Awesome post contest?

November 18, 2010 10:38 AM

Could we have another December awesome post contest next month?

Those are quite fun. I'm not sure it would have to have awesome prizes, although those are pretty great too. I would be pretty happy with a t-shirt (or the esteem of my fellow mefites) if I were one of the lucky winners.

posted by SpacemanStix to MetaFilter-Related at 10:38 AM (80 comments total)

I win for me! FOR ME!
posted by Joe Beese at 10:39 AM on November 18, 2010

I liked the idea last time we did it. Let's see how everyone else is feeling about it.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 10:40 AM on November 18, 2010

I liked the idea last time jessamyn liked it.

I will never ever be able to win one of these things because of my tendency to underthink my own posts, but I love watching other young aspirants melt their wings trying.
posted by hermitosis at 10:41 AM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

*begins prepping his "Roger Ebert and Stephen Fry Talk Minecraft" post*
posted by Think_Long at 10:41 AM on November 18, 2010 [16 favorites]

I liked this idea when I heard about it, which is right now.

Dang. Should have saved my System Shock 2 post. (But I couldn't resist doing it on the 10th anniversary)
posted by Askiba at 10:43 AM on November 18, 2010

Yes! Even without fancy prizes this would be good for MeFi.
posted by Gator at 10:46 AM on November 18, 2010

I joined in December 2006. I'd been thinking of joining for awhile, but what pushed me over the edge was the contest. I did two FPPs in December, and neither of them won. And now I hate all of you.
posted by roll truck roll at 10:46 AM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

I hate the idea and would prefer to have a December Spectacularly Awesome Post Contest.

and to make it interesting, I would donate $5 to the prize pot as long as the judges are some combination of Matt/Jess/Tex.
posted by nomadicink at 10:58 AM on November 18, 2010

I was thinking the other day how the awesome post contest lead to lots of awesome posts, and how much I like awesome posts. So I like this idea.
posted by shelleycat at 11:01 AM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

Yeah, I'd love to do an awesome post contest. What should the top prize be? iPod? iPad? Something else that costs a couple hundred bucks?
posted by mathowie (staff) at 11:03 AM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

How bout an eight ball?
posted by gman at 11:05 AM on November 18, 2010 [3 favorites]

Can I win if I actually watch the video I link to?
posted by griphus at 11:07 AM on November 18, 2010 [4 favorites]

Let's do it.

An iPad seems like a natural progression from an iPod, I think that was the prize last time.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 11:07 AM on November 18, 2010

"I win for me! FOR ME!"
Dude, that was 10 years ago. We are at Windows 7 now.
posted by vidur at 11:17 AM on November 18, 2010

How about a NewEgg gift card or Amazon gift card? It would give people some choice in what their prize is.
posted by spiderskull at 11:24 AM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

I want to read them!

(And I REALLY want to win, but my one post in three years would seem to argue against that probability. I can stil hop...)
posted by Madamina at 11:29 AM on November 18, 2010

Wii? Wait that was last time, how about Google TV?
posted by wheelieman at 11:33 AM on November 18, 2010

jessamyn: "I liked the idea last time we did it. Let's see how everyone else is feeling about it."

I vote no. Good posts are bad for my morale.

mathowie: "Something else that costs a couple hundred bucks?"

Two hundred dollars worth of corn dogs.
posted by Plutor at 11:57 AM on November 18, 2010 [4 favorites]

I liked the idea last time jessamyn liked it.

Pshh... I like the idea when it was on vinyl.
posted by inigo2 at 12:06 PM on November 18, 2010

Fuck, I hope no one else gets the scoop on the new Lady Gaga video shot by Werner Herzog where she's brutally tazed by a cop dressed as a cute cat eating vodka bacon with a funny caption that's made into a T-shirt and downloaded onto an iPad..
posted by Elmore at 12:11 PM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

Something else that costs a couple hundred bucks?

