What's the Deal with Comments "Metafilter: [succinct comment] September 21, 2018 8:50 AM   Subscribe

Every so often in a thread, somebody will post a comment consisting of Metafilter: [clip from a previous comment] that is sort of summing up a Metafilter sort of attitude. They're usually amusing. However, I can discern no pattern. Different members do it. Are these archived anywhere? Is there a rhyme or reason to them? Can anyone do them?
posted by MovableBookLady to Etiquette/Policy at 8:50 AM (95 comments total) 7 users marked this as a favorite

It is a joke about the succinct comment being the tagline for Metafilter. Back in the day it was Metafilter: Best of the Web (which is now deprecated) and comments in that form are joking suggestions for replacement. I'm sure folks will be able to source collections of them/histories/etc.
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 8:51 AM on September 21, 2018 [6 favorites]


Metafilter: What's the Deal with Comments

(which is now deprecated)
wow. rude.
posted by boo_radley at 8:53 AM on September 21, 2018 [18 favorites]


The Mefi wiki entry on taglines has links to several lists of them.
posted by googly at 8:55 AM on September 21, 2018 [7 favorites]


Metafilter: I can discern no pattern
posted by bondcliff at 8:58 AM on September 21, 2018 [21 favorites]


Metafilter: which is now deprecated
posted by cichlid ceilidh at 9:05 AM on September 21, 2018 [7 favorites]


Metafilter: different members do it
posted by Namlit at 9:07 AM on September 21, 2018 [3 favorites]


Anyone can do them.
posted by AugustWest at 9:10 AM on September 21, 2018 [1 favorite]


Metafilter: [clip from a previous comment]
posted by flatluigi at 9:14 AM on September 21, 2018 [4 favorites]


No no no, AugustWest. That's "Metafilter: anyone can do them".
posted by ook at 9:16 AM on September 21, 2018 [9 favorites]


Metafilter: Back in the day it was Metafilter.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 9:20 AM on September 21, 2018 [9 favorites]


Does anyone remember when the front page tagline stopped rotating? The wiki suggests the last addition was in 2005 but I remember much longer.

On a related note, the 15 year anniversary of the $5 noobs is next November!
posted by muddgirl at 9:26 AM on September 21, 2018 [3 favorites]


The practice has started to annoy some users, but I still love them.

And, just to make everyone else happy:

Metafilter: The practice has started to annoy some users, but I still love them.
posted by blurker at 9:33 AM on September 21, 2018 [19 favorites]


Metafilter: somebody will post
posted by bilabial at 9:36 AM on September 21, 2018 [2 favorites]


Metafilter: usually amusing
posted by Liesl at 9:42 AM on September 21, 2018 [4 favorites]


Metafilter: but I remember much longer.
posted by RolandOfEld at 9:43 AM on September 21, 2018 [1 favorite]


Metafilter: ↑↑ 6
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:48 AM on September 21, 2018


Metafilter: just to make everyone else happy
posted by Elly Vortex at 9:48 AM on September 21, 2018 [2 favorites]


Metafilter:Metafilter:Metafilter:Metafilter:Metafilter:
posted by capricorn at 9:51 AM on September 21, 2018 [43 favorites]


Metafilter: they’re usually amusing.

Except megafilter of course.
posted by mce at 9:56 AM on September 21, 2018


My favorite one of these, I'm biased because it was made off a comment of mine. Also look about 3 more comments down for another one.
posted by deezil at 9:57 AM on September 21, 2018 [3 favorites]


My favorite one of these

Fame, I got it. Mamma always said my day would come.
posted by RolandOfEld at 10:04 AM on September 21, 2018 [7 favorites]


heh. Entirely amusing. And thanks! I had gone to Wiki but didn't know I was looking for "taglines" so missed it. I'll go wallow now. Do I want to know what "megafilter" is? I like 'em. I was absurdly pleased when one showed up on one of my posts. Thanks, all y'all.
posted by MovableBookLady at 10:05 AM on September 21, 2018 [1 favorite]


They are also my favorite! And yes, anyone can post them.
posted by jillithd at 10:05 AM on September 21, 2018 [1 favorite]


Metafilter: I'll go wallow now

*snortlaugh*
posted by wellred at 10:12 AM on September 21, 2018 [3 favorites]


CEASE AND DESIST
posted by Metafilter: at 10:22 AM on September 21, 2018 [31 favorites]


I feel like this same MeTa is posted about once a year.

