Guidelines for MeFi vs Sportsfilter May 23, 2002 6:47 AM   Subscribe

With World Cup fanaticism one week away (for some of us ever present), what are guidelines for Metafilter posts (eg vs Sportsfilter posts) ? Thanks.
posted by Voyageman to Etiquette/Policy at 6:47 AM (29 comments total)

I don't think the World Cup warrants any new 'rules':

Link Guidelines
posted by jonah at 8:20 AM on May 23, 2002


Would it be reasonable to say that posting results is bad but posting surprising news/scandal is okay? So I thought the Keane story was perfectly reasonable, but if Ireland do go out in the first round that wouldn't be worth another post. At least on the basis that Sportsfilter exists but Newsfilter doesn't.
posted by Gaz at 8:23 AM on May 23, 2002


World Cup fanaticism is not one week away, because the Mefi server is in NYC, and we're more interested in knowing which NY Met is gay. : )
posted by ParisParamus at 8:43 AM on May 23, 2002


if you are worried about results appearing here that spoil your world cup, you are not concentrating on it properly anyway.

now - who can recommend a good world cup ticker?
posted by Frasermoo at 8:51 AM on May 23, 2002


frasermoo: what about mini motty? he'd probably get annoying pretty darn quickly... but it's a cute idea nonetheless.
posted by mlang at 9:03 AM on May 23, 2002


I'm going to to be glued to the TV watching it, in the wee small hours of the night. But even as a rabid fan, I don't want to see very many World Cup posts here, especially with results in them. I think SportsFilter would be a much more appropriate venue. It's not what MeFi is for.
posted by Kafkaesque at 9:23 AM on May 23, 2002


If preliminary posts on Metafilter are any indication so far, we will be spending much time talking about UK teams. I can see this becoming a sore point for those of us who, say, follow Italy, Argentina and Mexico in this World Cup, I say lets take it to sportsfilter.
posted by vacapinta at 9:58 AM on May 23, 2002


I say the correct number of World Cup posts = 0.

You asked. *shrug*
posted by luser at 10:15 AM on May 23, 2002


vacapinta: you make the posts you can talk about your team. I agree on the SportsFilter thing by and large but you can't bitch about people making interesting posts until Totti is kicked out of the Italian camp for having a bad attitude.
posted by nedrichards at 11:24 AM on May 23, 2002


hmm.. world cup; world series.. discuss
posted by johnnyboy at 11:30 AM on May 23, 2002


hmm.. world cup; world series.. discuss
No.
Or, only if we also discuss why you drive on the parkway and park on the driveway.
posted by darukaru at 12:29 PM on May 23, 2002


I'm of the opinion that reporting of scores or "Did you see that one play!" probably don't belong on Metafilter...but a newsworthy event (a star being sent home, a controversial red card, a game going to a shootout, a big upset) can be posted here.

Why the hell not? Because sportsfilter exists? So...it's not a substitute for MeFi.

Because sports aren't newsworthy enough? Say you. I happen to not like art all that much but I'm not going to insist people take their museum posts to culturefilter.

I think the post about the Irish guy who got released show there is plenty of interest here on MeFi for soccer news. Keep it coming, I say.
posted by vito90 at 12:36 PM on May 23, 2002


I happen to not like art all that much but I'm not going to insist people take their museum posts to culturefilter.

Damn...THAT was funny
posted by plemeljr at 12:40 PM on May 23, 2002


The difference between the world cup and the world series is that the world cup is a truly global event that captures the imagination of millions around the world, many of whom have no interest in football otherwise. It is truly a global phenomenon.
The world series is rounders.
I never knew there was such a thing as sportsfilter, I'm scared to look, I waste enough time on the web as it is.
posted by Fat Buddha at 1:02 PM on May 23, 2002


ned: The Keane story is big news (to me) and I'm a big fan of the Ireland team as well so this isnt about partisanship.

The post I objected to strongly was this one I dont think Metafilter is the right place for people to "push" their own teams. Thats what I think should go to Sportsfilter (or perhaps not there either).

I think the only World Cup Mefi posts should be those that a not-already-rabid soccer fan should care about - Major venue or cultural news, scandals etc.

posted by vacapinta at 1:10 PM on May 23, 2002


Sportsfilter suggestions re where to follow the World Cup. Plus Reuters Ticker and Yahoo-FIFA Vip Club.
posted by Voyageman at 1:34 PM on May 23, 2002


plemeljr, it sounded so much better in my vapid head then it looks on my screen
posted by vito90 at 1:35 PM on May 23, 2002


I didn't know about SportsFilter either. Does this mean there's going to be a (fill in the blank)-Filter for more and more categories? What about eroding the value of Metafilter as a meta filter? It seems rather contradictory.
posted by jaden at 2:10 PM on May 23, 2002


There've been MeTa posts on Sportsfilter vs. MetaFilter in the past. But I can't find 'em now. So I'm going to paraphrase from memory, and I hope that I'll be corrected if anything I say is wrong.