That's 10 SAIT jokes right there.
posted by never used baby shoes at 12:12 PM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

I'm all for it. Let me tweet my fusilers.
posted by timsteil at 12:15 PM on November 18, 2010

Let's do it.
If there are contributions needed I'm in for $5 as well.
posted by adamvasco at 12:20 PM on November 18, 2010

How about a kindle? This is a literary kind of crowd, after all.
posted by Curious Artificer at 12:25 PM on November 18, 2010

Oh boy I'mma gonna link to Facebook BEST OF THE WEB
posted by shakespeherian at 12:50 PM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

iPad. Hands down.
posted by Namlit at 12:55 PM on November 18, 2010

Fuck, I hope no one else gets the scoop on the new Lady Gaga video shot by Werner Herzog where she's brutally tazed by a cop dressed as a cute cat eating vodka bacon with a funny caption that's made into a T-shirt and downloaded onto an iPad..

. . . where it is uproariously lip-synched by Craig Ferguson, the puppets, and Bridger. Suck it, losers.
posted by FelliniBlank at 12:59 PM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

Yes. I anticipate a wonderful December.
posted by sarahnade at 12:59 PM on November 18, 2010

What, why not a Galaxy Tablet?!
posted by nomadicink at 12:59 PM on November 18, 2010

I anticipate a wonderful December.

Yeah. All those posts, and then an iPad. Ta-daa

[Calvin: Well. I've decided I do believe in Santa Claus, no matter how preposterous he sounds.
Hobbes: What convinced you?
Calvin: A simple risk analysis. I want presents. Lots of presents. Why risk not getting them over a matter of belief? Heck, I'll believe anything they want.
Hobbes: How cynically enterprising of you.
Calvin: It's the spirit of Christmas.]
posted by Namlit at 1:07 PM on November 18, 2010 [2 favorites]

Pascal's Christmas Wager.
posted by kmz at 1:17 PM on November 18, 2010

Winner gets unfettered use of the img tag for a month.
posted by chinston at 1:29 PM on November 18, 2010 [10 favorites]

And a lesson that with great power comes great responsibility.
posted by chinston at 1:30 PM on November 18, 2010

Every comment the winner writes will be in bolded neon pink, comic sans, with dropshadow so it stands out against every color background.
posted by filthy light thief at 1:32 PM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

Nothing can possibly go wrong.

Future entry in "wrong predictions" MeTa thread.
posted by Kattullus at 1:37 PM on November 18, 2010

I like the idea, too. Although I think the judges should pick a top ten. These ten then must each play five rounds of Nethack, as Tourists. Highest score wins Post of the Year, and gets admin privileges for a day. Or a basket of Valencia oranges.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 1:38 PM on November 18, 2010

December 2008 Awesome Post Contest rules, and winners.
December 2006 contest, and winners.

Also, there were some weird "Best of August" contests in 2005 and 2006.
posted by filthy light thief at 1:41 PM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

I think all the judges should be members with userids lower than 40,000 and with usernames that come from poems by TS Eliot.
posted by shakespeherian at 1:44 PM on November 18, 2010 [2 favorites]

I've been practicing. I can make a Muppets post with a 4.5 link density in under 5 minutes now. This is a time trial, right?
posted by codacorolla at 1:56 PM on November 18, 2010

I'm going to post youtube's kitten blunders. That's new.
posted by Namlit at 2:11 PM on November 18, 2010

I've been practicing making posts in the dark. And I got at least three comments on my Zfsjafsjk safkhLFK kKLASLKA post.
posted by Astro Zombie at 2:13 PM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

Can I submit my entry now?
posted by not_on_display at 2:22 PM on November 18, 2010

Ugh. I hate "awesome" posts. They are all link heavy and involve subjects people think they are supposed to care about but about which nobody actually gives a fuck.

Here's my early entry:

Indurhu was a 14th Century Afro-Uzbek poet and mooli farmer who documented his cama-back journey from Jakarta to what is now San Cristóbal - (see 800MB expandable map of his likely route) through the medium of a dance and set to a symphony played exclusively on the kobuz. What made this so amazing was Indurhu had no arms and no legs and danced only with his face. Today a group of armless legless orphan refugees is set to stage a cama-back recreation of that symphony via a live TED talk. Bonus: make your own mooli based meal to eat as you listen!

