What is the minimum standard for posting a single link on the blue? August 9, 2011 4:42 PM Subscribe
What's the etiquette for posting a link on the blue when your only real justification for it is "Wow, there are some amazing pics on this blog"?
I have a link which I'd like to share, but I kind of feel it's a bit lacking in substance. I've looked into expanding it a bit, but each time I do, it really does come across as "I'm only adding this cause I'm trying to justify the link" - is it ok to post a single link entry on the blue?
I have a link which I'd like to share, but I kind of feel it's a bit lacking in substance. I've looked into expanding it a bit, but each time I do, it really does come across as "I'm only adding this cause I'm trying to justify the link" - is it ok to post a single link entry on the blue?
"I'm only adding this cause I'm trying to justify the link"
Do not do this. It distracts readers from what you really want them to see, and often results in the discussion getting sidetracked to somewhere very strange as well.
posted by grouse at 4:56 PM on August 9, 2011 [4 favorites]
Do not do this. It distracts readers from what you really want them to see, and often results in the discussion getting sidetracked to somewhere very strange as well.
posted by grouse at 4:56 PM on August 9, 2011 [4 favorites]
...is it ok to post a single link entry on the blue?
Yep, I do single link posts a lot these days. Sometimes they go over fine, other times they get deleted. It's a bit annoying to have your snowflake post deleted, but in the grand scheme it's not a big deal.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:00 PM on August 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
Yep, I do single link posts a lot these days. Sometimes they go over fine, other times they get deleted. It's a bit annoying to have your snowflake post deleted, but in the grand scheme it's not a big deal.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:00 PM on August 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
I do single like posts a lot and they're never deleted.
posted by Wolfdog at 5:16 PM on August 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Wolfdog at 5:16 PM on August 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
Single like, double like, whatever it takes.
posted by Wolfdog at 5:17 PM on August 9, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by Wolfdog at 5:17 PM on August 9, 2011 [4 favorites]
As to the question, "What is the minimum standard for posting a single link on the blue?", the answer is: It should be a single link to something interesting. That's all.
posted by Wolfdog at 5:19 PM on August 9, 2011
posted by Wolfdog at 5:19 PM on August 9, 2011
Are the amazing pictures of cats? if so, no.
Are they of London rioters with funny things photoshopped in? It's been done.
Are the pictures of naked people? There may be better sites for sharing the link.
Now, if they're cats wedged in scanners, then yes, it would make a fine post.
posted by GuyZero at 5:25 PM on August 9, 2011
Are they of London rioters with funny things photoshopped in? It's been done.
Are the pictures of naked people? There may be better sites for sharing the link.
Now, if they're cats wedged in scanners, then yes, it would make a fine post.
posted by GuyZero at 5:25 PM on August 9, 2011
I've been saving this link for just this type of occasion.
posted by Gator at 5:28 PM on August 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Gator at 5:28 PM on August 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
hal_c_on: Did you see how my answer gave absolutely nothing except a word thought?
That's how single-like posts on the blue feel to me.
Single-link posts that you never click on? I've put a single link up on the blue before that had every last interesting thing on the Internets that nobody has seen before behind it. It didn't take seventeen links and fifteen hundred words to get that across, and I wouldn't want to waste anyone's time blathering about this single link that's so worth clicking that you shouldn't do anything other than click it an enjoy. Well... then maybe come back and tell me how it changed your life. But anyway.
If that's how they feel to you, maybe your feeler is broken.
posted by carsonb at 5:40 PM on August 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
That's how single-like posts on the blue feel to me.
Single-link posts that you never click on? I've put a single link up on the blue before that had every last interesting thing on the Internets that nobody has seen before behind it. It didn't take seventeen links and fifteen hundred words to get that across, and I wouldn't want to waste anyone's time blathering about this single link that's so worth clicking that you shouldn't do anything other than click it an enjoy. Well... then maybe come back and tell me how it changed your life. But anyway.
