Pony Request: Save Draft for Ask Metafilter

September 19, 2011 8:52 AM

I find myself thinking of questions I want to ask when it's been only 5, 7, 9 days from my last question. Then day 10 rolls around and I can't remember what it was. Then something else comes up, and I ask a question about it, and like clockwork the next day I remember what that VERY IMPORTANT (but not urgent) question I want to ask was. Would it be possible for us to save a draft of a question or of multiple questions while we are working on them/formulating our thoughts/waiting for the clock to run out?
posted by bq to Feature Requests at 8:52 AM (56 comments total)

You know that you can ask a question every week, right? Way back when, we had a two week limit, but it's never been ten days. We've rejected the draft idea in the past as sort of reinventing the wheel of text editors elsewhere. The week limit is just that, a hard limit, and is not intended to be a guideline for participation.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:55 AM on September 19, 2011 [6 favorites]

The built in html editing capabilities of the post box are pretty cool, it would be nice to be able to use them for the next post before we are allowed to do the actual posting.
posted by Blasdelb at 8:55 AM on September 19, 2011

One thing you may not have realized about this site is that we've been asking the same damn questions about site features for nigh on ten years now. Your question has been asked before.

The answer, in general, in the past has been "Paper, pencil" or some variation ("Evernote" is popular now, I think) and then to not look to MeFi to solve your personal memory issues.
posted by carsonb at 8:57 AM on September 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

You can put them in your profile. That's what I do. Bonus: it's remotely possible that a random Mefite might notice your question in your profile and email you an answer (though this has never happened to me).
posted by John Cohen at 8:57 AM on September 19, 2011 [3 favorites]

Blasdelb, the edit controls of the post box are exactly the same as those for the comment box. You could compose your next question in any comment box here and copy it to Notepad, Google Docs, or some other text editor and use it when you can post again.
posted by pb (staff) at 8:58 AM on September 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

Is there some reason you can't just email yourself your question so it is on-hand when you are next able to Ask?
posted by DarlingBri at 8:58 AM on September 19, 2011

Whatcha wanna know, kid?
posted by cashman at 8:59 AM on September 19, 2011 [5 favorites]

Yeah, this is one of our perennial "no" questions. There are a bunch of possible solutions for off-site management of this stuff and pretty much no incentive for us to implement it server side.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:00 AM on September 19, 2011

If saving it in draft status is important to you as a reminder, then save it as a draft in your email.
posted by COD at 9:02 AM on September 19, 2011

Oh god I thought I was schooling a total n00b but apparently a 100k+ user number isn't a good indication of that anymore.</crotchety>
posted by carsonb at 9:04 AM on September 19, 2011

In the sub-basement of what was once an industrial park, the server continued asking questions to the void.
posted by roll truck roll at 9:05 AM on September 19, 2011 [8 favorites]

Would it be possible for us to save a draft of a question or of multiple questions while we are working on them/formulating our thoughts/waiting for the clock to run out?

Of course you can. This is what notepads and scrap paper are for.
posted by yerfatma at 9:09 AM on September 19, 2011

OK, thanks, yes, sorry, should have searched, 1 week.
posted by bq at 9:10 AM on September 19, 2011

I think your question should be "How do I keep myself organized?" There have been many, many ask.me's on the topic. Most email programs have a calendar, and many have a tasklist.
posted by theora55 at 9:14 AM on September 19, 2011

There are also various reminder email services. I haven't used them, so I'll let others comment on any/all. TBH, I like John Cohen's suggestion quite a bit.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:17 AM on September 19, 2011

The built in html editing capabilities of the post box are pretty cool, it would be nice to be able to use them for the next post before we are allowed to do the actual posting.

hamburger? because...seriously. I would kill *KILL* to be able to seamlessly and globally use emacs to edit text in my browser. (already tried two plugins, now using a different browser...)
posted by DU at 9:37 AM on September 19, 2011

Ever heard of a notebook? I mean bloody hell, guy.
posted by Decani at 9:37 AM on September 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

