How much framing does an FPP need? December 12, 2016 3:49 PM Subscribe
Tough election season, posts at all related to election need extra modding, etc. So how much framing does an FPP that's really not about the election need, to escape necessarily non-nuanced vetting by exhausted mods?
This post was deleted, for reasons I understand, given my lack of filling in enough background and using the publication's simplistic headline. Obviously, mods have a lot going on, and don't have the time to explore nuances; a lot of rapid culling is par for the course, and some solid articles are going to get ditched along with the rest. I'm not contesting this deletion.
This particular article is really not about the election. What kind of framing would be effective in presenting it for what it is, rather than just one more complaint in a massive line-up, as the dismissing mod described it?
And what kind of phrasing helps to set up an FPP so that posters who generally don't bother reading the articles and whose comments drag discussion back to the election (or otherwise off-topic or to high-maintenance topics) are less likely to do so?
If single-link posts are suspect, how many additional links are required to make it look like a serious post?
Would like to hear members' experiences on developing their posting style around these sorts of challenges.
This post was deleted, for reasons I understand, given my lack of filling in enough background and using the publication's simplistic headline. Obviously, mods have a lot going on, and don't have the time to explore nuances; a lot of rapid culling is par for the course, and some solid articles are going to get ditched along with the rest. I'm not contesting this deletion.
This particular article is really not about the election. What kind of framing would be effective in presenting it for what it is, rather than just one more complaint in a massive line-up, as the dismissing mod described it?
And what kind of phrasing helps to set up an FPP so that posters who generally don't bother reading the articles and whose comments drag discussion back to the election (or otherwise off-topic or to high-maintenance topics) are less likely to do so?
If single-link posts are suspect, how many additional links are required to make it look like a serious post?
Would like to hear members' experiences on developing their posting style around these sorts of challenges.
If it's not really about the election, maybe don't cast the subject as "the head of Trump's transition team". With that in there, it becomes about the election. Without that in there, there's still a chance it becomes about the election, but it may be manageable.
You don't need more framing to make that post work, you need less.
posted by LionIndex at 3:52 PM on December 12, 2016
You don't need more framing to make that post work, you need less.
posted by LionIndex at 3:52 PM on December 12, 2016
I was sad that the post got deleted. It was a good article about an important subject. But when I read the deletion reason, I felt it made sense that the mods only want to mod one active thread on the topic of the new administration at a time.
posted by latkes at 4:15 PM on December 12, 2016
posted by latkes at 4:15 PM on December 12, 2016
If we had a separate post for every dumb-ass, horrible, hypocritical, world threatening, disgustingly ludicrous decision Tramp makes, the Internet would run out of space and throughput before the inauguration. Best to run these things as batch jobs. Think of it as a massive CRON job for a massive con job.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 6:42 PM on December 12, 2016 [14 favorites]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 6:42 PM on December 12, 2016 [14 favorites]
Newsfilter gotta go yo
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:13 PM on December 12, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:13 PM on December 12, 2016 [3 favorites]
If single-link posts are suspect, how many additional links are required to make it look like a serious post?
To return to a favorite theme of mine, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a single link post. In fact, if you don't have at least one thing that would make a good single link post, save it for another day. Aim for
posted by zamboni at 9:06 PM on December 12, 2016 [5 favorites]
To return to a favorite theme of mine, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a single link post. In fact, if you don't have at least one thing that would make a good single link post, save it for another day. Aim for
main course with a couple of sides, not
Hamburger Helper.
posted by zamboni at 9:06 PM on December 12, 2016 [5 favorites]
I was sad that the post got deleted. It was a good article about an important subject. But when I read the deletion reason, I felt it made sense that the mods only want to mod one active thread on the topic of the new administration at a time.
Yeah, there are two kind-of-election threads going right now and people are posting the same comment to both in some cases, so it's confusing to follow already.
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 9:28 PM on December 12, 2016 [2 favorites]
Yeah, there are two kind-of-election threads going right now and people are posting the same comment to both in some cases, so it's confusing to follow already.
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 9:28 PM on December 12, 2016 [2 favorites]
I think this could have been the main link for a good post about Palantir. Unless we've had something about them before.
posted by lollusc at 9:55 PM on December 12, 2016
posted by lollusc at 9:55 PM on December 12, 2016
I don't really have the knowledge to put one together yet, but an FPP on what's happening in Aleppo right now would seem appropriate.
posted by zachlipton at 11:19 PM on December 12, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 11:19 PM on December 12, 2016 [3 favorites]
MetaFilter: An Ongoing Parade Of Terrible Things
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:05 AM on December 13, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:05 AM on December 13, 2016 [1 favorite]
This particular article is really not about the election
If you mention "Trump" twice in the space of your one-sentence post, the MetaFilter discussion will absolutely be about the election.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:18 AM on December 13, 2016 [3 favorites]
If you mention "Trump" twice in the space of your one-sentence post, the MetaFilter discussion will absolutely be about the election.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:18 AM on December 13, 2016 [3 favorites]
This particular article is really not about the election.
