MetaTalk

MetaFilter’s Global BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Advisory Board wants to share some context and plans with MetaFilter at large. This text is drawn from a conversation the BIPOC Board had with MetaFilter’s newly-elected Steering Committee in September 2022.
posted by brainwane to MetaTalk on Nov 28 at 11:41 AM
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I'm committing to post an FPP every day from Dec 1 to Dec 24 for Metafilter - seeing more activity and diversity on the blue is a direct action to boost Metafilter for our current and future users. Please join in and tag away with #Advent2022! I apologise in advance for using a tag which has religious elements but the Advent concept of a countdown with a gift every day seemed ideal, and I didn't want to commit to posting during my actual Christmas days which are usually packed (or devoted to post-food coma). Happy to change to alternatives that fit proposed below.
posted by dorothyisunderwood to MetaTalk on Dec 2 at 4:01 AM
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Hi there, MetaFilter!

It’s been a while! I’m happy to be back with this special update. You’ll find some updates regarding the site below. I’m looking forward to your feedback and questions.
posted by loup to MetaTalk on Dec 2 at 10:58 AM
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By tradition, the first gift recipient gets to start the annual swap THANK YOU thread....
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs to MetaTalk on Nov 14 at 9:14 AM
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Week 2 of Metafilter Events is here! Following Week 1, we’re back with more as we kick off a week about books, fiction and the humanities. (NaNoWriMo participants - this week is calling your name ✨ )
posted by aielen to MetaTalk on Nov 28 at 7:55 AM
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Proposal: "Doesn't answer question" flag for Ask Metafilter. For those who don't fully read the question or for noise.
posted by MollyRealized to MetaTalk on Nov 26 at 11:30 AM
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Would there be interest in having a Metafilter Mastodon server? I think this idea has come up a couple of times, though scattered around; having the conversation in one thread might be helpful.
posted by Pronoiac to MetaTalk on Nov 5 at 5:47 AM
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Hello and welcome to your weekend, mefites! Since it's been a while, today I'd like to ask you, "what's in your bag?" Clutches, totes, diaper bags, purses, satchels, backpacks, pocketbooks, pouches, wallets — all are welcome to spill their guts here. Show a photo if you're brave enough ... otherwise, just describe the inner life of your bag.
posted by taz to MetaTalk on Nov 26 at 3:16 AM
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Can we stop plastering the top of the site with fundraising and community notices? It's incredibly annoying.
posted by Orange Pamplemousse to MetaTalk on Nov 22 at 5:34 AM
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Hello, and happy weekend, everyone! Many of us have gifting on our minds at the moment, so maybe it's a good time to ask: What's the best gift you ever got? What's the best gift you ever gave? How about the worst? 👹
posted by taz to MetaTalk on Dec 3 at 1:57 AM
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"Everybody's Interesting" Metafilter's own, Jessamyn West, was profiled today in a local Vermont / New Hampshire paper, The Valley News. Metafilter and Ask MetaFilter are mentioned a few times. Unfortunately, the pictures that accompanied the dead tree version don't grace the online version because there are two cute photos.
posted by terrapin to MetaTalk on Feb 3, 2007 at 10:23 AM
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[more posts]

