HDMI Cables? Can I lift those with my pitchfork? September 3, 2008 4:03 PM   Subscribe

This post is distinctly spammy. The pleasure of answering questions and helping people in AskMeFi is the reward, not offers of free stuff.
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul to Etiquette/Policy at 4:03 PM (38 comments total)

The pleasure of answering questions and helping people in AskMeFi is the reward, not offers of free stuff

Well, I don't know. Could we maybe try it for a little while?
posted by turgid dahlia at 4:11 PM on September 3, 2008 [1 favorite]


Yeah, that's weird and spammy. He did it before apparently (dunno if anyone really got free cables).
posted by mathowie (staff) at 4:12 PM on September 3, 2008


The pleasure of answering questions and helping people in AskMeFi is the reward, not offers of free stuff.

I entirely agree with this. Up until free computers, laptops or HD TV sets are offered and sent along with the HDMI cables.
posted by loquacious at 4:28 PM on September 3, 2008


The user brings up an interesting point: should AskMeFi questions be allowed to help users make money? As the example here, should users be allowed to become "test subjects" or free "surveys" for small business owners? Or is the segment of the population that would abuse AskMeFi like this so small as to make the entire question moot?
posted by SeizeTheDay at 4:46 PM on September 3, 2008


If you answer my question correctly, I will give you *free* empty plastic ice cream buckets.
posted by KokuRyu at 4:46 PM on September 3, 2008


Also consider how many more questions you could be answering if you didn't have to waste your time buying all those HDMI cables.
posted by chinston at 4:47 PM on September 3, 2008


KokuRyu: You ate all the plastic ice cream already?
posted by aubilenon at 4:54 PM on September 3, 2008


Surveyfilter questions are against the rules, as is soliciting for subjects for some sort of study or whatever. However, it's clear that some AskMe questions are helping someone do their job or their homework and that's not specifically against the rules as long as it's not a flat out "Do my job/homework for me" sort of thing. AskMe is a resource of people with ideas and information. It's not really meant to be a classified ad site or a way to get warm bodies for surveys.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 4:55 PM on September 3, 2008


The only part I disagree with is the "top three answers" part. As determined by who? The asker? The studio audience? An impartial jury of experts? This guy?

And if we're going to rank answers, where do those of us rank who don't answer? Why am I being oppressed, and thought less of, just because I don't have an answer for why your boyfriend dumped you? WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME!?!?!?!
posted by blue_beetle at 5:17 PM on September 3, 2008 [1 favorite]


Oh Spammy Spammy Spammy

/Jolson
posted by jonmc at 5:40 PM on September 3, 2008 [1 favorite]


1. HDMI cables.

2. ??????

3. Profit.
posted by fire&wings at 5:40 PM on September 3, 2008


Fucking hell, it's like HDMI cables are the answer to everything these days. "Because I said so" is sooo 20th Century. Instead, it's "Why should I do this?" "HDMI cables." "Ohh."
posted by turgid dahlia at 5:57 PM on September 3, 2008 [2 favorites]


Replace 'evolution' with 'HDMI cables' in all our textbooks. Science vs Creationism debate resolved. Forever.
posted by Science! at 6:07 PM on September 3, 2008


Hump Da Mutherfucker Instead!
posted by ORthey at 6:22 PM on September 3, 2008


Yeah, that's weird and spammy. He did it before apparently (dunno if anyone really got free cables).
posted by mathowie


Yep, I remembered that immediately. I had answered the previous AskMe (under another name). I didn't think of it as spammy at the time, but looking back... yeah not a good idea. I wasn't marked "best" so I don't know if anyone got cables or not.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 6:40 PM on September 3, 2008


under another name

So, who were you? The Deej?
posted by Dave Faris at 8:45 PM on September 3, 2008


I killed The Deej with a nasty gunshot wound just before imploding a block of buildings.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 9:00 PM on September 3, 2008


He did it before apparently (dunno if anyone really got free cables).

