Chatty Cathy February 13, 2013 8:58 AM Subscribe
Since chat.metafilter.com is still active, why is it not linked anywhere on the main page?
I like the idea of mods diverting to chat for livebloggy sort of things, but it'd be nice to keep post comments a little freewheeling as they are now.
posted by boo_radley at 9:12 AM on February 13, 2013
posted by boo_radley at 9:12 AM on February 13, 2013
'Take it to chat' should as infrequently used as 'take it to memail', except not that either because by the time things have gotten acerbic enough that we're telling people to take it to memail it doesn't need to be polluting chat either.
posted by ook at 9:15 AM on February 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by ook at 9:15 AM on February 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
Burhanistan: "where it would be acceptable to have users divert certain conversations or digressions to chat (à la "take it to MeTa")?"
Do they still sing songs of the great IRC flamewars of the early to mid 'oughts?
posted by zarq at 9:16 AM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Do they still sing songs of the great IRC flamewars of the early to mid 'oughts?
posted by zarq at 9:16 AM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
I think our thinking is mostly that chat might be a good outlet for people who want a freewheelin' chatty venue at any given moment, as well as a fun hangout.
We're not planning to suddenly clamp down on breezy conversation in threads when it happens or anything, but by the same token we expect people not to go crazy starting up threads as an excuse to liveblog (which was maybe sort of happening during the tail end of the election season last year) and so flashmobbing the chatroom would be a better approach to that sort of OMG THING HAPPENING LET'S CHATTER ABOUT IT situation.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:17 AM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
We're not planning to suddenly clamp down on breezy conversation in threads when it happens or anything, but by the same token we expect people not to go crazy starting up threads as an excuse to liveblog (which was maybe sort of happening during the tail end of the election season last year) and so flashmobbing the chatroom would be a better approach to that sort of OMG THING HAPPENING LET'S CHATTER ABOUT IT situation.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:17 AM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
...it would be acceptable to have users divert certain conversations or digressions to chat (à la "take it to MeTa")?
This already happened with the Sandy Hook thread, IIRC.
posted by griphus at 9:19 AM on February 13, 2013
This already happened with the Sandy Hook thread, IIRC.
posted by griphus at 9:19 AM on February 13, 2013
CABAL CABAL CABAL NOTHING TO SEE HERE
posted by lalochezia at 9:20 AM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by lalochezia at 9:20 AM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Also, I'm basically a fixture in chat (mainly because it auto-logs me in when Adium is on) and 95% of the conversations are either "school/work/parenting/dating sure are hard" or "so what does everyone think of this movie/TV show/video game/novel."
posted by griphus at 9:22 AM on February 13, 2013
posted by griphus at 9:22 AM on February 13, 2013
Take it to chat should be rare, as only logged in users can get there, correct? Therefore it would break the conversation from the point of view of those not logged in, in ways that e.g. take it to meta don't.
posted by MartinWisse at 9:22 AM on February 13, 2013
posted by MartinWisse at 9:22 AM on February 13, 2013
MartinWisse: "Take it to chat should be rare, as only logged in users can get there, correct?"
I don't follow.
posted by boo_radley at 9:49 AM on February 13, 2013
I don't follow.
posted by boo_radley at 9:49 AM on February 13, 2013
You need to log into chat, with your MeFi account and password, to be able to use it. Those who read the site but aren't members therefore cannot see the conversations in chat, which means that if a discussion on the blue gets re-arranged to chat, they will not be able to read it.
Unlike somebody starting a meta about it, where you can read it.
posted by MartinWisse at 10:03 AM on February 13, 2013
Unlike somebody starting a meta about it, where you can read it.
posted by MartinWisse at 10:03 AM on February 13, 2013
Also, I'm basically a fixture in chat (mainly because it auto-logs me in when Adium is on) and 95% of the conversations are either "school/work/parenting/dating sure are hard" or "so what does everyone think of this movie/TV show/video game/novel."
