pulling out info from pages without anchors December 14, 2006 7:22 AM   Subscribe

FPP question.

In making up an art centered post, I'm finding lots of great images with data that describes the particular piece of art. However, the art and data about it is on a web page with other pictures (sometimes relate, sometimes not)and the specific pieces I want to use do NOT have anchers. The data about the images is important, because the images are part of a storytelling genre/style and the data helps shed light on the images (which are at least 100 years old usually).

So would it be better to link to just the images or link to the web page and just mention that you have to scroll?
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) to Etiquette/Policy at 7:22 AM (26 comments total)

If the images are one of like two or three on the page, then sure, tell people to scroll. If they're one of ten or twenty, it's just going to make a crappy link and I'd suggest avoiding it if at all possible.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 7:40 AM on December 14, 2006


Do the elements have "id"s? If so, you can treat the ids as anchors.
posted by null terminated at 7:49 AM on December 14, 2006


It would be better to admit that you haven't yet found a good web page about your pet topic and wait until you do.
posted by Wolfdog at 8:05 AM on December 14, 2006


If only there were any good web pages out there about art. Then we might finally get an art-centered FPP for once. Oh well. *posts FPP about new Linux kernel bug fix*
posted by Plutor at 8:14 AM on December 14, 2006


Do the elements have "id"s?

No IDs, they're using tables or really basic html.


It would be better to admit that you haven't yet found a good web page about your pet topic and wait until you do.


Nope, found great sites, but there are a couple of great pieces that are only found on crapy sites.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:35 AM on December 14, 2006


Which part of "filter" don't you understand?
posted by cillit bang at 8:41 AM on December 14, 2006


The part where ya can't ask for thoughts on to craft a FPP post.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:46 AM on December 14, 2006 [1 favorite]


MetaFilter is "best of the web", not "best of [whatever subject] that happens to be on the web on a crappy webpage".

i.e. you shouldn't be posting about Topic X because Topic X is interesting and cool, you should be posting about Topic X because you have found one or more interesting and cool websites about Topic X. If you want to post about Topic X and can only find average or crappy websites, then you need to either keep looking or choose another topic.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 9:06 AM on December 14, 2006


I thought I'd be able to refrain from pointing out that anchors is spelled with an "o." Looks like I learned a little something about myself today.
posted by jonson at 9:09 AM on December 14, 2006 [1 favorite]


If you want to post about Topic X and can only find average or crappy websites, then you need to either keep looking or choose another topic.

To clearer, great websites were found, but a few pieces and great historic notes were found on crappy sites.

So I'll either link to one or two of those or rewrite the post.

Thanks to all who chimed in.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:17 AM on December 14, 2006


Note: if you link directly to the images, while it's doubtful if the pages are so crappy, it's possible that they could have their servers setup such that hotlinking directly to the image will fail. Just something to keep in mind. And if they're linked from somewhere high traffic like MeFi, it's possible that they could turn this on after you link to them.
posted by antifuse at 9:28 AM on December 14, 2006


to craft a FPP post.

Do you also remember your PIN number for the ATM machine?

Can I take this opportunity to say how much I hate that term "FPP"? What is wrong with just saying "post"? As if there were some kind of post which didn't go to the front page? Why must you differentiate a front page post from ... well from nothing, because they all go to the front page when you post them.
posted by Rhomboid at 9:49 AM on December 14, 2006


Well, there are MetaTalk posts.
posted by OmieWise at 9:57 AM on December 14, 2006


Do you also remember your PIN number for the ATM machine?

As a matter of fact, I do. I like to say "PIN number" and "ATM machine" a lot just to piss off the sort of people who confuse constructions which are merely redundant with constructions that are truly erroneous.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:58 AM on December 14, 2006


Me too.
posted by languagehat at 10:32 AM on December 14, 2006


Me too also.
posted by signal at 10:39 AM on December 14, 2006


Sorry I'm late. I just got the memo. This is the thread where you are supposed to show up and be a dick for no reason right?
posted by ND¢ at 10:54 AM on December 14, 2006 [2 favorites]


OmieWise writes "Well, there are MetaTalk posts."

And AskMe, Projects and Music posts.
posted by Mitheral at 11:48 AM on December 14, 2006


ND¢, If the background is grey, it's usually the right thread.
posted by and hosted from Uranus at 11:49 AM on December 14, 2006


I thought I'd be able to refrain from pointing out that anchors is spelled with an "o." Looks like I learned a little something about myself today.

It's my special day, too.
posted by fixedgear at 1:30 PM on December 14, 2006


Sorry I'm late. I just got the memo. This is the thread where you are supposed to show up and be a dick for no reason right?

Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.
posted by chrismear at 1:51 PM on December 14, 2006


Rage against the machine dude.
posted by smackfu at 5:03 PM on December 14, 2006


*rages against the machine*
posted by cgc373 at 5:17 PM on December 14, 2006


Rage rage against the dying of the light dude.
posted by shmegegge at 6:43 PM on December 14, 2006


*forgets PIN number, rages against the ATM machine*
posted by dg at 6:49 PM on December 14, 2006


i.e. you shouldn't be posting about Topic X because Topic X is interesting and cool, you should be posting about Topic X because you have found one or more interesting and cool websites about Topic X. If you want to post about Topic X and can only find average or crappy websites, then you need to either keep looking or choose another topic.

I think there's a distinction between average-to-crappy content (which is kinda useless to link to regardless of how well the site is designed), excellent content with average-to-mediocre design (which can still make a really good post, in my opinion--experts in cool and esoteric fields don't all have time to read A List Apart or Zeldman) and good content with truly, offensively awful design (which is kind of a corner case). Bear in mind, though, you don't want your thread derailed with a bunch of design snobs going all, "Frames? What is this, 1995?"
posted by arto at 12:48 AM on December 15, 2006


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