Previewing the Poster's Name

January 6, 2002 2:31 PM

How about putting the names of posters at the beginning of posts either instead of or in addition to at the end of posts? People are always saying, "Well, if you don't like what [x] says, just ignore him," but it would be easier to ignore people if you knew up front it was them posting.
posted by anapestic to Feature Requests at 2:31 PM (22 comments total)

I can foresee the objections to this request, and they have validity. People should be judged on what they say and not who they are. But there are a limited number of people who always set me on edge, and I'd rather know up front that it's one of them posting so that I either won't read or will know in advance to expect something that I'll consider rubbish.

If everyone made short posts, then this wouldn't be a problem because one could see the poster's name at the bottom of the screen, but too frequently, the posters I don't want to read are posting at length, and so I don't know it's them until it's too late.

Ideally, I'd be able to put certain posters on an ignore list and just not have what they say appear. But since there's no real filtering technology, a heads up would be a good substitute.
posted by anapestic at 2:36 PM on January 6, 2002

This is the classic form for publishing letters, started by The Timestwo centuries ago.

Advantage: I always like to know who's posting before I read; so, with long comments, anapestic's suggestion would save scrolling down.

Disadvantage: We shouldn't really be doing this - all posts should be considered on their own merits, etc - and this would encourage selective reading.

Suspicion: I think people actually enjoy reading the sort of posts other people suggest they should just ignore.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 2:46 PM on January 6, 2002

I usually just read it, and if it's one of the people who make my skin crawl, I figure they just reinforced my negative opinion of them.
posted by Kafkaesque at 2:50 PM on January 6, 2002

Hmm.. I typically scoll down the bottom of long comments to see who it is before I read, partially out of curiosity. But it is an excellent point that we shouldn't really be judging on the basis of names. I just don't know.
posted by j.edwards at 2:56 PM on January 6, 2002

I can name that MeFite in four words, Wink.
posted by Kafkaesque at 6:21 PM on January 6, 2002

I'm definitely on board with this. Phooey on judging a post on its own merits--if someone wants to skip a certain poster and they miss something wonderful, that is their choice. They can always go back. It's a pain in the arse to scroll to the bottom of the message, so I'm usually pissed off by the time I do so.

I'd rather be able to set up my own MentalFilter.

Sorry. Irresistable.
posted by frykitty at 6:29 PM on January 6, 2002

While I doubt it's accurate, the little Miguel that lives in my head uses the Ricky Ricardo-esque voice of Brak's dad on Adult Swim.

You have no idea how amusing this is for me.
posted by dong_resin at 8:20 PM on January 6, 2002

But then, I'm not terribly bright.
posted by dong_resin at 8:28 PM on January 6, 2002

Mrs Torrance! Miguel is the little man that lives inside my mouth!
posted by Kafkaesque at 8:47 PM on January 6, 2002

Homer: "Your ideas intrigue me, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter."

posted by y2karl at 9:31 PM on January 6, 2002

with the long posts, I usually start reading them and almost immediately know "oh, it's that guy. ugh." and scroll down to find I'm right.

I'm in favor of having posters names above posts too.
posted by palegirl at 10:09 PM on January 6, 2002

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Hey! This jacket has pockets!
Hey! This jacket has pockets!
Hey! This jacket has pockets!
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[shelley duvall backs away from maniacaly typed sheets in stunned horror]




posted by dong_resin at 12:37 AM on January 7, 2002

Me too! Er, I mean, I'd like to see this implemented as well. I scroll/skim threads before reading so that I can skip the posters who consistently chafe my scrote, and name-on-top formatting would save me considerable time.

posted by sennoma at 2:12 AM on January 7, 2002

[offtopic] I sense a coming Comedy Deathmatch between dong_resin and Kafkaesque for the coveted title of Lord Of Teh Funney.

Either that or they're the same person, which is a possibility too horrifying for even a wonderchicken* to contemplate.




*'I, Stavros,' coming soon to a video store near you.
[/offtopic]
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:24 AM on January 7, 2002

But how could I compete with someone who can shoot ectoplasm out of his fingers?

("I, Stavros": Does that mean you and Clavdivs are the same person? It's all coming clear now! Now if only I can figure out the connection between SDB and Mach3, I'll have it all sussed.)
posted by Kafkaesque at 8:51 AM on January 7, 2002

starvos is in korea (yes?) i am in michigan. dong does wonders with plasma but his weakness for hoofed mammals can slow things down...like that long, long trailer.
'louchie, we have mobile home"
posted by clavdivs at 9:30 AM on January 7, 2002

Same person doubts, part II: Kafkaesque and Uncle Fes.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 9:45 AM on January 7, 2002

Come on Miguel, fess up. We know you and skallas are the same person.
posted by Kafkaesque at 9:59 AM on January 7, 2002

and clav misspells stav's name....

why does everyone misplace that 'r', anyway?
posted by mattpfeff at 10:01 AM on January 7, 2002

why does everyone misplace that 'r', anyway?

To confuse those who would read his name before reading his posts. Hey, maybe we should have the name before the post... <ontopic>
posted by j.edwards at 10:04 AM on January 7, 2002

Come on Miguel, fess up. We know you and skallas are the same person.

Well, explain this little sequence then, posted an hour after the blatant non-denial above, to the NYC MeFi get-together thread:

Damn. I'm gonna miss it by a week or so. I'm going to be in Atlantic City the 11th thru the 16th.
(posted by Kafkaesque at 10:31 AM PST on January 7)

"tough-ass lookin' Segway gang"
And I'll be the corporate thug reeking of old-style Prussian wisdom and extraordinarily-high-pH bullshit. Save me a seat near the fire, eh?
it's about 25 minutes to the 7th Ave. Stop.
Think a Manhattan cabbie can get me there? At less than, say, elective surgery cost?
(posted by UncleFes at 11:16 AM PST on January 7)

Why does that first excuse sound so insincere? And where in blue blazes is this funny-sounding "Atlantic City", if it exists at all?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 1:01 PM on January 7, 2002

Damn. My secret is out. I'm KafkaFesque, and a dirty liar.

*hold me*
posted by Kafkaesque at 1:30 PM on January 7, 2002