I hope that description wasn't meant to scare people away because that reads like an engraved invitation to me.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 10:10 AM on February 13, 2013 [6 favorites]
I hope that description wasn't meant to scare people away because that reads like an engraved invitation to me.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 10:10 AM on February 13, 2013 [6 favorites]
"Hey, there's a chatroom btw" and "Take this to metatalk" are basically two totally different things. The former when it came up would mostly just be a reminder that if the thread overfloweth there's an additional place that's very pro-chatter and low stakes; the latter's mostly for redirecting metacommentary and policy issues to the part of the site intended specifically for public discussion of such stuff. I'm not sure there's really a straight across comparison between the two ideas.
But let me underscore that we don't even have some notional "take it to chat!" regime in mind here in any case. Making the chatroom a slightly more (which is to say at all) visible always-on feature is most of the change that's likely to happen, and people can go there when and if they want. The occasional nudge in that direction in a given thread isn't unlikely but it's also not something we consider to be a moderation tool so much as just a potential outlet for folks feeling a bit garrulous.
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:16 AM on February 13, 2013
But let me underscore that we don't even have some notional "take it to chat!" regime in mind here in any case. Making the chatroom a slightly more (which is to say at all) visible always-on feature is most of the change that's likely to happen, and people can go there when and if they want. The occasional nudge in that direction in a given thread isn't unlikely but it's also not something we consider to be a moderation tool so much as just a potential outlet for folks feeling a bit garrulous.
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:16 AM on February 13, 2013
I hope that description wasn't meant to scare people away...
Just the opposite! Last time chat came up in MeTa (when it was still brand-new) there was a contingent of people who were convinced that it would become a secret backroom full of gossip and namecalling and whatever other shitty experiences of high school people could possibly project onto it. Now that it's been around for a while, an actual culture has developed and that culture is explicitly anti-drama and pro-casual conversation.
posted by griphus at 10:19 AM on February 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
Just the opposite! Last time chat came up in MeTa (when it was still brand-new) there was a contingent of people who were convinced that it would become a secret backroom full of gossip and namecalling and whatever other shitty experiences of high school people could possibly project onto it. Now that it's been around for a while, an actual culture has developed and that culture is explicitly anti-drama and pro-casual conversation.
posted by griphus at 10:19 AM on February 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
I think EVERYONE, which means YOU, has misunderstood Burhanistan's highly intelligent and good-looking question, which also has a fresh, lemony fragrance.
Burhanistan was clearly asking, "What's the hip new phrase for telling someone to take their discussion to ChatFilter, you know, the phrase that all the cool kids are using?"
In response to that courageous, freedom-loving question of high moral virtue, I humbly offer the following suggested phrases for recommending that a discussion take place on chat.metafilter.com:
-- "Y'all better chat yo'self / before you shat yo'self".
-- "Take it to the chatner / or I'll cut you down like William Shatner"
-- "That conversation is better suited to chat.metafilter.COM / which is where I engage in sexual relations with your MOM"
-- "Let's continue this on the appropriate chat forum / assuming your punk ass can gather together a sufficient quorum"
-- "Hey, quidnunc / you are a tedious fucking moron who should have been put down at birth"
-- "Wicky wicky wat / homie wanna chat / flowin' fresh like a tap / don't you hate it when 67 year old men pretend they can rap / WORD"
posted by the quidnunc kid at 10:28 AM on February 13, 2013 [25 favorites]
Burhanistan was clearly asking, "What's the hip new phrase for telling someone to take their discussion to ChatFilter, you know, the phrase that all the cool kids are using?"
In response to that courageous, freedom-loving question of high moral virtue, I humbly offer the following suggested phrases for recommending that a discussion take place on chat.metafilter.com:
-- "Y'all better chat yo'self / before you shat yo'self".
-- "Take it to the chatner / or I'll cut you down like William Shatner"
-- "That conversation is better suited to chat.metafilter.COM / which is where I engage in sexual relations with your MOM"
-- "Let's continue this on the appropriate chat forum / assuming your punk ass can gather together a sufficient quorum"
-- "Hey, quidnunc / you are a tedious fucking moron who should have been put down at birth"
-- "Wicky wicky wat / homie wanna chat / flowin' fresh like a tap / don't you hate it when 67 year old men pretend they can rap / WORD"
posted by the quidnunc kid at 10:28 AM on February 13, 2013 [25 favorites]
can you do one using "chizzle"
posted by boo_radley at 10:33 AM on February 13, 2013
posted by boo_radley at 10:33 AM on February 13, 2013
For chizzle, take it to chat phat if you want tto sizzle.
posted by MartinWisse at 10:37 AM on February 13, 2013
posted by MartinWisse at 10:37 AM on February 13, 2013
"Now that it's been around for a while, an actual culture has developed and that culture is explicitly anti-drama and pro-casual conversation."
