If I'm wrong, "Sooooooooryyyyyyyyyy." This behavior needs to be slapped down.

October 20, 2005 3:15 PM

If I'm wrong, "Sooooooooryyyyyyyyyy." This behavior needs to be slapped down.
posted by mystyk to Etiquette/Policy at 3:15 PM (48 comments total)

Only 7 posts and 5 1/2 hours after this post, we get another FPP on the same topic. Big deal, right? Well, making a mistake is one thing, being sarcastically unrepenting is another.
posted by mystyk at 3:15 PM on October 20, 2005

That was pretty bad. The LA freeway one was bad as well where the author admitted she hadn't read the article close enough to realize it wasn't going to be shut down for four hours straight. I think both of those posts should be axed for the reason that posters don't really care enough to put the effort into the post.
posted by dios at 3:26 PM on October 20, 2005

If you want serious non-sarcastic repentance go buy a cattle prod and track down the user...
posted by gsb at 3:30 PM on October 20, 2005

It's dead jim
posted by edgeways at 3:40 PM on October 20, 2005

Maybe it's not sarcasm. I like to imagine that the poster was so wracked with guilt that he jumped off a cliff and typed that out as he fell to his doom.
posted by gigawhat? at 3:43 PM on October 20, 2005

On his new iMPAqT?
posted by mr_crash_davis at 3:49 PM on October 20, 2005

Mom, Billy's making faces at me!

This sort of hair-up-a-gnat's-ass post is what needs to be slapped down, if you ask me.
posted by y2karl at 3:49 PM on October 20, 2005

So, you don't mind the careless double post - it's the sincerity behind the apology that's bugging you?

You know this is a website, right?
posted by 27 at 3:50 PM on October 20, 2005

Eh. I woulda read Semmi's post. Not the other one, so much. The first one just seemed like a newsfilter update of recent (though not tremendously interesting) changes in a story that had been posted here a while ago. Semmi's looked like an academic treatment of it, and something that was going to be a more interesting discussion of the issues.
Just sayin'.
posted by klangklangston at 3:53 PM on October 20, 2005

27, I'm not saying that I like having a double post. I don't. A poster's attitude over a mistake doesn't have any bearing on the fact that a mistake was made, but does have other influence in a community. This is more than just a website, it's our website, and we shape its destiny. If you really don't care about this site, feel free to leave. I'm gonna stick around and try to defend the better things about it.
posted by mystyk at 3:57 PM on October 20, 2005

the poster got a little defensive -- i don't think that calls for "OOOOHHH WWWFFFF SLAPPP DOOOOOOOWNNWNWNWNWN", but hey, I'm a live and let live kinda guy.

unless paul mccartney is involved in any way, of course.

did you know that dude can play like five different instruments?

shit i can barely play the triangle.

speaking of which, anyone want to join my all-triangle-tribute to willie nelson?

we can play some kris kristofferson songs too -- no one will ever notice.
posted by fishfucker at 3:58 PM on October 20, 2005

Semmi's attitude and comment don't bother me too much. I think he/she was just trying to be cute. At least it's an apology, right? It seems he/she really thought that was worth its own post, for some crazy reason.

This, on the other hand, is weird. He posted a site a few months ago and now is posting it again, because it was so well-received the first time. This is the kind of instance where I really have to wonder if flagging does any good. If it's ok for him to do it, is it ok for the rest of us to repost all of our popular ones? And the reason was that the site's been updated. So we can repost links to any site that's been updated? Because that's a lot of sites.
posted by iconomy at 3:59 PM on October 20, 2005

This is more than just a website, it's our website, and we shape its destiny. If you really don't care about this site, feel free to leave. I'm gonna stick around and try to defend the better things about it.

No, actually it's Matt's website and he lets us post here, sets the rules, etc. But if you want to draft up the rules on what's a good apology and what isn't, maybe he'll adopt them.

Or, you could just relax.

As for me, I'll stay either way - but thanks for reminding me that I don't have to read Metafilter if I don't want to.
posted by 27 at 4:04 PM on October 20, 2005

I woulda thought comments like this would've been egregious enough, and flagged often enough, to elict a 'slap down':

"jsavimbi, you're a troll. Trollytrollytroll. I fart in your face."