The post is directly related to the election in several ways e.g. Trump, Thiel, (post-election) transition advisor. The second link even goes to a post that contains "is supporting Donald Trump for President of the United States". It's clearly within the gravitational pull of the black hole that is this somewhat quirky election and the aftermath, and is a clear deletion.
Would like to hear members' experiences on developing their posting style around these sorts of challenges.
At the most fundamental level, accept that not all of your posts will be accepted. The mods have deleted a good few of mine, including 4 of the first 7 posts I submitted. Life happens, and no-one is forced to post. Especially with short ones, just shrug and move on. If anything, with mine in retrospect there's about another dozen of low quality I wish they'd deleted.
Highly related to this - once you hit post that post is no longer "yours" in many ways. It becomes the communities, with just your tag on it. The mod on duty may delete it. The comments may go a different way to what you were expecting or hoping. It may get few or no comments or attention. It may get flagged for a variety of reasons and, because of this, again the mod on duty may delete it.
If single-link posts are suspect, how many additional links are required to make it look like a serious post?
That doesn't hold. I've had a look through your posts to date, and it's a really good and enjoyable and interesting list of mostly single-link and very short posts (have just spent a pleasantly distracted time with your cat one in particular). It's doubtful that enlarging or padding most of these would have added much, though yeah sometimes that does feel odd. Of two recent non-election posts I've done, one short throwaway one that took literally two minutes got lots of attention, but another with lots of links and context that took three hours got hardly any. {throws hands in the hair in befuddlement, says ah well}. Related to this...
And what kind of phrasing helps to set up an FPP so that posters who generally don't bother reading the articles and whose comments drag discussion back to the election (or otherwise off-topic or to high-maintenance topics) are less likely to do so?
Trying to second-guess how MeFites will comment on something nuanced is pretty much impossible and that way madness and cold tea lie. I've spent hours upon hours and so many pots of tea trying to figure this out and have pretty much failed. Maybe other posters have had more luck, but it's often a case of what will pass, will pass. Okay, if I was to do a post entitled "Which out of Bernie and Hillary would MeFites trust more to cut their cats claws and why?" I could guess some of the comments in the brief interval between posting and the mods deleting the post with a "Don't ever do this shit again" message. But for most other posts - haven't a clue.
A few things which are IMHO and others disagree with:
* The more obscure or clever the post title, the more likely it is to annoy someone or other, leading to snark-comments and/or flags on the post.
* A quick and dirty news search can drag up a few more related links which add context and more information.
* Maybe near or at the end of a post on something serious, try and link to a positive thing or amusing picture or similar. Though, in some circumstances and posts e.g. the current massacre in Aleppo, this is impossible or will backfire badly.
* That US Trump election vortex is currently strong and news items even two steps removed are often sucked into it.
My feeling on that last point is that it'll stay pretty much this way until the inauguration of whoever is inaugurated in late January, and then things here will change - or have to change - as we bed down (bunker down?) for years of ... this. Whatever this is.
posted by Wordshore at 3:48 AM on December 13, 2016 [2 favorites]
The post is directly related to the election in several ways e.g. Trump, Thiel, (post-election) transition advisor. The second link even goes to a post that contains "is supporting Donald Trump for President of the United States". It's clearly within the gravitational pull of the black hole that is this somewhat quirky election and the aftermath, and is a clear deletion.
Would like to hear members' experiences on developing their posting style around these sorts of challenges.
At the most fundamental level, accept that not all of your posts will be accepted. The mods have deleted a good few of mine, including 4 of the first 7 posts I submitted. Life happens, and no-one is forced to post. Especially with short ones, just shrug and move on. If anything, with mine in retrospect there's about another dozen of low quality I wish they'd deleted.
Highly related to this - once you hit post that post is no longer "yours" in many ways. It becomes the communities, with just your tag on it. The mod on duty may delete it. The comments may go a different way to what you were expecting or hoping. It may get few or no comments or attention. It may get flagged for a variety of reasons and, because of this, again the mod on duty may delete it.
If single-link posts are suspect, how many additional links are required to make it look like a serious post?
That doesn't hold. I've had a look through your posts to date, and it's a really good and enjoyable and interesting list of mostly single-link and very short posts (have just spent a pleasantly distracted time with your cat one in particular). It's doubtful that enlarging or padding most of these would have added much, though yeah sometimes that does feel odd. Of two recent non-election posts I've done, one short throwaway one that took literally two minutes got lots of attention, but another with lots of links and context that took three hours got hardly any. {throws hands in the hair in befuddlement, says ah well}. Related to this...
And what kind of phrasing helps to set up an FPP so that posters who generally don't bother reading the articles and whose comments drag discussion back to the election (or otherwise off-topic or to high-maintenance topics) are less likely to do so?
Trying to second-guess how MeFites will comment on something nuanced is pretty much impossible and that way madness and cold tea lie. I've spent hours upon hours and so many pots of tea trying to figure this out and have pretty much failed. Maybe other posters have had more luck, but it's often a case of what will pass, will pass. Okay, if I was to do a post entitled "Which out of Bernie and Hillary would MeFites trust more to cut their cats claws and why?" I could guess some of the comments in the brief interval between posting and the mods deleting the post with a "Don't ever do this shit again" message. But for most other posts - haven't a clue.