If you use Google calendar (or really any calendar program with reminders) just write the question in there and it will pop up on the appropriate day.
posted by The Deej at 9:42 AM on September 19, 2011

Am I the last person who actually writes things down with a pen on a piece of paper? (Christ, I'm only 30, I hadn't expected to start saying 'back in my day' for at least a few more years.)
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 9:44 AM on September 19, 2011 [5 favorites]

If your question is going to be anonymous, I suggest you do not use Google Calendar.
posted by DU at 9:46 AM on September 19, 2011

There was a period of time when I was constantly thinking up new AskMe questions. I made a text file where I kept a list of them, and most of them I never wound up asking, which is probably a good thing for all of us. Just because you *can* ask a question every 7 days doesn't mean you *should*.

But yeah, calendar and/or Evernote is your friend.
posted by ambrosia at 9:48 AM on September 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

If your question is going to be anonymous, I suggest you do not use Google Calendar.

...go on...
posted by cashman at 9:49 AM on September 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

DU: If your question is going to be anonymous, I suggest you do not use Google Calendar.

Or for that matter, compose your question in a random comment box, as suggested by pb above. Imagine the horror of that misclick.

"So there's this purplish-green thing growing on my..."

*AACHHOOOOO*

FUUUUUUUUUUUUU
posted by troll at 9:51 AM on September 19, 2011 [5 favorites]

Don't let the snark get to you, bq. You'd be surprised how many people have asked variations on this request over the years. Unfortunately, the answer has always been the same.
posted by crunchland at 9:52 AM on September 19, 2011

You can't make private events on Google Calendar and then invite no one?

I would use a free (and private) calendar to give me a weekly reminder on my favorite question-asking day and I would update the event description to include another question every time I thought of a new one. Then I would be reminded with my updated list once a week.
posted by pracowity at 9:53 AM on September 19, 2011

Am I the last person who actually writes things down with a pen on a piece of paper?

No, I do that all the time. Much easier to misplace things I don't want to actually remember that way.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:56 AM on September 19, 2011 [7 favorites]

Nobody in the nice neighborhoods is going to buy baggies of stale crummy cookies out of the trunk of your car.
posted by longsleeves at 10:12 AM on September 19, 2011 [8 favorites]

Couldn't you merely compose the entire question on the Post a New Question page, then save that page using Scrapbook in Firefox, then when you were ready to Ask it, just recall that page while you were online, hit the preview button and then post it?

Three clicks-- and you could line them up ad infinitum.
posted by jamjam at 10:37 AM on September 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

jamjam: " Three clicks-- and you could line them up ad infinitum."

*mind blown*
posted by zarq at 10:43 AM on September 19, 2011

You'd be surprised how many people have asked variations on this request over the years. Unfortunately, the answer has always been the same.

"Unfortunately?" You think questions aren't scrolling through the front page of askme fast enough and wish pb could whip up something to automate the process so we could have more questions and less time to answer them? Or maybe you wish he'd write something to help people whose questions are so important they can't even remember what they were a week later? I mean, I kinda wish he'd code something that would hold my dick for me while I pee, but I'm not going to act like it's a personal insult and a crime against the community that he hasn't.
posted by dersins at 10:59 AM on September 19, 2011 [4 favorites]

dersins: "I'm not going to act like it's a personal insult and a crime against the community that he hasn't."

Neither did crunchland.
posted by zarq at 11:06 AM on September 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

dersins: "....something that would hold my dick for me while I pee..."

