Sometimes I wish self-posting was OK... March 2, 2002 12:54 PM   Subscribe

Sometimes I wish self-posting was OK ...
posted by feelinglistless to Etiquette/Policy at 12:54 PM (28 comments total)

I'm not usually one to fritter about policy but I'm wondering if this one alright? After all, "hincandenza" is a regular user and I'm sure I would have linked to this eventually anyway -- he just jumped the gun a bit. Of course, counting against it is that it's a non-specific Salon link. But it feels a bit like me ringing a friend up to tell them I've got a play in production or a book published. And I suppose it's the equivalent of Ev linking to one of the miriad articles about Blogger. But it doen't fit with the projects list. And would we object if someone even more famous posted here -- like George Lucas saying 'I've got this really cool movie coming out...'?

Now I'm even more confused myself ... but I suppose the ultimate question ... is self-posting to be completely frowned even upon if it's done in moderation?
posted by feelinglistless at 1:02 PM on March 2, 2002


It's ok in very select cases, and I'd say this one was handled well, and isn't outrightly self-promoting. It's from a longtime member that has given a lot to the community, and had I known he released a film, I would have linked it myself (if it was on the mefi projects list, I bet someone would have posted it).
posted by mathowie (staff) at 1:18 PM on March 2, 2002


Thanks ... I thought so ...
posted by feelinglistless at 1:32 PM on March 2, 2002


Ah, shoot, I didn't think anyone would seriously believe I was the filmmaker! I just thought it a splendidly funny comment to make on that thread- given the posted link's subject matter of investigating authorship and identity, and the comment's specific allusion to MeFi's code of not using aliases to self-promote- to pretend that indeed the twenty-something dude who lives in Seattle and posts to MeFi was just a front for the "real" hincandenza who is Michael Rubbo, and kinda riffing off that plaque in Stratford that hints of Marlowe's confession (3rd page of the Salon article). I even updated my user page at the same time I made that post, figuring that a few comments in people would go there to see who I was and discover my little joke in the footer. Guess that didn't work out as expected.... :(

Drats. Didn't mean to mislead anyone into truly believing I am the filmmaker in question. To be clear I am not Michael Rubbo, nor do I know the guy/ have ever met him/ have any alliance with him or the documentary, nor am I even a Shakespeare scholar of any kind. Like crasspastor, I just stumbled across the article at Salon this morning. So yeah, apologies to both Michael Rubbo wherever-he-may-be, and to MeFi folk in general who didn't realize I thought I was being clever and cheeky.

On the plus side, regardless of all that it's a good article, and some of those Shakespeare links in the comments are really interesting stuff... hadn't heard the Earl of Oxford thing, although I think some of those Marlowe connections are way too eerie to be just coincidence.
posted by hincandenza at 2:41 PM on March 2, 2002


perfect...
posted by machaus at 2:53 PM on March 2, 2002


Uh oh, hincand is in big trouble!
posted by daveadams at 3:11 PM on March 2, 2002


ha. nice one. I feel stupid for not noticing the obvious joke.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 3:15 PM on March 2, 2002


But in regards to self-linking, doesn't it also turn into a question of self-promotion versus interest to the users of Metafilter?

Like, Matt's post on his weblog about whether he should blur the line of journalism and weblog by doing an edit of his last essay and submit it for review/publication. I think that should've been posted up on MetaTalk. I think it has merit. I don't know if the post was meant to be sarcastic or serious, but either way, I think the discussion would be interesting. I suppose I could have posted it...but why wouldn't Matt have done it?

And anyways, he has more leeway on self-linking than the rest of us.

On a semi-different note, I recently wrote a paper in a class attempting to prove Metafilter.com was a community by using theories of famous sociologists. I think it would be an interesting thing to discuss on MetaTalk, but I'm not gonna link it...nor am I going to tell someone else to link it...
It hasn't been proofread well, but I have to elaborate on my papers later in the semester...so I'll make it better later.

And the previous paragraph brings up another question...is there a difference between self-linking and self-commenting?
posted by jacobw at 3:30 PM on March 2, 2002


Very funny. You got me bang to rights. You could have strung me a long all day, I'm that stupid. I suppose I just quite liked the idea that a film maker posted here.......I'm disappointed now.

