Blocking Posting History?

April 27, 2005 7:58 AM

This Mefi user is blocking their posting history. Should they be allowed to?
posted by Dean Keaton to Etiquette/Policy at 7:58 AM (53 comments total)

It's there for me...scroll down? Or has it just been modified?
posted by jikel_morten at 8:01 AM on April 27, 2005

No. They shouldn't be allowed to.
posted by Quartermass at 8:01 AM on April 27, 2005

In Firefox, just go to View -> Page Style -> No Style. You'll see it, although it'll be fugly.
posted by Plutor at 8:02 AM on April 27, 2005

It's there at the bottom of the page.
posted by Quartermass at 8:04 AM on April 27, 2005

Forgive my ignorance, but how is he doing that?
posted by R. Mutt at 8:07 AM on April 27, 2005

To view the posting history of a user, just add their user number to the end of either of these links:

http://www.metafilter.com/search_comments.cfm?user_ID=

http://metatalk.metafilter.com/search_comments.mefi?user_ID=

http://www.metafilter.com/search_posts.cfm?user_ID=
posted by dfowler at 8:08 AM on April 27, 2005

no need for the fancy-schmancy work aorunds, just highlight with mouse or Ctrl-A it.

But I do think he/she is well within their rights....but it's not my call, it's Matt's.
posted by Dagobert at 8:09 AM on April 27, 2005

Perhaps they just want to be furtive
posted by TedW at 8:17 AM on April 27, 2005

I'm sorry if this caused a stir. I was trying to emulate what Hands of Manos has done for his user page. However, I don't have a scanner and I had not gotten around to update it after my initial changes. Since my pseudonym is furtive I figured it was a propos, in an accidental manner.

I think the history has always been visible but you had to scroll down. I've now adjusted it so that it is visible towards the top of the page.

This all goes back to the tags/attributes that Matt allows us to use vs. the ones he doesn't. Please feel free to pick apart my posting history and tear me to shreads. You'll mostly notice that I've helped a few people in Ask Mefi, that i've probably posted a few too many images as comments recently, and that I've done a few shout outs before.

Enjoy!
posted by furtive at 8:18 AM on April 27, 2005

Ctrl-A works now, but it didn't work on that user's profile until very recently (i.e., a few minutes ago). It was apparently changed in response to a complaint in yet another MeTa thread from earlier this morning.

All of which makes this thread even more meta than most. I think trying to hide your posting history is a bit odd, though apparently in this case, it was more an artifact of an incomplete profile design rather than an attempt to obfuscate. Still, it'd be nice to have a way to search for a user's comments that's easier than cutting and pasting urls.
posted by anapestic at 8:19 AM on April 27, 2005

I'm in IE 6, Win2000 Pro and I can't see the info on furtive's userpage, even after reloading several times. It doesn't scroll, and Control-A only reveals "furtives profile". So I think, furtive, you need to massage your style sheet a little more to make it accessible to everyone since that seems to be your intent.

View source, copy/paste, will allow me to get to the proper links, but that's a major pain in the ass.

It's my opinion that the legacy of our uneditable posting history is part of what gives us all accountability here, and while a user obviously CAN do this, I think it should be discouraged.
posted by raedyn at 8:22 AM on April 27, 2005

And just to be absolutely sure that the page really isn't working, I cleared my history and cache, and deleted all cookies. And I still can't see it.
posted by raedyn at 8:25 AM on April 27, 2005

I question this post, too
posted by matteo at 8:29 AM on April 27, 2005

I'm in IE 6

getting an actual browser instead of a spyware distribution tool would be helpful.
posted by quonsar at 8:32 AM on April 27, 2005

Forgive my ignorance, but how is he doing that?

"view source" is your friend.
posted by quonsar at 8:38 AM on April 27, 2005

getting an actual browser instead of a spyware distribution tool would be helpful. - quonsar

At home, I use firefox and am very glad I made the switch. At work, we (sadly) don't have an option. It's easy to say "switch browsers", and I think it's a great idea. But in reality the majority of people are still stuck in IE.
posted by raedyn at 8:41 AM on April 27, 2005

Heh, I didn't even think of testing it in IE.

