the quality of our discussions? There's a Freakanomics post on the NY Times today that points to a web page set up to compare comment-streams on MetaFilter and YouTube. [more inside]
posted by mmahaffie on Apr 10, 2008 - 151 comments

Can we work harder at having mature and respectful discussions? Do we need to do so? [more inside]
posted by dios on Feb 12, 2008 - 317 comments

This is how to do ObitFilter. [more inside]
posted by dirtynumbangelboy on Feb 11, 2008 - 33 comments

Instead of continuously derailing the question about questions, we may as well move discussions of said-questions here.
posted by Ms. Saint on Jun 24, 2007 - 161 comments

I respectfully suggest that we move the gun control discussion here. If for no other reason than to limit the in-thread argument on whether or not we should be commenting on gun control in-thread.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson on Apr 16, 2007 - 511 comments

This (Medical Marijuana ask.mefi thread) is a good example of an ask metafilter thread where people don't answer the specific question of the poster, but still remain civil and helpful. Yay. So there's an existence proof that people can be helpful while not answering the question asked (and not fall all over themselves to be jerks).
posted by zpousman on Feb 22, 2007 - 120 comments

I only whine because I care.
posted by tkolar on Jan 21, 2007 - 79 comments

Earlier on AskMefi there was a question from "siahny" asking to identify a painting via email. I've got the picture (which is a Word document). The thread seems to be deleted, but should I post it up anyway? She really does want the painting identified...
posted by divabat on Jan 6, 2007 - 55 comments

In which I posit that the two-week waiting period has had no impact on the volume of questions.
posted by knave on Jan 2, 2007 - 119 comments

How about creating including in each user profile a discussion thread, so that we can have a friendly conversation with and about the user whose profile we are viewing?
posted by Pastabagel on Aug 18, 2006 - 65 comments

"take all copyright/theft discussions that are not on topic to METATALK, thanks" Done.
posted by DevilsAdvocate on Jul 19, 2006 - 61 comments

How about a discussion area in MeFi Music for members to set up collaborations? There's a lot of talent among the members, and I think it would be pretty cool to have the opportunity to collaborate with people across the world.
posted by Alexandros on Jul 11, 2006 - 12 comments

Mmmm. A one-link post to a mediocre commercial.

I dont think there is anything worth discussing about this commercial. [more inside]
posted by mathowie on Jun 13, 2006 - 235 comments

Stinky Kitty vs. Baby? This post seems to be about to turn into a debate regarding kittens' ability to survive versus infants'. Very interesting.
posted by k8t on May 23, 2006 - 14 comments

Two people have assumed, incorrectly, that I don't think DUI offenders are criminals. I would like to vent without further derailing the thread. (more inside)
posted by mullacc on Apr 20, 2006 - 28 comments

We obviously can't have respectful discussions about respectful discussions. Every time the topic comes up, the same insulting "discussion" occurs. Seeing as how no new information is ever presented in these topics, shouldn't they all be considered double posts and deleted? When they are nothing more than another opportunity to display your disgust with someone who disagrees with you, what value do they add to the site?
posted by boo_radley on Apr 18, 2006 - 111 comments

You ain't got nothing Doctorow.
posted by allen.spaulding on Jan 29, 2006 - 75 comments

Why was the Canadian election thread deleted?
posted by sindark on Jan 21, 2006 - 21 comments

I'm confused. What is more important to mefites, actually responding to the content of FPPs, or rating their quality? I see a general (hence, no links in this question) preponderance to the former. It seems that many responses to posts are actually rating the quality of it and/or the poster, rather than the content of the FPP. I've read a lot of the sites about Metafilter and maybe I'm missing a concept or something.

I am truly not trying to be a smartass, I'm genuinely interested in understanding this. Thanks.
posted by Slap Incognito on Dec 13, 2005 - 93 comments

When is a one-line FPP with no (or little) description appropriate for MeFi?