(Metafilter: I feel like this same MeTa is posted about once a year.)
posted by Chrysostom at 10:32 AM on September 21, 2018 [5 favorites]


MetaFilter: heh. Entirely amusing.

In the interest of full disclosure, I love these things!
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:43 AM on September 21, 2018 [2 favorites]


MetaFilter: I love these things!
posted by Fizz at 10:51 AM on September 21, 2018 [3 favorites]


I like my websites how I like my coffee: metafilter.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 11:06 AM on September 21, 2018 [4 favorites]


I confess a great fondness for them, probably because when you read a bunch of them, they are quite absurd
posted by theora55 at 11:39 AM on September 21, 2018 [2 favorites]


Metafilter: All Summer in a Day
posted by donnagirl at 11:49 AM on September 21, 2018 [5 favorites]




Metafilter/ sipping the right stochastic.
posted by clavdivs at 11:54 AM on September 21, 2018 [1 favorite]


Back in the day it was Metafilter: Best of the Web

This exactly. And then it rotated with a few phrases Matt chose which were not open for debate ("The Plastic.com it's okay to like!" was one I recall) and people were forever badgering him to change them and then, after a while, it just became a sort of good-natured ass-grabbery thing.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 11:57 AM on September 21, 2018 [9 favorites]


Metafilter: Malkovich? Malkovich. Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich.
posted by zombieflanders at 12:06 PM on September 21, 2018 [3 favorites]


"More addictive than crack" was another original, sometimes served up with a side of evil Bert.
posted by LionIndex at 12:11 PM on September 21, 2018 [2 favorites]


yeah dangle the bait, will ya! yrebbarg-ssa derutan-dooG: retlifateM
posted by Namlit at 12:13 PM on September 21, 2018 [2 favorites]


jessamyn: "The Plastic.com it's okay to like!" was one I recall

Courtesy of long-timer holgate, if I'm interpreting that correctly. And here's one of the earliest references to MetaFilter taglines, specifically about a demo of website updates that Matt was working on in Feb. 2000. Sadly, it looks like "yellowfilter.gif" wasn't captured, but here's a baby blue version of MetaFilter that could have been ;)

And the MeFi Wiki has a page that references the old banners and taglines, with some idea of their vintage.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:30 PM on September 21, 2018 [1 favorite]


Metafilter:
The way things used to be

posted by slipthought at 12:35 PM on September 21, 2018 [2 favorites]


*shakes head dolefully at the state of the art*
posted by infini at 12:44 PM on September 21, 2018 [3 favorites]


I assume filthy light thief meant to link to this: http://mefiwiki.com/wiki/Banners
posted by terrapin at 12:48 PM on September 21, 2018 [1 favorite]


[insert we don't need no stinking banners joke]
posted by terrapin at 12:48 PM on September 21, 2018


Metafilter: Self Policing from 1999-2004
posted by Rumple at 1:47 PM on September 21, 2018 [1 favorite]


Ages ago I wrote some code to extract 'Metafilter:' comments out of a Metafilter database dump. Used them to write a bot for a failed Metafilter Chat Room trial. Been wondering lately if database dumps are still a thing and whether or not bots can hang out in www.metafilter.com/chat.
posted by zengargoyle at 2:22 PM on September 21, 2018 [2 favorites]


No bots here, no sir-E. Just us hu-mans!
posted by Barack Spinoza at 2:59 PM on September 21, 2018 [2 favorites]


