Is this the worst AskMe response yet?

March 13, 2006 4:14 PM

Is this the worst AskMe response yet? By my count fifteen of the eighteen comments do not answer the question and should be deleted.
posted by meech to Etiquette/Policy at 4:14 PM (29 comments total)

Yes, I realise that this kind of MeTa post has become rather fashionable recently. But that thread is a train-wreck.
posted by meech at 4:14 PM on March 13, 2006

This is the worst MeTa post ever.
posted by fixedgear at 4:16 PM on March 13, 2006

are you high?
posted by puke & cry at 4:18 PM on March 13, 2006

That thread doesn't seem outrageously chatty to me. This thread is perhaps a better example. The question was answered in the second comment, the thread continued on with aimless chatter for 14 more, including my nanny-like fingerwagging at the end.

Noise is increasingly swamping AskMe signal.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:19 PM on March 13, 2006

fixedgear: that distinction goes to the post below this one, I think.
posted by hototogisu at 4:19 PM on March 13, 2006

Good point stavros, I deleted all the tv show chitchat.

I don't think the post linked here is that bad. While no one has the right answer for exactly how and why beard color is different, the question sort of had a "does this happen to anyone else?" quality about it that the other folks are speaking to.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 4:23 PM on March 13, 2006

Probably one more you want to prune, there, Matt, if you're doing it. It's just beggin' for more chat.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:27 PM on March 13, 2006

fixedgear: if you're happy with the state of AskMe then yes this is the worst MeTa ever. But I'm not happy. knapah already knows that ginger in beards is common and has asked why it happens - go check again how many people answer his actual question.
posted by meech at 4:31 PM on March 13, 2006

this really isn't that big a deal. people are generally offering what they believe are helpful comments, even if they're not straight up answers. the poem about trusting a man with a different colored beard isn't, but the rest are saying "my beard was like that, and it's because my beard was going gray." is it a perfect answer from a specialist in hair color and growth? no. is it a problem? not remotely.

my $.02
posted by shmegegge at 5:13 PM on March 13, 2006

I think this is a silly callout, but then again, I think that 95% of callouts are equally silly. Everybody in that thread seems to be having a reasonably good time. No fights, no flames, no idiocy of any sort.

I think that callouts are only warranted when somebody is flagrantly breaking the rules and making other people miserable.

Then again, some people just like to complain.
posted by Afroblanco at 5:32 PM on March 13, 2006

"Not answering the question" callouts are the new black.

A response doesn't have to directly answer the question to be helpful.

If someone asks the best way to drink bleach, do we all plump for the shot glass over the beer mug, or does someone say something?

Granted the last callout was worse, but "not answering the question" does not immediately = metatalk.
posted by fire&wings at 5:34 PM on March 13, 2006

I'm with shmegegge ... I don't see the problem. Were any of these answers flagged as noise by anyone not already part of THIS thread? If that were the case, I could clearly see the point. But ...

No fights, no flames, no idiocy of any sort. I think that callouts are only warranted when somebody is flagrantly breaking the rules and making other people miserable.

What he said, too.
posted by frogan at 5:40 PM on March 13, 2006

I think this is a silly callout, but then again, I think that 95% of callouts are equally silly

*hums along fervently*
posted by languagehat at 5:48 PM on March 13, 2006

"Not answering the question" callouts are the new black grey.
posted by five fresh fish at 6:18 PM on March 13, 2006

The word 'callout' is silly. MeTa threads intended to highlight things that are counterproductive or anti-community (in the poster's opinion), and (quixotically, but that comes with the territory) seek some discussion and consensus are not 'callouts', and they are not a bad thing.

But I realize I'm swimming upstream with that particular hobbyhorse.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 6:53 PM on March 13, 2006

Although the same damn thread 4 times a week can get tiresome, I admit.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 6:53 PM on March 13, 2006

What stav said -- MeTa is not for "callouts", it's for course corrections, and a thread like this one fits the bill precisely.
posted by jjg at 7:03 PM on March 13, 2006

I need a hobby. Anybody have a hobby for me? Is knitting fun?
posted by LarryC at 7:07 PM on March 13, 2006

No.
posted by Astro Zombie at 7:12 PM on March 13, 2006

Let me explain my reason for posting - the other day I was googling for information on a style of photography...AskMe turned up in the results with exactly what I was looking for.

If I googled for why my beard has ginger in it and I got AskMe I'd be forced to read a whole lot of stuff that doen't answer the question.

The internet is already full of crap. That is why people are posting AskMe questions that could be answered by using Google - it takes less time and the poster doesn't have to read so much off-topic info.

This is how that thread reads:
Q: Why does my beard have ginger in it?
A: Mine does.
A: So does mine.
A: So does my Dad's.

Useful.
posted by meech at 7:16 PM on March 13, 2006

Lots of these types of questions include a "Is this common?" in with the question. That inclusion does not then make the answers in the thread completely useless.

This is really not a big deal. Making fun of the poster, insulting the poster, and otherwise harassing the poster should be discouraged. Encouraging the poster, even slightly off-topic or in general "me too!" terms, is just... not a big deal.
posted by occhiblu at 7:22 PM on March 13, 2006

the question sort of had a "does this happen to anyone else?" quality about it

Heh. No it didn't:

i've noticed this occurring in quite a lot of people

But I agree. There's nothing wrong with chiming in and saying "hey, me too, I'll be watching this thread with interest."
posted by scarabic at 9:06 PM on March 13, 2006

Worst AskMe ever? Here I was, popping some popcorn and getting ready for something interesting, full of multiple MeTa links, applications of Godwin's Law, some elephant poop, and at least three pile-ons... and all I got a ho-hum, "yeah my beard does that too" thread.

The complaint has some merit, though I think that (and why it's not a big deal) has been more than addressed. But there is a worse AskMe answer every day. Don't get my hopes up!
posted by SuperNova at 11:32 PM on March 13, 2006

If I googled for why my beard has ginger in it and I got AskMe I'd be forced to read a whole lot of stuff that doen't answer the question.

Forced! Forced, I tell you! I demand reparations!
posted by five fresh fish at 11:37 PM on March 13, 2006

While no one has the right answer for exactly how and why beard color is different

My barber (whose explanation I related) disagrees. And she has scissors. Plus, she hates people from outside New England.
posted by Mayor Curley at 2:33 AM on March 14, 2006

meech - It's a thin line between self-policing and being a whiny, pedantic, tedious fool. You've pretty much drifted into the latter. Just FYI.
posted by y6y6y6 at 7:04 AM on March 14, 2006

what if the thread's poster could delete answers at will?
posted by kcm at 1:06 PM on March 14, 2006

I nominate MonkeySaltedNuts comment for most ridiculous when mispronounced:

I myself am a dark Titian.

Dear God, man, put on a shirt.
posted by thanotopsis at 2:47 PM on March 14, 2006

y6y6y6 - I was exaggerating in my "worst Askme...trainwreck" statement. Of course it's not that bad, it was just so mediocre, which to me is worse. But everyone here seems to be happy with answers to questions that were not asked. Fine, at least we know where AskMe is heading...
posted by meech at 3:21 PM on March 14, 2006