Oh really? Is that so? Well, is this a good example then [MI]?
posted by sjvilla79 on Nov 14, 2005 - 42 comments

I'm kind of dissapointed with the way things turned out in a post I made to Metafilter yesterday. I was hoping to discuss how many of the leaders of the fat acceptance movement are feeders and the consequences this might have in terms of it's future progress. Oh and I also wanted to discuss the new slate piece I linked to. But of 140+ comments, very few seem to even reference the links I made. Most just gave their opinion on fat people . I read all of the comments, and the general consensus seems to be that topics regarding obesity cannot be discussed sensibly at Metafilter. What should I do in the future to make a better FPP and what other topics should I wholly avoid?
posted by skjønn on Nov 4, 2005 - 73 comments

Where can I start a discussion without actually linking to something? I want to talk about Katrina ad my opinion on it, on a different slant -- but I don't really think it is good enough for the blue. But I still want to talk with other people from MeFi...
posted by andreaazure on Aug 31, 2005 - 23 comments

In favor of NewsFilter. The impetus; explanation inside.
posted by rkent on May 26, 2005 - 60 comments

In the interest of avoiding further derail of the Aryan Justice thread, I am going to accept amberglow's invitation to bugbread and state that deliberately cryptic commenting is annoying as hell and is counterproductive to the idea of communication.
posted by John Smallberries on Mar 29, 2005 - 74 comments

I have a proposal for political arguments that might make them more productive: a limit on how far one particular detail can be discussed. A problem I noticed on this thread is that nothing gets resolved because the discussion revolves around one minor detail.
posted by [expletive deleted] on Feb 25, 2005 - 62 comments

I have some ideas about getting rid of religious fundamentalism, winning the War on Terrorism, and inoculating our nation against ever electing anyone like George Bush to the White House again -- all at the same time and using nothing more lethal than words and a few diagrams.

I'm new here, and I would appreciate suggestions on what I should particularly avoid doing in discussing such matters in this group.

I am also from an older generation, and I am extremely upset about the current atmosphere in Washington, if any of this helps to explain the kind of answers I need.
posted by jhilton on Feb 17, 2005 - 55 comments

This water...

Recent discussions of scams haven’t focused on what interests me about you, Metafilter users.

Tell me, if you please, what’s your favorite scam?
posted by mcgraw on Feb 17, 2005 - 22 comments

Boo. There were a lot of fairly well-thought out and witty references to MetaFilter history, past and present, in that thread before it was closed to further comments and had its middle taken out.

Not every thread here should be a linear progression from a problem to a solution. There should be some room for frivolity and banter. Without it, we lose our sense of community and shared experience.

Discuss.
posted by yhbc on Feb 15, 2005 - 153 comments

If someone posts a link to the front page that ends in a question mark, are they really linking to the best of the web, or are they just asking a leading question in order to generate discussion of their pet topic? And should we disallow front posts that are just trollish leading questions because they weaken the mefi brand and more importantly drive me nuts?
posted by craniac on Feb 12, 2005 - 21 comments

Is anyone willing to create a MetaParlour? [Come into my thread, said the swan to the MeFites]
posted by orange swan on Jan 13, 2005 - 86 comments

What is the appropriate role of links in making FPP’s? A lot of people seem to think that MetaFilter is, essentially, about discussion. But Matt deletes “bad” links, even when they might generate good discussion. Why? If I want to discuss a topic, why can’t I just go and find any old link to start things off? Or can I?

It’s an old topic, but maybe we should adapt to our new users. And short of a definitive pronouncement from Matt, the only way to determine appropriate behavior around here is through community consensus. So: What say you all?
posted by gd779 on Dec 20, 2004 - 127 comments

The pancakes are getting incredibly stale, people.
Metafilter used to be an addiction for me, but lately with more and more Newsfilter, and boring Newsfilter at that, can we really say we are the best of the Web anymore? Final straw was the posting of that Bush daughter photo.
Is this really what we want this place to be?
posted by konolia on Jul 21, 2004 - 250 comments

Can we - even if only briefly - discuss stuff on AskMe or not? This Sopranos thread started off as a question but the discussion of last night's episode was inevitable and almost irresistible. My own opinion, fwiw, is that it would be nice if a little discussion was indeed allowed or, as has happened already, generously overlooked.
posted by MiguelCardoso on May 17, 2004 - 10 comments

There's the agendafilter post.

And there's the giant pissfest in the thread.