Not Bots Inc. is cool for a goth/techno name...can I steal it?
posted by clavdivs at 3:03 PM on September 21, 2018 [3 favorites]


I had no idea what the origins were but started because everyone else was doing it and it is fun. Now I know!
posted by grumpybear69 at 3:10 PM on September 21, 2018 [1 favorite]


Metafilter: good-natured ass-grabbery
posted by Margalo Epps at 3:27 PM on September 21, 2018 [3 favorites]


You have that backward.
posted by Namlit at 3:38 PM on September 21, 2018 [1 favorite]


they remind me of an ancient and now-closed site, memepool.com, that had taglines with exactly the same shtick.
posted by wires at 4:45 PM on September 21, 2018 [1 favorite]


Between the boom in interest in "memes" and the popularity of Deadpool, I would think that "memepool.com" would be a prime piece of web real estate today, no matter what it was doing... Some people just give up too soon.
posted by oneswellfoop at 4:57 PM on September 21, 2018 [1 favorite]


So I never did know what Matt had against Plastic.com. Or was it just friendly rivalry? I remember the site pretty fondly.
posted by octothorpe at 5:05 PM on September 21, 2018


Metafilter: it really whips the llama's ass
posted by standardasparagus at 7:24 PM on September 21, 2018 [9 favorites]


I have fun using the "Metafilter:" (also "the name of my new band is") thing to highlight little phrases from other people's comments that sound amusing to my ear.
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:27 PM on September 21, 2018 [2 favorites]


FetaMilter: Ass-natured good-grabbery.
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:41 PM on September 21, 2018 [6 favorites]


blurker: "The practice has started to annoy some users, but I still love them."

It's been annoying some users since day one.
posted by Mitheral at 7:49 PM on September 21, 2018 [1 favorite]


That's what makes it so much fun!
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:52 PM on September 21, 2018 [11 favorites]


MetaFilter: It's been annoying some users since day one.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 8:20 PM on September 21, 2018 [19 favorites]


MetaFilter: MetaFilter: MetaFilter
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:24 PM on September 21, 2018


The fact that such an OP even exists on the grey makes me realize just how long I've been lurking on the site.


what?
posted by infini at 12:10 AM on September 22, 2018 [4 favorites]


The practice has started to annoy some users, but I still love them.

Everything annoys some users.
posted by bongo_x at 1:41 AM on September 22, 2018 [4 favorites]


MetaFilter: so much fun!
posted by billiebee at 3:42 AM on September 22, 2018 [3 favorites]


MetaFilter: abusing the sensible uses of HTML tags since 1999.
posted by Wordshore at 6:23 AM on September 22, 2018 [8 favorites]


Wasn't that supposed to be sensible users?
posted by Namlit at 7:06 AM on September 22, 2018 [1 favorite]


Metafilter: One of the strangest sites I've seen in some time. I have no idea how these people got their hardcore taters wedged into the posts down here, or why.
posted by freecellwizard at 9:16 AM on September 22, 2018 [7 favorites]


MetaFilter: not open for debate
posted by Wordshore at 9:45 AM on September 22, 2018 [1 favorite]


MetaFilter: I can discern no pattern
posted by Going To Maine at 12:18 PM on September 22, 2018 [1 favorite]


zombieflanders: Metafilter: Malkovich? Malkovich. Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich.

Metafilter [The Good Place version]: Derek? Derek. Derek Derek Derek. MAXIMUM DEREK.
posted by Superplin at 1:37 PM on September 22, 2018 [2 favorites]


The first, and I think only, time I got taglined brought me indescribable joy. It was a comment about penguin butts. I famously hate penguins, but that day, they, and their stupid butts, made me happy.
posted by Ruki at 3:48 PM on September 22, 2018 [2 favorites]


You guys should know that I think of these things all the time but I try to hold myself back from posting them unless I have a really good one that is worth annoying the people who hate them in order to delight the people that don’t.