You'll be happy to see I've updated the page to address that issue.
posted by furtive at 8:43 AM on April 27, 2005

browser pissing matches. what fun.
posted by crunchland at 8:44 AM on April 27, 2005

haha furtive points for linking to the firefix browser. I wasn't trying to "bust your balls", I was asking a serious question. When I looked at it, it appeared to not be viewable, even in firefox. I made this post because I feel our posting history needs to be as public as possible, for good or bad.
posted by Dean Keaton at 8:47 AM on April 27, 2005

furtive, your new update made me smile. It still doesn't help IE users get to your info, but if that doesn't bother you then you're entitled to be clever if you wish.
posted by raedyn at 8:49 AM on April 27, 2005

furtive fpps

furtive comments

furtive MeTa posts

furtive MeTa comments
posted by dfowler at 9:00 AM on April 27, 2005

furtive states he doesn't mind people seeing his posts, so i thought creating links would be o.k.
posted by dfowler at 9:02 AM on April 27, 2005

Hehe, as long as a few people appreciated it. Not trying to cause a browser war, but you'll excuse my sense of humour as I wasn't expecting to be the subject of attention on Metafilter this Wednesday morning.

I'll try to find a workaround for my comment history not being displayed in IE, because it is not my intention to hide from my past, but obviously you will forgive me if this isn't high on my next action list.

dflower, thanks, I shoulda thought of that.
posted by furtive at 9:03 AM on April 27, 2005

Oh, you forgot my Ask Mefi questions and comments, where I do my finest charitable work.

furtive Ask Mefi Questions

furtive Ask Mefi Answers
posted by furtive at 9:06 AM on April 27, 2005

No problem. Glad to help, only....
if you call a chicken "flow" instead of "fowl" she might not mind. but i if you call me "dflower" instead of dfowler again, i think i'll pee my pants...ewwwww.
posted by dfowler at 9:10 AM on April 27, 2005

To address the original question, "Should they be allowed to?", I respond, "Unless Matt states otherwise, then yes, they should be allowed to." This isn't a workplace, and if someone wants that level of privacy, they should have it.
;-P
posted by mischief at 9:11 AM on April 27, 2005

At home, I use firefox and am very glad I made the switch. At work, we (sadly) don't have an option. It's easy to say "switch browsers", and I think it's a great idea. But in reality the majority of people are still stuck in IE.

Firefox can be installed even when the desktop is locked down at work because it does not install itself into Windows by adding anything to the registry. It just unpacks itself into its own directory.
posted by caddis at 9:19 AM on April 27, 2005

dflower IS a pretty funny typo
posted by raedyn at 9:20 AM on April 27, 2005

"view source" is your friend.

A fire by night, a pillar of smoke by day.
posted by y2karl at 9:29 AM on April 27, 2005 [1 favorite]

raedyn,

it's not the first time it has happened, either. : (
posted by dfowler at 9:40 AM on April 27, 2005

The threshold for an etiquette call-out has now reached a ridiculously new low.
posted by AlexReynolds at 9:42 AM on April 27, 2005

Firefox can be installed even when the desktop is locked down at work because it does not install itself into Windows by adding anything to the registry. It just unpacks itself into its own directory.

Yeah, just tell it to install itself somewhere other than "program files."
posted by CunningLinguist at 9:58 AM on April 27, 2005

I disagree Mischief. This isn't a workplace, it is a blog community. People have the right to view the posting history of their members. There is no room for privacy here. What is typed was made public and should be kept that way, unless deleted purposely by Matt for reasons of his own.
posted by Dean Keaton at 10:08 AM on April 27, 2005

There is no room for privacy here

*looks up Dean Keaton's skirt*
posted by matteo at 10:12 AM on April 27, 2005

You might like what you find.
posted by Dean Keaton at 10:15 AM on April 27, 2005

Dean Keaton writes "People have the right to view the posting history of their members. There is no room for privacy here."