SportsFilter is a separate thing from MeFi. The folks who had the idea bought MeFi code from Matt, as I understand it, so it's a really different thing than if Matt had gone "all these sports posts are a real drag, so I'm gonna make a sports ghetto for them and hopefully they won't bog down the blue anymore."

I think Matt has also said he doesn't want topic categories on MeFi because it would set up a false sense of "oh, well, there's a Sports category on MeFi, so they must want sports posts, I think I'll come up with one and make it", or on the other hand "oh, well, there's not a Museum-Going category on MeFi so my kickass museum link must be unwanted."

And I further think that Matt has warned against self-policing in the form of "that link doesn't belong here, take it to SportsFilter."

So in conclusion, it seems like SportsFilter is meant to be seen as a non-related entity, no zero-sum relationship expressed or implied, which doesn't in any way change the dynamics or the guidelines for a "good" MeFi post. As for what makes a good SportsFilter post... I imagine you'd have to ask over there :)

Now to switch over into my very own unsupported opinion: if hordes of soccer groupies post to MeFi every time a team is eliminated or a big upset happens or whatever, the resulting threads will fill very quickly with people bitching loudly about how "a good MeFi link is something on the web that people haven't seen before and might warrant discussion and this pansy European kickball crap ain't one, ain't two, and is only three if you're a pansy European." If I had to make a guess.
posted by Sapphireblue at 2:33 PM on May 23, 2002


I'm one of the co-founders of SportsFilter. Sapphireblue's summary is excellent. SportsFilter is a completely separate site.

SportsFilter's guidelines discuss what makes a good SportsFilter post, and there's been some followup discussion.

One of the first mentions of SportsFilter was in this MetaTalk discussion.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:37 PM on May 23, 2002


Here on Metafilter, I recomment only you post stories about those wacky Koreans and their dog-eating habits (for the fifteenth time) from Ananova or somewhere, so I can drop into the thread, act all smug and knowledgeable, debunk whatever the latest nonsense is, then gratuitously self-link.

Your cooperation will be much appreciated.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:35 PM on May 23, 2002


As another of the SportsFilter founders (we're almost a big enough group to field a baseball team), I'm also trying to avoid "take it to SportsFilter" as an etiquette rule here. As word gets out about how affordable Matt prices himself and more -filters are born, I think the surest route to madness is to establish a unified theory of etiquette that encompasses several different Web sites run by different people.
posted by rcade at 6:34 PM on May 23, 2002


I'm hoping someone starts a MySexualEncountersFilter, though. That would be great.

Speaking as someone who has absolutely zero interest in the world cup or anything to do with it, I have no problem happily sharing the front page with you crazy people. After the months of tortuous Bush/Gore/Florida/Hanging Chads posts, I can't see how occasional well-linked posts about the world cup goings-on could truly be a problem for anyone. Especially if it's only for a week or two.

I may have to lurk at sportsfilter to get up to snuff on my sports. I promise not to go into the locker room.
posted by iconomy at 8:26 PM on May 23, 2002


It might be an idea to brush up on your basesball
posted by Fat Buddha at 12:39 AM on May 24, 2002


vacapinta: yeah I agree, the Keane stroy is massive news, didn't mean to say that it 'wasn't worthy'.
posted by nedrichards at 6:55 AM on May 24, 2002


What SapphireBlue said.

I like to talk about soccer and have posted to such threads, but MeFi is supposed to be links to neat stuff on the web. Same thing goes for news posts, but they seem to be unavoidable now.

I think it is a good idea to go over the guidelines every now and then for newer members.
posted by Kafkaesque at 9:27 AM on May 24, 2002


If it were up to me, all this sports stuff would go find some kind of sports ghetto to exist in, where it can live happily ever after and completely out of my sight. All these sports posts are a drag. I have no interest whatsoever in them.

Since it's not at all up to me, all I can do is register my opinion. Which is, after all, pretty cut and dried.
posted by majick at 3:14 PM on May 24, 2002


SaphireBlue is right, but things have gotten really complicated since everything in the whole wide world fits the first criteria "something on the web".

Everything is on the web. But not everything is a good post to metafilter (as we all know). So let's toss that as a criteria. I don't want a metafilter that is about the web. I want a metafilter of the content on the web. Big difference. And one that I think people here agree on.

Specifically to the World Cup: If there would be a good (or witty) discussion that comes from some happening on a field of grass in Korea or Japan, let's have it. I want to be able to look to MF for *interesting* stories. Not "We won. Yay!" or "We lost! Bastards." posts.

posted by zpousman at 3:53 PM on May 24, 2002


Well, I tried Sportsfilter , but it seems if it aint baseball or golf it doesn't exist. I will have to keep posting my world cup drivel here. I shall try to keep it to a minimum.
posted by Fat Buddha at 5:14 PM on May 25, 2002


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