If that's how they feel to you, maybe your feeler is broken.
posted by carsonb at 5:40 PM on August 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
And to dougrayrankin: If you think it's amazing enough to share, and it's amazing enough to stand on its own, then post it. If the filler you keep rejecting is something you're using to make the single link worth it, then it's simply not worth it and you should post it to FB or your blog or find some other way to get it out of your system. (I put mine on the Goggles+ and it winds up on the front page of the blue anyway...)
posted by carsonb at 5:42 PM on August 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by carsonb at 5:42 PM on August 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
If it's a post like
Heh, really funneh
then it will be flagged with extreme prejudice and deleted with a very snarky reason that will wound your delicate snowflake soul, as well it should.
If it's a post like
this
with 2 links to the same site, with some context, and the content is excellent, though, sadly, now unavailable, then it's a good post.
It's about making a link to something really great, framed well. It's also about talking a risk, and making the post. It could get deleted. That happens a lot, and it's not a big deal unless dickishness is involved.
also, please use the title="display text" element, because I like it.
posted by theora55 at 5:53 PM on August 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
Heh, really funneh
then it will be flagged with extreme prejudice and deleted with a very snarky reason that will wound your delicate snowflake soul, as well it should.
If it's a post like
this
with 2 links to the same site, with some context, and the content is excellent, though, sadly, now unavailable, then it's a good post.
It's about making a link to something really great, framed well. It's also about talking a risk, and making the post. It could get deleted. That happens a lot, and it's not a big deal unless dickishness is involved.
also, please use the title="display text" element, because I like it.
posted by theora55 at 5:53 PM on August 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
I've been saving this link for just this type of occasion.
Thank god this has never become a place for people to show off theirs html cleverness.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:54 PM on August 9, 2011
Thank god this has never become a place for people to show off theirs html cleverness.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:54 PM on August 9, 2011
Are the pictures of naked people? There may be better sites for sharing the link.
And here's where we have to agree to disagree.
Of course, I might just be unaware of these "better sites" you speak of. If so, please craft a multi-link FPP linking to said sites as soon as you are able!
posted by cjorgensen at 5:55 PM on August 9, 2011 [3 favorites]
And here's where we have to agree to disagree.
Of course, I might just be unaware of these "better sites" you speak of. If so, please craft a multi-link FPP linking to said sites as soon as you are able!
posted by cjorgensen at 5:55 PM on August 9, 2011 [3 favorites]
Well I'm just going empirically - I've never seen liks to porn sites here. But I don't know whether they're not made or whether they're made and deleted. But there's always reddit.com/r/nsfw.
posted by GuyZero at 5:59 PM on August 9, 2011
posted by GuyZero at 5:59 PM on August 9, 2011
If it's great photos on a non-sketchy (which is mostly to say not just a bunch of unattributed pics ganked from other sources) blog and not something that's been posted before, in principle there's nothing wrong with just going with that and leaving it at that.
posted by Eideteker at 6:06 PM on August 9, 2011
posted by Eideteker at 6:06 PM on August 9, 2011
"Hey, here's a great porn site" is really unlikely to fly, yeah. Not an anti-nudity or anti-being-into-porn thing so much as that just "yep, here's some porn qua porn" has never really been an expected thing and would probably make a lot of people pretty uncomfortable if it was suddenly part of the mix on the front page.
Posts about porn, or in which pornography is an incidental or contextual element, are not as much of a problem. Links to things that are notable for something other than their porniness but which have porny aspects have also worked at times, though that's where we get into the trickier area of having to look seriously at how such a post will get read and whether the content of it is substantially interesting enough to outweigh the "really, you're posting porn to the front page?" reaction a lot of people might have.
So it's complicated, but the safe rule of thumb is that "oh hey I found a great porn site" is generally not gonna be a good idea for a post, all else being equal.
posted by cortex (staff) at 6:08 PM on August 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
Posts about porn, or in which pornography is an incidental or contextual element, are not as much of a problem. Links to things that are notable for something other than their porniness but which have porny aspects have also worked at times, though that's where we get into the trickier area of having to look seriously at how such a post will get read and whether the content of it is substantially interesting enough to outweigh the "really, you're posting porn to the front page?" reaction a lot of people might have.