A few things which are IMHO and others disagree with:
* The more obscure or clever the post title, the more likely it is to annoy someone or other, leading to snark-comments and/or flags on the post.
* A quick and dirty news search can drag up a few more related links which add context and more information.
* Maybe near or at the end of a post on something serious, try and link to a positive thing or amusing picture or similar. Though, in some circumstances and posts e.g. the current massacre in Aleppo, this is impossible or will backfire badly.
* That US Trump election vortex is currently strong and news items even two steps removed are often sucked into it.
My feeling on that last point is that it'll stay pretty much this way until the inauguration of whoever is inaugurated in late January, and then things here will change - or have to change - as we bed down (bunker down?) for years of ... this. Whatever this is.
posted by Wordshore at 3:48 AM on December 13, 2016 [2 favorites]
Think of it as a massive CRON job for a massive con job.
That is both marvelous and splendid and I have raised my cup of tea to you in acknowledgement. Immediately on the shortlist for a future post-election post title.
posted by Wordshore at 4:37 AM on December 13, 2016 [3 favorites]
That is both marvelous and splendid and I have raised my cup of tea to you in acknowledgement. Immediately on the shortlist for a future post-election post title.
posted by Wordshore at 4:37 AM on December 13, 2016 [3 favorites]
At the most fundamental level, accept that not all of your posts will be accepted.
Seconding this. I've had 25 deleted. mathowie's had 72 deleted. Deletions are part of being a poster around here.
posted by zarq at 8:12 AM on December 13, 2016 [6 favorites]
Seconding this. I've had 25 deleted. mathowie's had 72 deleted. Deletions are part of being a poster around here.
posted by zarq at 8:12 AM on December 13, 2016 [6 favorites]
At the most fundamental level, accept that not all of your posts will be accepted.
This. As someone who posts on a regular basis. It happens. Don't take it personal. I have had many posts deleted, moderated, etc. Just roll with it. Live to post another day.
posted by Fizz at 9:24 AM on December 13, 2016 [1 favorite]
This. As someone who posts on a regular basis. It happens. Don't take it personal. I have had many posts deleted, moderated, etc. Just roll with it. Live to post another day.
posted by Fizz at 9:24 AM on December 13, 2016 [1 favorite]
That's not a framing issue, that's a 'put it in the megathread' issue.
Which touches on the mefi problem of "if you don't know where the megathread is good luck finding it'' .
posted by Sebmojo at 7:22 PM on December 13, 2016 [2 favorites]
Which touches on the mefi problem of "if you don't know where the megathread is good luck finding it'' .
posted by Sebmojo at 7:22 PM on December 13, 2016 [2 favorites]
Which touches on the mefi problem of "if you don't know where the megathread is good luck finding it''
Good point. I often miss these. Are there any ways that finding such threads could be made easier?
posted by Chairboy at 1:35 AM on December 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Good point. I often miss these. Are there any ways that finding such threads could be made easier?
posted by Chairboy at 1:35 AM on December 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
They're usually pretty easy to find via tags and "recent comments."
posted by taz (staff) at 5:51 AM on December 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by taz (staff) at 5:51 AM on December 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
They're at the bottom of the page. If you click on the little down arrow, it will take you to the bottom, and they should be there.
posted by taz (staff) at 6:30 AM on December 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by taz (staff) at 6:30 AM on December 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
classic 4evah
posted by billiebee at 7:46 AM on December 14, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by billiebee at 7:46 AM on December 14, 2016 [4 favorites]
You can also just leave the current election thread open in a browser tab, never close it, jump to the next election thread when the time comes, slowly wallowing away in increasing levels of panic and despair as you post yet another link to yet another article about something horrible and click the "n new comments" button and wonder if you've got anything stronger to drink around here and how many damn months of my life have I been doing this and--wait, what am I saying?--don't do that: close the tab. Close it now. Get out while you still can.
posted by zachlipton at 6:30 PM on December 14, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 6:30 PM on December 14, 2016 [5 favorites]
> Close the tab. Close it now. Get out while you still can.
I just wanted to say that ... wait, what, 11 new comments in the post-election thread? He said WHAT?
... sorry, you were saying?
posted by RedOrGreen at 10:50 AM on December 15, 2016
I just wanted to say that ... wait, what, 11 new comments in the post-election thread? He said WHAT?
... sorry, you were saying?
posted by RedOrGreen at 10:50 AM on December 15, 2016
Every time I try to keep up with the current election thread it moves too damn fast, It is killing my work, killing my free time, and throwing more fuel on the fire of my despair. I can't do it anymore.
posted by Ber at 10:52 AM on December 18, 2016
posted by Ber at 10:52 AM on December 18, 2016
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Instead it has everything to do with exactly what I told you -- the subject matter (yet another case where a Trump advisor/cabinet pick has an egregiously awful conflict of interest) is something we're trying to corral at this time. It's important, they're all important stories, I fully agree. But insofar as they're about the incoming administration's piling-up of badness, we're trying to mostly keep that stuff all in one place at a time.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 3:50 PM on December 12, 2016 [10 favorites]