Yeah, we sometimes discuss posts or asks we found interesting or complain that comment threads went off the rails and aren't as interesting as we hoped, but people mostly just discuss their thoughts on a thread fairly respectfully and don't really get fighty. And a lot of it is just plain chatting about the day. Although nobody watches the same TV shows as me so I never get to have chat room TV show chat :( BUNHEADS FANS, TO THE CHAT ROOM!
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 10:44 AM on February 13, 2013
Yeah, we sometimes discuss posts or asks we found interesting or complain that comment threads went off the rails and aren't as interesting as we hoped, but people mostly just discuss their thoughts on a thread fairly respectfully and don't really get fighty. And a lot of it is just plain chatting about the day. Although nobody watches the same TV shows as me so I never get to have chat room TV show chat :( BUNHEADS FANS, TO THE CHAT ROOM!
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 10:44 AM on February 13, 2013
Today I learned in chat that pagans is complicated.
posted by curious nu at 10:47 AM on February 13, 2013
posted by curious nu at 10:47 AM on February 13, 2013
People in the chat will even vet your FPPs for you if you plan on doing one and need someone to look it over.
posted by A Bad Catholic at 10:50 AM on February 13, 2013
posted by A Bad Catholic at 10:50 AM on February 13, 2013
When I finally get my shit together and start writing my massive French poetry FPP, I now have a place to get it checked.
I also now have a place to hang out with some cool folks, so hopefully more cool folks will come along when Chat's on the front page.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 11:11 AM on February 13, 2013
I also now have a place to hang out with some cool folks, so hopefully more cool folks will come along when Chat's on the front page.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 11:11 AM on February 13, 2013
But let me underscore that we don't even have some notional "take it to chat!" regime in mind here in any case.
Yeah, we're not planning anything along these lines. There are very very few situations in which we'd even consider "take it to chat" to be an appropriate response mainly for people who seem to be in some ongoing discussion that has nothing to do with the thread they're in [currently we say "take it to MeMail" chat might also be a good venue] and the whole "OMG crazy news thing happened why is there no post? I want to talk to MeFites about this NOW" which rarely happens but it's good to have chat as an outlet when it does.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 11:12 AM on February 13, 2013
Yeah, we're not planning anything along these lines. There are very very few situations in which we'd even consider "take it to chat" to be an appropriate response mainly for people who seem to be in some ongoing discussion that has nothing to do with the thread they're in [currently we say "take it to MeMail" chat might also be a good venue] and the whole "OMG crazy news thing happened why is there no post? I want to talk to MeFites about this NOW" which rarely happens but it's good to have chat as an outlet when it does.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 11:12 AM on February 13, 2013
Is there any plan to archive chat transcripts and make them available, at least to members? As an example, based on curious nu's remark, I would like to know what was said about pagans in the chat room.
posted by benito.strauss at 11:52 AM on February 13, 2013
posted by benito.strauss at 11:52 AM on February 13, 2013
This may make you more or less likely to visit, but a couple weeks ago we ended up on the two topics of teleporters and potty training toddlers at about the same time, and how awesome it would be if instead of pooping, we could just teleport feces into the sun. Which led to idle pondering of how long it would take to run out of topsoil from the slow loss of organic material if we were teleporting all human (but only human) feces into the sun, which led to in-depth cooperative research and math to come up with a ballpark answer to this question.
Science!
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 11:55 AM on February 13, 2013 [4 favorites]
Science!
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 11:55 AM on February 13, 2013 [4 favorites]
SO WHAT WAS THE ANSWER DAMMIT
posted by BitterOldPunk at 11:59 AM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by BitterOldPunk at 11:59 AM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Is there any plan to archive chat transcripts and make them available, at least to members?