I'd self post here, if I ever did anything that I thought was worthwhile enough to share. It would have to be something very much out of the ordinary though to justify doing it.
posted by RobertLoch at 3:34 PM on March 2, 2002


Hee!
posted by grrarrgh00 at 3:46 PM on March 2, 2002


'We believe in the reality which we are presented...'

Of course I knew this ... and ... and ... what I was doing was creating an extra level of reality in order to keep up the pretence ...

... I hope that's the case because otherwise I'd be picking bits of banana skin from my shoe ...
posted by feelinglistless at 3:53 PM on March 2, 2002


Ah, therefore I lie with Mefi and Mefi with me
posted by victors at 4:53 PM on March 2, 2002


Wait, if Hincandenza isn't Rubbo, then does that mean Marlowe is really Queen Elizabeth?
posted by CrazyUncleJoe at 4:54 PM on March 2, 2002


Har-dee-har-har.

The thought immediately crossed my mind you, you, hincandenza, had drizzled your witty playfulness all over that post. You had me marginally convinced anyhow. Nevertheless, I googled for Michael+Rubbo+Seattle etc. and found nothing that absolutely stood out. I must confess I found one tiny photograph in which Michael Rubbo appeared and it almost had me believing, "Yeah I think I may have seen that guy around and about. Whaddya know, me and Michael Rubbo neighbors?" Whoever this Michael Rubbo is of course, now that I'd just heard of him.
posted by crasspastor at 5:14 PM on March 2, 2002


So will there or will there not be a public lynching?

Also, since it was a post about Shakespeare, Hincandenza, you should have said "I am Micheal Rubbo, and I am disguised as a woman, and I have fallen in love with the wrong person!"

posted by Hildago at 6:07 PM on March 2, 2002


"If it's on MetaFilter it must be true."
posted by mikhail at 7:30 PM on March 2, 2002


Hincandenza: you should be flattered. It means people here not only like you but trust trusted you. ;)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 8:04 PM on March 2, 2002


When I first read hincandenza's post, I got a little vicarious thrill that one of my Mefi homies was a "filmic storyteller", and an expert on The Bard, to boot. I guess I'll just have to settle for the vicarious thrill that comes with one of my Mefi homies pulling a prank most schmoove.
posted by Optamystic at 8:14 PM on March 2, 2002


Sometimes I wish self-posting was OK

It's amazing that nobody's noticed that feelinglistless's question was not about self-linking. So let's please discuss his original query: is it OK to send comments to oneself? And do it all without outside help? Because if it is, I'm going to let my mother take a break.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 8:24 PM on March 2, 2002


Three words:
ROOFLE OWNED METATALK.
posted by darukaru at 9:03 PM on March 2, 2002


If anyone wants to hear the REAL Michael Rubbo (hehhe-he) ... you can listen to an online debate he had with a friend of mine who runs the Shakespeare Authorship website, named Dave Kathman. It was on the New York & Company with Leonard Lopate website. Since it was broadcast on Valentine's Day, it's already in the archive.

Frankly, neither come off well. Radio isn't a great forum such a discussion, but it's worth a listen.

posted by RavinDave at 9:38 PM on March 2, 2002


well Hincandenza, i got it right off, and thought it was a great joke, hence my post in that thread.
posted by th3ph17 at 9:58 PM on March 2, 2002


MiguelCardoso: Huh?
posted by feelinglistless at 1:09 AM on March 3, 2002


Well that was mildly amusing. Much ado about nothing. Rules were made to prank broken.
posted by ZachsMind at 2:43 AM on March 3, 2002


me thinks hincandenza doth protest too much!
posted by Tarrama at 4:16 AM on March 3, 2002


one of my Mefi homies was a "filmic storyteller"

Now that's the funniest thing I've read all day.
posted by anildash at 5:29 AM on March 3, 2002


MiguelCardoso: Huh?

I was just joshing with the fact that you used the expression self-post to mean what is commonly known as a self-link. Yes, I realize it isn't at all funny and wish someone would shoot me - but there you are. :)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 6:08 AM on March 4, 2002


I shot a man in Porto
Just to watch him die.
posted by Kafkaesque at 4:39 PM on March 4, 2002


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