Neither of which are totally cool, I don't think.
posted by trharlan on Apr 11, 2004 - 125 comments

IMHO, this is a horrible way to begin a discussion of a controversial film.
posted by subgenius on Feb 23, 2004 - 39 comments

In the post regarding the Fred Phelps putting up an anti-homosexual memorial in Casper, Wyoming and the insuing religous discussion regarding said terms, I am posting this thread so everyong can get what they need to say out, whatever it is.
posted by Keyser Soze on Oct 6, 2003 - 122 comments

At the risk of sounding like a newbie (and my user# is embarrassingly large), I have to ask: How long do people read the threads? I often read MeFi in lurk mode, and sometimes don't get around to visiting for a day or two, at which time I will find a thread I would like to comment in, but no one else has posted to for a couple of days. I don't mind missing out on a chance to post a smartass comment, but at times I might have something intelligent to add to the discussion. At what point does posting to a thread become pointless?
posted by TedW on Jun 19, 2003 - 19 comments

I'm sure this has been covered before, but I'm fairly new here (to posting, especially), so I thought I'd ask again. Please don't kill me, but:

I've had aspects of a meme-type thing that I helped to create posted about here. These linked to a site I contribute to but, since I didn't ask for or advocate the subject were in the clear.

Now, I've got a site dedicated to the subject that inspired the first game/challenge that the original story was part of. It seems to me that if people here enjoyed the tidbit on the matter they'd like to see the new whole site.

But...it would very obviously be a self-link, and I completely understand the point of outlawing those. What's a guy to do? Is there some third-party I could suggest a link to? Should I wait till a vaguely applicable post comes up and post it in the message boards? Should I just wait around and hope that eventually someone from here manages to find it?

I'd like to participate, but I'm too new to guess at these rules. I'm glad I at least found this area to post in (and I'm hoping that fact will shield me a bit from the flames I'm expecting to receive).
posted by davebug on May 13, 2003 - 24 comments

What was your very first impression of MetaFilter, that first time you visited? [More inside.]
posted by MiguelCardoso on Apr 17, 2003 - 89 comments

Posted by nofundy at 2:48 PM EST on March 14:

This so didn't need to be posted. Do we really need to hear yet another pundit's fascinating views on Iraq?

"So you think discussing Eminem would be a better use of time than considering alternate viewpoints on serious issues?"
posted by Stan Chin on Mar 14, 2003 - 176 comments

So, can any grievance be brought to MetaTalk? [More inside.]
posted by MiguelCardoso on Mar 13, 2003 - 67 comments

Despite MetaFilter's honourable roots and tradition, I get the feeling that a significant and increasing amount of members has no interest whatsoever in web design, computers, blogs, programming or, in fact, anything remotely technical or even geeky. A few seem to be unimpressed by the Internet itself. Are we witnessing the secularization of MetaFilter? Is our future broadly cultural and political rather than Web-specific?
posted by MiguelCardoso on Feb 10, 2003 - 58 comments

Is this another horribly one sided news post, that does more trolling than informing. If the poster had made any attempt at exploring the other side of this issue, he could have included several examples, that show there's enough hypocrisy to go around, when it comes to this issue, but instead we got a lazy, one sided front page post, that was basically an opportunity for a bunch of gun control supporters to jerk each other off.

He could have posted any number of links about the famous arrest of liberal columnist Carl Rowan, who seemed to have an obsession with gun control. At least that is, until he was arrested for illegally keeping a handgun in his Washington DC residence, but that wouldn't have been as much fun I guess.

If your doing a front page post about a hot button issue, shouldn't there be at least a feeble attempt to post links that represent both sides of the debate?
posted by Beholder on Dec 7, 2002 - 58 comments

In the interest of having a positive example in MetaTalk (rare, I know), I put forth this example. I thought the phrasing of the original link was sub-standard, but after the first few comments the discussion was positive and, as so often happens here, a member with a more in-depth knowledge of the field helped the understanding of others.

I also thought it might be worth mentioning so that those who are upset by his politics and (debatable) trolling can see that fold_and_mutilate does contribute positively in other ways.

posted by The God Complex on Oct 3, 2002 - 23 comments

One annoying feature of Meta: we rehash the same things over and over and over and...well, you get the point. And we say essentially the same things. Here's the idea: a Meta sidebar that includes common topics, with links to where they've been discussed. There aren't that many, and it would prevent this kind of post unless we come to some new situation where it's really needed.
posted by frykitty on Aug 30, 2002 - 15 comments