Nope. We're keeping a short rolling window of transcripts on the admin side just so we can check in the case of a report of really weird/problematic behavior when we're not around, but we don't intend to make that public. Chat's ephemeral, you can always ask someone for a recap.
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:08 PM on February 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
Nope. We're keeping a short rolling window of transcripts on the admin side just so we can check in the case of a report of really weird/problematic behavior when we're not around, but we don't intend to make that public. Chat's ephemeral, you can always ask someone for a recap.
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:08 PM on February 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
I gave up on chatroulette.metafilter.com after the third penis.
posted by cjorgensen at 12:11 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by cjorgensen at 12:11 PM on February 13, 2013
You should've stuck around! After The Third Penis they played The Postman Always Comes Twice and Dirty Touch of Evil, and they're both much better films noir.
posted by griphus at 12:15 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by griphus at 12:15 PM on February 13, 2013
Griph, do you know if there's a way to auto-join a group chat? Adium signs me onto the @chat.metafilter.com account when it opens, but I have to remember to open the group window for the actual chat, which only happens about as often as the chat gets mentioned on MetaTalk.
posted by Phire at 12:19 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by Phire at 12:19 PM on February 13, 2013
I'll have to take a look at my settings when I get home. I think you have to set the room as a "favorite" and have the "join favorites on connect" option enabled in the server settings, but I'm not 100%. You can also set the room itself as a buddy that appears on the contact list and you double-click to join (if you don't want to perma-idle.)
posted by griphus at 12:22 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by griphus at 12:22 PM on February 13, 2013
Hm, I can't find the "favourite" thing, but adding it as a buddy is a good enough solution, too. Thanks!
posted by Phire at 12:43 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by Phire at 12:43 PM on February 13, 2013
Is there any plan to archive chat transcripts and make them available, at least to members?
Nope, there is a specific plan not to do this.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 2:00 PM on February 13, 2013 [4 favorites]
Nope, there is a specific plan not to do this.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 2:00 PM on February 13, 2013 [4 favorites]
If you hang out in chat long enough I will harangue you about flossing. Seriously. Floss.
posted by bswinburn at 2:08 PM on February 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by bswinburn at 2:08 PM on February 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
If you hang out in chat long enough I will harangue you about flossing.
This is true.
(I quit Health Month because I'm already tracking too many things, but I'm still flossing!)
posted by JoanArkham at 2:15 PM on February 13, 2013
This is true.
(I quit Health Month because I'm already tracking too many things, but I'm still flossing!)
posted by JoanArkham at 2:15 PM on February 13, 2013
What about favourites in chat? I think we need favourites in chat. Ephemeral favourites, that disappear at the top of the screen, which we can then discuss whether they actually function as bookmarks or not in that capacity.
posted by kaibutsu at 2:22 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by kaibutsu at 2:22 PM on February 13, 2013
You can already do that. You just type "[+]" and hit return and then watch it slowly scroll up and off the screen, never to be seen again.
posted by cortex (staff) at 2:27 PM on February 13, 2013 [6 favorites]
posted by cortex (staff) at 2:27 PM on February 13, 2013 [6 favorites]
My god, it WOULD be awesome to teleport feces directly into the sun instead of potty training toddlers.
But then when would I have time to chat?
posted by bq at 2:35 PM on February 13, 2013
But then when would I have time to chat?
posted by bq at 2:35 PM on February 13, 2013
+1 Cortex
posted by Potomac Avenue at 2:42 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by Potomac Avenue at 2:42 PM on February 13, 2013
cortex++;
posted by beryllium at 3:08 PM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by beryllium at 3:08 PM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
cortex(){ cortex|cortex & } ; cortex
posted by double block and bleed at 8:01 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by double block and bleed at 8:01 PM on February 13, 2013
cortex(){ cortex|cortex & } ; cortex
fork cortex?
λf.(λx.f (x x)) (λx.f (x x)) cortex
Cortex, je recurse?
Poor besieged cortex.
posted by benito.strauss at 10:01 PM on February 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
fork cortex?