So it's complicated, but the safe rule of thumb is that "oh hey I found a great porn site" is generally not gonna be a good idea for a post, all else being equal.
posted by cortex (staff) at 6:08 PM on August 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
I've done this twice now, just yesterday in fact. I agree, sometimes you just want to point out a cool blog of pictures, and all the context you need is there. The approach I've taken is to link to a couple of the best pictures above the fold so it doesn't seem like mystery meat, and so readers can quickly see what's so great about the link. It works out fine.
By the way, I see single link posts all the time, so obviously it happens.
posted by malapropist at 6:20 PM on August 9, 2011
By the way, I see single link posts all the time, so obviously it happens.
posted by malapropist at 6:20 PM on August 9, 2011
In fact, it appears that seven single-link posts have been made just today. I get the feeling that if your post is really too thin, it's not going to last long anyway, but that's more about the quality of the link, not the quantity.
posted by malapropist at 6:23 PM on August 9, 2011
posted by malapropist at 6:23 PM on August 9, 2011
If you've done porn, that goes in projects.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:32 PM on August 9, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:32 PM on August 9, 2011 [4 favorites]
Links to things that are notable for something other than their porniness but which have porny aspects have also worked at times
Like this one?
posted by unliteral at 6:49 PM on August 9, 2011
Like this one?
posted by unliteral at 6:49 PM on August 9, 2011
On the posting page there is only one box for a link. Take that as a cue that the standard is one. Anything else is sauce for the goose.
posted by blue_beetle at 7:05 PM on August 9, 2011
posted by blue_beetle at 7:05 PM on August 9, 2011
CatScam.com "I have no idea how these people stole their cats' scanners or why."
posted by klangklangston at 7:17 PM on August 9, 2011
posted by klangklangston at 7:17 PM on August 9, 2011
Of course, I might just be unaware of these "better sites" you speak of. If so, please craft a multi-link FPP linking to said sites as soon as you are able!
cjorgensen meant to say, "as soon as you have some free time on your hands".
posted by vidur at 7:20 PM on August 9, 2011
cjorgensen meant to say, "as soon as you have some free time on your hands".
posted by vidur at 7:20 PM on August 9, 2011
Also, people, there is http://ask.metafilter.com/tags/porn
posted by vidur at 7:21 PM on August 9, 2011
posted by vidur at 7:21 PM on August 9, 2011
yep, here's some porn qua porn (totally and absolutely safe for work)
posted by Deathalicious at 7:38 PM on August 9, 2011
posted by Deathalicious at 7:38 PM on August 9, 2011
No, really.
posted by Deathalicious at 7:38 PM on August 9, 2011
posted by Deathalicious at 7:38 PM on August 9, 2011
Yeah, to be clear, there's a difference between going to the blue and saying "welp, here's some porn" and going to the green and seeing a question that says "hey, I'm looking for some porn" and being all "welp, here's that porn you were asking for".
We'll discuss how this works on Music at the next lecture.
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:56 PM on August 9, 2011
We'll discuss how this works on Music at the next lecture.
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:56 PM on August 9, 2011
Found something cool on the web and want to share it with everyone else? Great! Just fill the blanks and it'll go live.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 8:00 PM on August 9, 2011
posted by mr_crash_davis at 8:00 PM on August 9, 2011
Deckard Cain prank call?
I love those but do not make them.
kinda like porn
Oh no, I've said too much
I set it up
(chorus)
That's me in the corner
posted by clavdivs at 8:19 PM on August 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
I love those but do not make them.
kinda like porn
Oh no, I've said too much
I set it up
(chorus)
That's me in the corner
posted by clavdivs at 8:19 PM on August 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
If you're posting more than one link in an FPP you're doing it wrong.
WORD.
posted by chunking express at 8:36 PM on August 9, 2011
WORD.
posted by chunking express at 8:36 PM on August 9, 2011
Is it a monkey riding on a pig? Always okay.
posted by SpacemanStix at 8:52 PM on August 9, 2011
posted by SpacemanStix at 8:52 PM on August 9, 2011
Well I'm just going empirically - I've never seen liks to porn sites here. But I don't know whether they're not made or whether they're made and deleted.