Pass. Let's stick to single link posts about Star Wars, silly videos, abuses of authority, Obama, internet memes, poorly explained or understood scientific developments, and how mad FoxNews/Palin/Glenn Beck/our parents make us. It's what we do best.
posted by ND¢ at 2:22 PM on November 18, 2010 [26 favorites]

This is the kind of time where my procrastination on making posts is finally worth it! I've got a notepad file full of ideas.

Now it's just a matter of... actually writing them. With the procrastination. Fuck.
posted by Rhaomi at 2:24 PM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

I'm going to post youtube's kitten blunders. That's new.

I'm going to post youtube's kitten blenders.





(You know, it's the one where little kittens run around playing with balls of yarn, being adorable and blending all the colors together.

Why, what'd you think I meant?)
posted by quin at 2:24 PM on November 18, 2010

It's what we do best.

What's this "we" GRARman?

We were thinking of having some sort of weight class option where we'd have some prize for posts that came in at

- single link
- multi-link
- OMNI-link [I don't know where this starts, but we all know these when we see them]

Also my grandpa was Uzbek, so I <3 your post.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 2:26 PM on November 18, 2010 [8 favorites]

- single link
- multi-link
- OMNI-link

- fuck tha police thread
- lolxtian thread
- YouTube meme thread
- political event that seems important today but no one will remember in a week thread
- Fantastic link about little-known poet which immediately becomes a conversation about a blockbuster 80s film based on his brother's novel
posted by shakespeherian at 2:31 PM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

- single link
- multi-link
- OMNI-link POST ALL THE LINKS!
posted by Rhaomi at 2:34 PM on November 18, 2010 [2 favorites]

I' preparing a post about how similar Hugh Laurie and Ingolf Wunder look when they're playing the piano.
posted by Namlit at 2:36 PM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

See the trouble is that December is our busiest time at work and it's hard enough to focus on work normally.
posted by nickmark at 2:52 PM on November 18, 2010

Man, I hope TSA does something stupid again in December, 'cuz if so -- I WILL WIN.
posted by hawkeye at 2:54 PM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

I'm going to abstain from this. I don't want to ruin the curve.
posted by The Whelk at 3:09 PM on November 18, 2010

"Could we have another December awesome post contest next month?"

No, let's wait til February for the December awesome post contest.
posted by Eideteker at 3:21 PM on November 18, 2010

Step 1, buy and rip PBSs reality show CIRCUS
Step 2 post to Vimeo under pseudonym.
Step 3 scret selflink
Step 4 enjoy iPad

Sorry losers!
posted by Potomac Avenue at 3:26 PM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

jessamyn: Also my grandpa was Uzbek, so I <3 your post.

And my father was an angry, wet cat, so I, too, appreciate your efforts.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:47 PM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

OMNI-link post: definition
posted by not_on_display at 3:50 PM on November 18, 2010

ND¢: Let's stick to single link posts ...

Single link? That's like picking a single flavor of soda from the soda fountains! Or a breakfast of a bowl full of only one type of cereal, or going to 31 Flavors and getting a small bowl of vanilla ice cream, or going to the movies and not going to the next theater down after sitting still for 45 minutes. Seriously, how do you people do that? We have THE WHOLE INTERNET out there!
posted by filthy light thief at 3:52 PM on November 18, 2010

Step 1: kick The Whelk
Step 2: ???
Step 3: PROFIT!!!
posted by Madamina at 3:53 PM on November 18, 2010

I AM NOT A PINATA
posted by The Whelk at 4:17 PM on November 18, 2010

But if you WERE, what kind of candy would you be full of?
posted by elizardbits at 4:21 PM on November 18, 2010

...i need an adult! I NEEED AN ADULT!
posted by The Whelk at 4:45 PM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

I don't see that. Adults kick even harder, and they like candy, too.
posted by Namlit at 4:53 PM on November 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

I have just realized something.

The Ramones were proto-zombies.