Also good job finding the pattern even though you didn’t realize it
posted by bleep at 4:41 PM on September 22, 2018 [5 favorites]


MetaFilter: worth annoying the people who hate
posted by Wordshore at 5:20 PM on September 22, 2018 [3 favorites]


MetaFilter: their stupid butts, made me happy
posted by chavenet at 5:25 PM on September 22, 2018 [2 favorites]


Metafilter: tl;dr
posted by triage_lazarus at 6:30 PM on September 22, 2018 [1 favorite]


MetaFilter: I had no idea what the origins were...
posted by BlueHorse at 7:30 PM on September 22, 2018


When I first joined, it was rotating tag lines at the top. It was "Metafilter: more addictive than crack" that made me realize these were my people. Because A: these people are/have been addicted to crack and B: this place is better than a chemically induced euphoria.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 8:19 PM on September 22, 2018 [1 favorite]


A Man, a Plan, a Canal: Metafilter
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:34 PM on September 22, 2018 [6 favorites]


Metafilter: Now in Panama!
posted by a humble nudibranch at 8:51 PM on September 22, 2018 [1 favorite]


23skidoo: "Metafilter: Every so often in a thread, somebody will post a comment"

Not always, in the very early days.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:37 PM on September 22, 2018 [1 favorite]


Did anybody read those comments down there?
posted by chavenet at 12:25 AM on September 23, 2018


They did, until Cortex chased them off with a broomstick.

*gives cortex the hairy eyeball*

nyah nyah lookit me at the bottom of a grey thread nyah nyah
posted by infini at 8:25 AM on September 23, 2018 [1 favorite]


Metafilter: a Metafilter sort of attitude
posted by MovableBookLady at 10:04 AM on September 23, 2018 [3 favorites]


I’m the sourpuss that hates them out in the wild. But here in this thread, they’re delightful!
posted by greermahoney at 1:40 PM on September 23, 2018


Metafilter: Here in this thread, the’re delightful!
posted by bleep at 3:23 PM on September 23, 2018


A Man, a Plan, a Canal: Metafilter

A Man, a Plan, IANAL: AskMe
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:43 PM on September 23, 2018 [7 favorites]


Metafilter: When I first joined, it was rotating
posted by Dysk at 5:42 PM on September 23, 2018 [2 favorites]


I just started doing it when I realized how often I saw them. It is a local quirk that that pleases me in the reading and in the writing.
posted by Bella Donna at 3:57 PM on September 24, 2018 [4 favorites]


MetaFilter: a local quirk that pleases me
posted by Wordshore at 4:06 PM on September 24, 2018 [3 favorites]


Have to admit, I don't bother looking for them any more, I just wait for the bi-annual "Why are people doing that?" metatalk thread.

So: thanks MovableBookLady!
posted by pompomtom at 9:58 PM on September 24, 2018 [1 favorite]


Where did “same as in town” come from?
posted by Bella Donna at 9:59 PM on September 24, 2018


It's from an old, old joke. The first reference here seems to be this thread grilling Matt on the policy of the $5 noob signups. Interestingly it is also the title of several FPPs.
posted by Mitheral at 10:32 PM on September 24, 2018 [1 favorite]


Metafilter: They remind me of an ancient and now-closed site.
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 6:35 PM on September 25, 2018 [1 favorite]


Metafilter: "Why are people doing that?"
posted by bongo_x at 12:34 AM on September 26, 2018 [2 favorites]


MetaFilter: just a pleasant steady stream of gibberish.
posted by Wordshore at 3:49 PM on September 27, 2018 [4 favorites]


I really wanted to post:

Metafilter: Make your point in a way that omits describing the specific sex acts.

...but I’m staying out of the US politics threads.
posted by pompomtom at 3:45 PM on September 29, 2018


Metafilter: An old, old joke
posted by rhizome at 11:58 AM on October 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


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