There was Guys with iPhones (NSFW). There was also a post that just linked to the female equivalent (Girl Camera Mirror), but it was deleted.
posted by John Cohen at 9:18 PM on August 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
There was Guys with iPhones (NSFW). There was also a post that just linked to the female equivalent (Girl Camera Mirror), but it was deleted.
posted by John Cohen at 9:18 PM on August 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
I like single link posts. I'm more likely to click on them, because I only have time to look at a couple of links and with mega posts I don't know where to begin.
posted by jb at 9:40 PM on August 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by jb at 9:40 PM on August 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
Are the amazing pictures of cats? if so, no.
Wait, what? I think you hit the wrong letters on your keyboard.
posted by misha at 11:16 PM on August 9, 2011
Wait, what? I think you hit the wrong letters on your keyboard.
posted by misha at 11:16 PM on August 9, 2011
The vast majority of my posts have been single site. It is perfectly fine.
posted by Mitheral at 12:07 AM on August 10, 2011
posted by Mitheral at 12:07 AM on August 10, 2011
Thank god this has never become a place for people to show off theirs html cleverness.
Huh?
posted by Gator at 5:46 AM on August 10, 2011
Huh?
posted by Gator at 5:46 AM on August 10, 2011
MetaFilter: Ignore the users that complain about one link.
posted by Splunge at 6:49 AM on August 10, 2011
posted by Splunge at 6:49 AM on August 10, 2011
"yep, here's some porn qua porn"
Given the existence at uttered forth in the public works of Mathowie and Cortex of a personal Mod quaquaquaqua with white neckbeard quaquaquaqua outside North American time without Firefox extensions who from the heights of divine apathia divine athambia divine aphasia moderates us dearly with some exceptions for reasons unknown but time will tell and suffers like the divine Jessamyn with those who for reasons unknown but time will tell are plunged in time-outs plunged in bannings whose boredom bores if that continues...
posted by griphus at 7:29 AM on August 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
Given the existence at uttered forth in the public works of Mathowie and Cortex of a personal Mod quaquaquaqua with white neckbeard quaquaquaqua outside North American time without Firefox extensions who from the heights of divine apathia divine athambia divine aphasia moderates us dearly with some exceptions for reasons unknown but time will tell and suffers like the divine Jessamyn with those who for reasons unknown but time will tell are plunged in time-outs plunged in bannings whose boredom bores if that continues...
posted by griphus at 7:29 AM on August 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
I've been saving this link for just this type of occasion.
posted by Lutoslawski at 12:02 PM on August 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Lutoslawski at 12:02 PM on August 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
Thank god this has never become a place for people to show off theirs html cleverness.
Huh?
It's from the post you linked to, Gator. Donfactor is incoherently complaining that he doesn't know how html works and he wants the post box to make links for him.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 12:13 PM on August 10, 2011
Huh?
It's from the post you linked to, Gator. Donfactor is incoherently complaining that he doesn't know how html works and he wants the post box to make links for him.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 12:13 PM on August 10, 2011
Oh yeah, that was the guy who accused ME of deleting his post! But I was actually linking to mathowie's comment in which he asserted that single-link posts are fine and to ignore the whiners who gripe about them.
posted by Gator at 12:17 PM on August 10, 2011
posted by Gator at 12:17 PM on August 10, 2011
No, I know, I only scrolled up to look at the post because Matt specifically said "I have no idea what you are talking about in the second paragraph" and I can certainly see why.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 12:28 PM on August 10, 2011
posted by Horace Rumpole at 12:28 PM on August 10, 2011
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If you want to drop me a line I can give you a specific opinion since we're already talking about it, but generally it's just a post-and-see thing, if you miscalculate it might get deleted for being not so amazing after all but that's no big deal.
posted by cortex (staff) at 4:45 PM on August 9, 2011