:D Hey, I finally found a reblog of the Tumblr post that I always think of when I think of nurturing and celebrating the second reaction: danosaurs-and-philions: im a bad person who thinks bad thoughts like ‘ew what is that girl wearing’ and then remember that im supposed to be positive about all things and then think ‘no she can wear what... [more]
posted by brainwane to MetaTalk on Nov 28 at 12:43 PM
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The deleted question was a reasonable problem to have -- but it wasn't a good question for AskMe. It wasn't really an answerable question in the sense that it seemed to be asking for a way to be less upset about something while also proactively refusing any answers that suggested alternative lenses. Given that there's not mod resourcing to... [more]
posted by chesty_a_arthur to MetaTalk on Nov 30 at 6:36 AM
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Hi folks! I am a member of the BIPOC board, and I posted this, but I'm only one of the authors. I'm going to try to keep an eye on comments and respond to them, but I also have, like, work, meals, sleep, etc. to take care of, as do the other volunteers. And I didn't set up any kind of rota with the SC members about who's on call to answer questions... [more]
posted by brainwane to MetaTalk on Nov 28 at 11:49 AM
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" I always use the note function and then I wonder if I'm annoying the mods with my hot take." It's actually EXTREMELY helpful, especially for me, since I'm not keeping up on the site during the week. Sometimes when there's a hot topic from Wednesday and there's 200 comments and a fight on Saturday morning, I have literally... [more]
posted by Eyebrows McGee to MetaTalk on Nov 27 at 11:49 AM
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Both the deleted COVID thread and the rescue dog thread referenced above were not really questions. There was some token effort to turn them both into a question, but at the core the ask was "all the people around me are wrong about this thing and it makes me so mad, please validate how mad I feel." It's not really a great place to... [more]
posted by geegollygosh to MetaTalk on Nov 30 at 7:11 AM
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Neither the best or the worst, but the most memorable: My mom was an uneducated housewife and receptionist. Growing up I knew of very few skills she possessed. She was pretty good at sewing, she made what I thought were decent birthday cakes, and although Irish she could make a good tomato sauce. That was about all I knew she could do, typical... [more]
posted by bondcliff to MetaTalk on Dec 3 at 6:37 AM
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Hi folks! I am a member of the BIPOC board, and I contributed to this, but I'm only one of the authors. This post is an act on behalf of the board as a collective entity but we're also just... several people who are here on the site. [view]
posted by majick to MetaTalk on Nov 28 at 11:54 AM
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I wonder if I'm annoying the mods with my hot take. Generally no. Flag with Note is super helpful for moderators unless it's hollering at them or otherwise making some sort of demand (i.e. BAN THIS PERSON) which is their call to make. I think more people should use Flag with Note for edge case scenarios. I'm about 99% sure that... [more]
posted by jessamyn to MetaTalk on Nov 27 at 8:00 AM
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Worst gift I ever got was an exercise device made of rope and pulleys, that was meant to be attached to a doorknob. Then you were supposed to lie down, hook the ropes around your ankles and pull the handles with your arms to lift your legs up in a scissor motion (heh). My dad bought it for my 10th birthday. I had not asked for it nor indicated any... [more]
posted by Serene Empress Dork to MetaTalk on Dec 3 at 4:45 AM
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Worst gift: One Christmas my then-boyfriend gave me a beautifully wrapped box and watched with glee as I opened it. It was... a pair of men's running shoes (I am not a man). The "gift" was that he was going to start running with me (I had not asked for that). TL;DR that never happened, and he is no longer my boyfriend. Best gift: When... [more]
posted by kinsey to MetaTalk on Dec 3 at 5:03 AM
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I've just changed my attitude about unhelpful answers. I asked myself why I cared so much. It's one thing if they change the whole tide of the conversation but that rarely happens. People with good answers are still going to post their good answers and if I have to read 20 useless comments to get 5 useful ones, well, it's annoying but I still got... [more]
posted by brook horse to MetaTalk on Nov 28 at 8:06 AM
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It seems like there's no way to ask "it may not be rational but I feel this way, help" questions without getting "your feelings are wrong and this is why" answers Quoted for truth. I am so sad that bleep has left. I hope it is temporary. A user leaving after they don't like how a thread goes isn't necessarily... [more]
posted by Bella Donna to MetaTalk on Nov 30 at 6:38 AM
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Noise/derail/other is for this, I thought? [view]
posted by notquitemaryann to MetaTalk on Nov 26 at 12:04 PM
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But if I had answered, I would say that it's really hard to let it go, and it's something I struggle with, and what bleep is feeling feels normal to me But if the only way you can usefully engage with someone's question is by agreeing with them and validating their feelings, it's not a question. It's a community-building, therapeutic... [more]
posted by geegollygosh to MetaTalk on Nov 30 at 8:09 AM
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Candidly, Orange Pamplemousse, this is not the vibe. [view]
posted by kate blank to MetaTalk on Nov 22 at 6:30 AM
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Could we just have downvotes instead? How about we don't. [view]
posted by cooker girl to MetaTalk on Nov 27 at 7:00 AM
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MollyRealized suggested that this is a problem that has gotten worse recently. ("It seems in the last year or so, though, that people's attention spans have shortened, details are overlooked when responding, and thus answer quality diminishes.") So I took a few minutes to look in the MetaTalk archives. A few times this or a closely... [more]
posted by brainwane to MetaTalk on Nov 28 at 5:01 AM
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OP, last comment in thread. I already withdrew my proposal upthread, and because I'm in the middle of kind of a dark moment or depressive episode (if that's what I'd call what I'm feeling this week), I left the thread for a day or two after withdrawing the proposal. I should add specifically that now, I don't even see a use for my own... [more]
posted by MollyRealized to MetaTalk on Dec 1 at 12:43 AM
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I guess add me to the list of people who disagree that this is an issue. My perception is that 1.) I don't really see too many terrible answers 2.) most AskMes don't have such a large number of responses that skimming over few the bad/non responsive ones ruins the experience 3.) sometimes answers which are a bit tangential to the question can... [more]
posted by Larry David Syndrome to MetaTalk on Nov 26 at 3:32 PM
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We might want to have a separate MeTa about who and what an AskMe is for. Yes, we’re trying to arrive at the best answer for the original Asker, but we typically don’t delete the thread once the question has a best answer- it has value to other people. Answers that almost answer the question may be perfect for future... [more]
posted by zamboni to MetaTalk on Nov 27 at 11:50 AM
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[more comments]