They still had their wits about them when they wrote "Beat on the Brat," but their undead ways were starting to show. You see, they thought of people as piñatas, full of sweet intestine-candy and liver treats. Why else would you beat on anyone with a baseball bat? You'll get nothing but a mess of a person, or some delicious raw flesh bits to eat.
posted by filthy light thief at 5:06 PM on November 18, 2010

TBH I do not even really like candy, but it would be awesome if you were filled with tater tots.

...wait, are you filled with tater tots?
posted by elizardbits at 5:07 PM on November 18, 2010

Can we just start now? Because I think I might win with this.
posted by Sailormom at 6:06 PM on November 18, 2010

Love, love, love the awesome post contests! Yes, let's please have another; they remind folks of what makes MeFi so amazing.

How about a NewEgg gift card or Amazon gift card? It would give people some choice in what their prize is.

Can I humbly second that? I tend to avoid mobile devices as huge time and attention sinks, and my front page-posting days are mostly a thing of the past, but I do know a significant number of people who have made a decision to avoid supporting Apple products because of the absurdly patronizing control Steve Jobs insists on wielding over content daring to appear on his machines like, say, a saucy guide to gay life in American cities. A gift certificate to a neutral vendor would be appreciated by those folks, I'm sure, as well as by iDevice fanatics. Just a thought.

Ugh. I hate "awesome" posts. They are all link heavy

Your overgeneralization is insane. There are good link-heavy posts and bad link-heavy posts. The good ones here are some of the best things I've ever seen on the web.
posted by mediareport at 6:59 PM on November 18, 2010

I'm going to start an online business selling Whelk-shaped piñatas filled with tater tots.

I assume I have a built-in market-base here?
posted by hippybear at 8:06 PM on November 18, 2010

Will they be hardcore tater tots?
posted by kmz at 9:16 PM on November 18, 2010

Oh, I'm sure getting them into The Whelk will be pretty hardcore. We'll see if YouTube approves the video or not.
posted by hippybear at 11:49 PM on November 18, 2010

We were thinking of having some sort of weight class option

Just make the prize $200 divided by the number of links.
posted by smackfu at 6:37 AM on November 19, 2010

What and how hardcore taters get into me is between me and my loved ones.
posted by The Whelk at 6:57 AM on November 19, 2010

I'm all for it. It's positive reinforcement for everyone doing their best to post great stuff, which means lots of awesome posts, and it might even get me to put together some of the posts I've been meaning to do. Haven't posted an FPP since January, sigh.
posted by orange swan at 8:27 AM on November 19, 2010

Something else that costs a couple hundred bucks?

A banjo or a really nice fedora.
posted by backseatpilot at 9:45 AM on November 19, 2010

You can probably throw a basket of peaches in there too.
posted by orange swan at 10:59 AM on November 19, 2010

Let me put in a vote against gift certificates. I'm with Mitch Hedberg on them: "You take money that was good everywhere..."
posted by Kattullus at 3:03 PM on November 19, 2010

Well, last time you had your choice of prize OR cash OR donation to Creative Commons, presumably there would be such choices again this time, if the prize is going to be that substantial again?
posted by Gator at 3:12 PM on November 19, 2010

I think the iPad would be a great prize, with cash being a good alternative option for those who don't want it. Not too crazy about a gift certificate myself, although Amazon would be my choice if pressed (no tax, reasonable shipping).

Thanks for considering this Matt. The last time we did this, it made for some enjoyable memories around the holidays.
posted by SpacemanStix at 4:29 PM on November 19, 2010

I'm going to make my submission early.

Secret Kitten

Mods, you have my info. Send the IPad when you're ready.
posted by P.o.B. at 5:06 PM on November 20, 2010 [1 favorite]

I CAN HAZ RESPONSIBLE WOLFDOG BABBYSITTER?
If someone were to, say, autotune this... it could *litter-ally the whole web, just saying.


*intended.
posted by infinite intimation at 7:33 PM on November 20, 2010

Sorry, I'm overbooked for babysitting at the moment.
posted by Wolfdog at 5:17 AM on November 22, 2010