λf.(λx.f (x x)) (λx.f (x x)) cortex
Cortex, je recurse?
Poor besieged cortex.
posted by benito.strauss at 10:01 PM on February 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
bswinburn: If you hang out in chat long enough I will harangue you about flossing. Seriously. Floss.
bswinburn has been improving my dental health!
grpihus: Now that it's been around for a while, an actual culture has developed and that culture is explicitly anti-drama and pro-casual conversation.
Occasionally it might get a little tense because someone is more axe-grindy about something than anyone currently chatting is comfortable with. It's not like there's no potential for drama. But I haven't seen anyone really engage that kind of thing for more than a few minutes. Topics change really quickly in a chat setting.
posted by zennie at 4:54 AM on February 14, 2013
bswinburn has been improving my dental health!
grpihus: Now that it's been around for a while, an actual culture has developed and that culture is explicitly anti-drama and pro-casual conversation.
Occasionally it might get a little tense because someone is more axe-grindy about something than anyone currently chatting is comfortable with. It's not like there's no potential for drama. But I haven't seen anyone really engage that kind of thing for more than a few minutes. Topics change really quickly in a chat setting.
posted by zennie at 4:54 AM on February 14, 2013
Surely it's cortex∪{cortex}.
posted by Elementary Penguin at 9:20 AM on February 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Elementary Penguin at 9:20 AM on February 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
Surely it's cortex∪{cortex}.
Oops, yes, it should be.
I'll turn in my credentials in the morning.
posted by stebulus at 9:59 AM on February 14, 2013
Oops, yes, it should be.
I'll turn in my credentials in the morning.
posted by stebulus at 9:59 AM on February 14, 2013
Just wondering. Is there anyway to access chat.metafilter.com via IRC?
posted by BlueMarble72 at 11:36 AM on February 14, 2013
posted by BlueMarble72 at 11:36 AM on February 14, 2013
BlueMarble72: "Just wondering. Is there anyway to access chat.metafilter.com via IRC?"
You could maybe set up an IRC/XMPP gateway?
posted by vasi at 1:06 PM on February 14, 2013
You could maybe set up an IRC/XMPP gateway?
posted by vasi at 1:06 PM on February 14, 2013
I'll turn in my credentials in the morning.
If it makes you feel better, when I had to use Wikipedia to get your λ calculus joke, the ghosts of Alan Turing and Alonzo Church burst through my ceiling like the secret police in Brazil and tore my PhD up in front of me. All I have left is my minor in Religious Studies.
and my MEd.
posted by Elementary Penguin at 2:39 PM on February 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
If it makes you feel better, when I had to use Wikipedia to get your λ calculus joke, the ghosts of Alan Turing and Alonzo Church burst through my ceiling like the secret police in Brazil and tore my PhD up in front of me. All I have left is my minor in Religious Studies.
and my MEd.
posted by Elementary Penguin at 2:39 PM on February 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
Surely it's cortex∪{cortex}.
Oh, okay, I wasn't sure. In which case it's
So at least he gets something good out of all this arithmatization.
posted by benito.strauss at 2:52 PM on February 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
Oh, okay, I wasn't sure. In which case it's
succ cortex
So at least he gets something good out of all this arithmatization.
posted by benito.strauss at 2:52 PM on February 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
the ghosts of Alan Turing and Alonzo Church burst through my ceiling like the secret police in Brazil and tore my PhD up in front of me.
I hope you got them to autograph a copy of their thesis at least.
posted by stebulus at 8:36 PM on February 14, 2013
I hope you got them to autograph a copy of their thesis at least.
posted by stebulus at 8:36 PM on February 14, 2013
vasi: "You could maybe set up an IRC/XMPP gateway?"
I tried this with BitlBee, and it worked well. If you're going to try it, you'll want to look at basic instructions and how to join group chats.
posted by vasi at 8:39 PM on February 14, 2013
I tried this with BitlBee, and it worked well. If you're going to try it, you'll want to look at basic instructions and how to join group chats.
posted by vasi at 8:39 PM on February 14, 2013
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posted by cortex (staff) at 9:00 AM on February 13, 2013 [2 favorites]