While I sort of agree about the privacy, I would ask you a simple favor. Please check the user's page of every active user and report back with a list of offenders, so a more general action can be taken. Or stop targeting single users who had already explained what they were doing four or five times (the first time exactly 4 minutes after you pulled your guns).
posted by nkyad at 10:25 AM on April 27, 2005

Offenders? Notice I told furtive, and I quote, I wasn't trying to "bust your balls" to let him know I wasn't trying to persecute him personally. While I sort of agree with your point of view, I think your blowing it out of proportion.
posted by Dean Keaton at 10:31 AM on April 27, 2005

There is no room for privacy here

it then follows that posting is mandatory, since there is no more obscure posting history than that which does not exist. there is no room for lurkers here. all men are socrates.
posted by quonsar at 10:58 AM on April 27, 2005

A user's posting history is visible on their user page by default, but a user can exploit a work around so that their history doesn't display readily. Other users can also use work arounds to see that history, meaning it is never really unavailable. It seems like you are asking for posting histories to be easily accessible by all, which is a feature request, not an etiquette/policy issue.
posted by spaghetti at 11:18 AM on April 27, 2005

Hope the member realizes it make them look like a community hermit.
posted by thomcatspike at 11:28 AM on April 27, 2005

I personally wish people wouldn't do a display none on their posting history, as it does kind of break the community and hide their contributions. Typically I email people when I notice it, asking them to restore the links. Tracking contributions by members is done for good and bad reasons, but has the potential to be a way to cover your tracks, which isn't good.

There's no easy way to filter out CSS hacks on the text of that page, so I haven't done it, but it's my hope that members don't do it in the future.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 11:29 AM on April 27, 2005

Burn them ! Burn them !
posted by sgt.serenity at 11:39 AM on April 27, 2005

Right, and without seeing users' posting histories, we wouldn't be as able to jump to conclusions about their every comment.

This hiding of histories is an obstacle to pigeonholing. It must stop!
posted by breezeway at 11:47 AM on April 27, 2005

The ability to customise your own profile is one of the best things about MeFi. Threads are the workplace, profile is the toybox.

Thanks for not being bothered enough to tighten it up, Matt. A loose leash is trust.
posted by NinjaPirate at 1:11 PM on April 27, 2005

Following up caddis and CunningLinguist; if you do that and it still won't run your work place may have limited what executables you can run. This is done by group policy with a list of executable names. To work around: after installing to your writeable directory of choice rename the firefox.exe to WinWord.exe or something else you know works. You can then add short cuts to your quick launch/start menu/desktop to the renamed executable.

There is also a flash drive version of Firefox available.
posted by Mitheral at 2:04 PM on April 27, 2005

At home, I use firefox and am very glad I made the switch. At work, we (sadly) don't have an option. It's easy to say "switch browsers", and I think it's a great idea. But in reality the majority of people are still stuck in IE.
Firefox can be installed even when the desktop is locked down at work because it does not install itself into Windows by adding anything to the registry. It just unpacks itself into its own directory.

Assuming that you have access to the HDD in the first place, of course.
posted by dg at 3:33 PM on April 27, 2005

Mitheral, you must have read my mind. I was walking the kids to school and thought to myself "I wonder if I can get FireFox to run from my flash drive"? When I get to work today, I will try it out. Thanks heaps!

Umm, back on topic, I love that we are able to modify our user pages and, while it is part of the ethos of MeFi that there is unlikely to be a rule made to say we cannot hide our posting history, I think it is one of the things that does not need to be said - trying to hide something only makes you look guilty even if you are not.
posted by dg at 4:10 PM on April 27, 2005

The fig leaf is gone.
posted by furtive at 4:59 PM on April 27, 2005

*does a little dance*

Thanks Mitheral - works perfectly!

furtive - it is a shame to see your customisation gone as well and I hope that is only temporary.
posted by dg at 7:35 PM on April 27, 2005

florking ignorant ninnies should learn to construct a url by typing it in thier browser.
WAH! THERE'S NO LINK TO CLICK! THEY BROKED MY INTARWEB! HOPE ME, ADMINISTRATOR!
posted by quonsar at 8:07 PM on April 27, 2005

You're starting to get dry in your old age.
posted by Dean Keaton at 8:24 PM on April 27, 2005

That is easily fixed.
posted by dg at 9:26 PM on April 27, 2005

[joins the queue for the next furtive/quonsar circus]
posted by NinjaPirate at 1:51 AM on April 28, 2005