He asked for my address to send me one of his cables after I answered his previous question. I refused because it seemed against the spirit of AskMe (and because I have no use for the cable). I told him that it didn't seem right to offer the cable, but I guess he didn't take it to heart.
posted by ssg at 9:30 PM on September 3, 2008


What's weirder is that I wanted to buy a couple off of him. So, after discovering that he didn't have any current ebay listings, I sent him MeMail. He continues to ignore my message..
posted by Chuckles at 9:37 PM on September 3, 2008


should AskMeFi questions be allowed to help users make money?

Yes of course they should be allowed.

Take the two questions being looked at here.. The first has a specific problem to be solved -- admittedly a spamy question -- so it is okay. The second is soliciting for customers -- no problem to be solved -- so it isn't okay.
posted by Chuckles at 9:40 PM on September 3, 2008


If in-kind rewards became standard for good answers, I think I'd spend a lot more time working the human relations category.
posted by felix betachat at 9:44 PM on September 3, 2008 [1 favorite]


My offer of a free case of rubber nipples stands. You know how to get in touch with me.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:09 PM on September 3, 2008


We don't have HDMI cables.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 10:30 PM on September 3, 2008


Unless they vibrate.
posted by blue_beetle at 10:42 PM on September 3, 2008


When they start offering bottles of vodka, it's game AWN!
posted by heyho at 10:48 PM on September 3, 2008


turgid dahlia: are you still beating your wife with anything?
posted by UbuRoivas at 10:55 PM on September 3, 2008


My offer of a free case of rubber nipples stands. You know how to get in touch with me.

I'll take them and put them to good use - but I still don't want to touch you.
posted by loquacious at 11:51 PM on September 3, 2008


Hurf Durf Metafilter Idiots!
posted by fourcheesemac at 5:08 AM on September 4, 2008


hey, don't mock idiocy!
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:20 AM on September 4, 2008


He don't mean it.
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:32 AM on September 4, 2008


Ladies and gentlemen... I've traveled over half our state to be here tonight. I couldn't get away sooner because my new HDMI cable was coming in at Coyote Hills and I had to see about it. That HDMI cable is now flowing at two thousand cables and it's paying me an income of five thousand dollars a week. I have two others drilling and I have sixteen producing at Antelope. So, ladies and gentlemen... if I say I'm an HDMI man you will agree. You have a great chance here, but bear in mind, you can lose it all if you're not careful. Out of all men that beg for a chance to drill your lots, maybe one in twenty will be HDMI-men; the rest will be speculators-men trying to get between you and the HDMI-men-to get some of the money that ought by rights come to you. Even if you find one that has money, and means to drill, he'll maybe known nothing about drilling and he'll have to hire out the job on contract, and then you're depending on a contractor that's trying to rush the job through so he can get another contract just as quick as he can. This is the way this works.
posted by geoff. at 8:00 AM on September 4, 2008 [1 favorite]


turgid dahlia: are you still beating your wife with anything?

Way to load the question man. There's a big difference between "beating" and "mutually sensuous whipping".

And another big difference between "wife" and "hand".
posted by turgid dahlia at 2:34 PM on September 4, 2008


hello dorks, metafilter inside!
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 2:41 PM on September 4, 2008 [2 favorites]


Rubber nipple stands? Is that where I'm supposed to display my rubber nipples?
posted by slogger at 5:51 PM on September 4, 2008


No, it's what happens to a rubber nipple when it's cold. Or if you pinch it.
posted by UbuRoivas at 6:07 PM on September 4, 2008


Here, if you have HD content, and I have HD content, and I have an HDMI cable. There it is, that's an HDMI cable, you see? You watching?. And my cable reaches acroooooooss the room, and starts to transmit your content... I watch your content! I watch it up!
posted by Horace Rumpole at 7:24 PM on September 4, 2008 [4 favorites]


Punch him in the dick with an HDMI cable.
posted by ludwig_van at 9:02 PM on September 4, 2008


He'd double-over, moaning, instantly!
posted by UbuRoivas at 9:26 PM on September 4, 2008


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