Also.... I am thankful that we don't have a "Should I Eat This" AskMe analogue for "Should I Stick My Dick In There?"
posted by zarq at 11:11 AM on September 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Since I brought this up at some point and was educated similarly, does it make sense to have a DENIED PONY page on the wiki, something for perpetually desired ponies that will never be born? This is where you tell me it already exists.
posted by rhizome at 11:15 AM on September 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

So if people won't search before asking for a 6X denied pony, what use will it be to have those ponies corralled in yet one more place the next person won't check?
posted by COD at 11:18 AM on September 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

Download and install text editor. Write down your question and save file as "scratch879875.txt" or some random number variation, onto your desktop. Every so often, notice you have a bunch of "scratch" files on your desktop and either open one and ask the question, or decide that you don't really care and delete all the "scratch" files unopened.

disclaimer: this is how I handle random tasks at work
posted by davejay at 11:18 AM on September 19, 2011

There's this. It's not as current as I'd like it to be.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 11:19 AM on September 19, 2011

I'll add that page to my "to update" list.
posted by zarq at 11:28 AM on September 19, 2011

There are reasonable systems available to assist with these sorts of problems.
posted by nanojath at 11:40 AM on September 19, 2011

jessamyn: There's this.

Have you considered integrating that information into the New Post page? Maybe a link in the bullet points?
posted by troll at 11:55 AM on September 19, 2011

Permanent solution.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 12:02 PM on September 19, 2011

Remember Sammy Jankis.
posted by The Deej at 1:00 PM on September 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

You realize I may be too embarrassed to ever post a question again. Problem solved!
posted by bq at 1:14 PM on September 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Green Eyed Monster: "Am I the last person who actually writes things down with a pen on a piece of paper? (Christ, I'm only 30, I hadn't expected to start saying 'back in my day' for at least a few more years.)"

Nope. Since I've been online I've had a paper note pad on my computer desk. I started out with swiped steno pads from work, but now I get note pads the mister brings home from industry conventions, etc. Yay for pen and paper! (I'm 44 and online since 1999.)
posted by deborah at 2:02 PM on September 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

zarq: "Also.... I am thankful that we don't have a "Should I Eat This" AskMe analogue for "Should I Stick My Dick In There?""

I thought that's what AskMe Anon was for?
posted by deborah at 2:07 PM on September 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

"Unfortunately?" --- As in, "Unfortunately for you, since you asked and will feel disappointed..."
posted by crunchland at 2:17 PM on September 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Isn't this the use-case for MeFi Notepad?
posted by beerbajay at 2:36 PM on September 19, 2011

I feel like people are being unnecessarily rude about this. I agree that it's probably a matter better handled by pen/paper, text editor, email reminder, etc., but it's not that weird of a request, since many communities/forums do have this feature.
posted by katyggls at 5:14 PM on September 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

"Also.... I am thankful that we don't have a "Should I Eat This" AskMe analogue for "Should I Stick My Dick In There?""

The answer is always yes, but let your friend hold the video camera.
posted by Forktine at 5:27 PM on September 19, 2011

I feel like people are being unnecessarily rude about this.

agreed, we are doing that piling on thing that fucks with the vibe around here so badly. the mods should delete all of the answers in this thread after jessamyn's direct and to-the-point response. except for the stale crummy cookies thing, which is just freakin awesome.
posted by facetious at 5:41 PM on September 19, 2011

The week limit is just that, a hard limit

Gosh, I've wasted like almost, er at least, a couple hundred or more AskMeFi questions. I'd better get busy...er... is it ok to ask on the green for ideas about what to ask about?
posted by sammyo at 6:35 PM on September 19, 2011

Am I the last person who actually writes things down with a pen on a piece of paper?

I often loose pieces of paper. I seldom loose my computer, much less the entire internet.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 7:13 PM on September 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Sometimes I want to brew tea while I'm reading metafilter. Could you please add a tea timer to every page?
posted by [@I][:+:][@I] at 8:34 PM on September 19, 2011

Denied Pony.
posted by arcticseal at 10:03 PM on September 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

As Steely Dan suggested: send it off in a letter to yourself.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:14 AM on September 20, 2011

I seldom loose my computer, much less the entire internet.

I loose my computer on the internet every time I fire up metafilter.
posted by dersins at 8:00 AM on September 20, 2011

I just came in to see how many people suggested keeping a pen and paper next to your computer.

As a smartphone owner, I have made great use of its "Tasks" list organizer. Now I'm 3000% more effective! At least with regard to my AskMe's and my Netflix queue.
posted by hermitosis at 2:15 PM on September 20, 2011