Two newbies have a miscommunication.

October 16, 2001 7:49 PM

Two newbies have a miscommunication. See posts from nobody_knose and me. Fortunately other users didn't seem to get blown off course with us. Was there some standard MeFi syntax that i could have used to make myself better understood?
posted by danOstuporStar to Etiquette/Policy at 7:49 PM (16 comments total)

my use of the pronouns--this time 'you'--has got me in trouble again. in my original post i wished primarily to vent my immediate "ug" against what i felt was a taliban lie, venting--perhaps too much--my frustration for this whole world situation. secondary to that i wished to ask nobody_knouse to clarify his statement.

but apparently nobody_knouse uunderstood my frustration to be directed at him.

was my primary error: A) venting my frustration at all, (rather than cool commentary); B) the order of paragraghs (if my question to nobody_ had come second would i have ben clearer); C) unconventional (by MeFi standards) use if italics, quotes and punctuation; or D) something else entirely...???

p.s. thanks matt and everybody who contributes to this community. this place is so much fun and challenging--and very beautifully self-policed.

p.p.s. do i need to somehow notify nobody_ i brought this to MeTa?.
posted by danOstuporStar at 8:03 PM on October 16, 2001

and very beautifully self-policed.

Newbies rock! :-)

1. I understood your first post perfectly, and I didn't realize why he/she was overreacting until the end. It's a simple misunderstanding. It's sometimes hard to communicate effectively without body language, so these things happen.

2. No problem with "venting frustration" at world leaders. We try to keep it civil among each other, but feel free to lambaste any public figure you like. Especially evil Taliban fucks and the Religious Right.

3. Generally, if you mention someone by name in MetaTalk, it's a good idea to email that person directly and let him/her know. If they don't have an email in their profile (grrrrrr....), you should probably mention it in the post, with a link to the MeTa thread.

One lesson I took from this: when I first saw nobody_knose's "jackass", which seemingly came out of the blue, I thought "someone's looking to get banned." But when I realized that he/she misunderstood, it became a much more forgivable offense. My bad for jumping to conclusions.
posted by jpoulos at 9:03 PM on October 16, 2001

And good on ya, jpoulos, for taking the time to explain stuff.

I'd add that I do like to see a simple link out of MeFi to a MeTa thread if one has been created, just to help keep my perenially scattered mind in some semblance of order, but that's maybe a personal preference.

dan0 - just hang around and read everything you have time for - you'll pick up on a few great pancake recipes...
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 10:10 PM on October 16, 2001

The only think I can suggest is that if you're at any point addressing another user in your post, clearly delineate the point at which you stop referring to that user, and begin writing to imaginary taliban leaders.
posted by Doug at 10:50 PM on October 16, 2001

Whenever you have a friendly disagreement, on MeFi or anywhere else for that matter, it's a good idea to substitute your opponent's name with the handy epithet: "Chickenfucker"

Works for me.
posted by Kafkaesque at 9:11 AM on October 17, 2001

I agree with chickenfuckeresque!
posted by y2karl at 10:25 AM on October 17, 2001

That's chickenlover, K.
posted by jpoulos at 12:18 PM on October 17, 2001

heh...thanx for the input ppl

(and given the negative connotations of "chicken," i think the accepted term is "egg-contribing fowl." just be careful not fertilize em with all that attention.)
posted by danOstuporStar at 1:21 PM on October 17, 2001

um... "contributing"
posted by danOstuporStar at 1:27 PM on October 17, 2001

*mumbled whiny bitch about how I was saying chickenfucker before those South Park eejuts, cognizant of the sad and pathetic fact that no-one will believe or, perhaps, even care*

Super! Thanks for asking!
posted by Kafkaesque at 1:31 PM on October 17, 2001

ah, a south park reference..... sorry i never saw the movie, so i've only heard the censored TV comments from the kiddies...and not much of that at that
posted by danOstuporStar at 1:41 PM on October 17, 2001

lol....guess i shoulda clicked jpoulos' link eh?
posted by danOstuporStar at 1:44 PM on October 17, 2001

hey!
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:42 PM on October 17, 2001

stavrosthewonderchickenfucker
posted by ColdChef at 7:06 PM on October 17, 2001

no no stavros!

Consentual chickenfucking is juuuust fine.

So fuck away, my fowl friend, fuck away!
posted by Kafkaesque at 9:37 PM on October 17, 2001

::fucks:: *


* a little shyly
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 6:01 AM on October 23, 2001