No such luck. Another day, another batch of tiresome, one-note, you're-with-us-or-against-us agendaposts by insomnia, trout & digaman, all with requisite defensive tone & "nyahhh, i'll post anything i want" tenor. Doesn't matter how many users try to dissuade them; the egos & temptation for pulpit-control are too strong.
posted by dhoyt at 4:06 PM on October 20, 2005

The double post by the same poster is a worse transgression than this one. Sure, the reply was sarcastic but what were you expecting, true repentance? Ha, good luck.

The excuse for the double post is more irritating than the double post. Fresh perspective and the other FPP is just a little ways down? Lame.
posted by fenriq at 4:16 PM on October 20, 2005

This is more than just a website, it's our website community, and we shape its destiny. If you really don't care about this site community, feel free to leave. I'm gonna stick around and try to defend the better things about it.

One person may own the domain name and the server, but nobody owns a community. Without the people (yes, all of them - even the ones we all love to hate), MetaFilter would be just another weblog about cats and scanners.
posted by dg at 4:41 PM on October 20, 2005

That comment brought back happy memories of the early antics of Steve Martin, playing banjo with an arrow through his head while saying "Ex-cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse ME!"
posted by wendell at 4:44 PM on October 20, 2005

One person may own the domain name and the server, but nobody owns a community.

Metafilter is a community in only the most generous sense of the word. And it is owned by one person as far as I know.
posted by 27 at 4:56 PM on October 20, 2005

being sarcastically unrepenting

I see your point but I his comment wasn't that bad. I have seen sarcastically unrepenting around here and it's a lot stronger. semmi disagreed and rolled his eyes a bit. Big deal. This is not high on the list of things that need to be "slapped down."

Well, making a mistake is one thing, being sarcastically unrepenting is another.

It doesn't look like a "mistake." He knew what he was doing and just disagreed that it was wrong. That would seem to me to explain why he didn't just roll over and say "OMG guys I screwed up delete delete!"
posted by scarabic at 5:06 PM on October 20, 2005

No, actually it's Matt's website

Yes, thank you, 27. mystyk, please don't go around managing people's "attitudes," above and beyond their actions, on behalf of everyone here. That kind of policing isn't "the good stuff about the site" you say you want to defend.
posted by scarabic at 5:09 PM on October 20, 2005

Hal Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeergman.

Hal Bergmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan
posted by fixedgear at 5:16 PM on October 20, 2005

Just an idea this; I'll be the first to admit I haven't thought through all the consequences because my mind needs to be elsewhere, but would some kind of posting delay help stop crap like this? Say, a 2-hour delay between when you make your post, and when it appears? If we do that, it might discourage people from trying to post news / breaking news all the time, and if someone does post something that's a double and they notice after they've clicked submit, it might give them a chance to retract their post (either through the site, or through an email to Matt.)

Discuss, in 500 words or more, with references.
posted by Jimbob at 5:25 PM on October 20, 2005

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal Bergman?
posted by cortex at 5:34 PM on October 20, 2005

Semmi was wrong and deserves the slap down. The first thread was dead after 5 1/2 hours? Lame.
posted by caddis at 5:39 PM on October 20, 2005

Another day, another batch of tiresome, one-note, you're-with-us-or-against-us agendaposts

Amen. Again, we need a separate section of the site for news and politics.
posted by LarryC at 6:01 PM on October 20, 2005

This is the kind of instance where I really have to wonder if flagging does any good.

I pulled Brockstar's post and dropped him an email. Must have been the rare case where both mathowie and I were offline for a chunk of the day.
posted by jessamyn at 6:17 PM on October 20, 2005

Jimbob writes "but would some kind of posting delay help stop crap like this? Say, a 2-hour delay between when you make your post, and when it appears? If we do that, it might discourage people from trying to post news / breaking news all the time"

Nah, Instead you'd get 500 newsfilter posts of breaking events in the queue.
posted by Mitheral at 6:29 PM on October 20, 2005

Same-page double-posting needs to be slapped down, as does acting like an ass once you're called on it. The question of whether one is worse than the other doesn't obscure the fact that they're both undesirable behaviors which we as a community should make clear are not welcome here. The more of these that slide, the more we get specious arguments like this, the more this will happen.

Jimbob, your idea is well meant but would only result in many more posts of this nature, since no one would know who had already entered their same story in the queue.

But here's a more radical idea: Anyone who posts the same breaking topic within a 24-hour period gets to take a week off from front-page posting. I know this sounds harsh, but it would help to provide motivation to some people who seem to lack it in terms of checking the Mefi front page and ensuring they're not just pointlessly junking it up.
posted by soyjoy at 6:29 PM on October 20, 2005

I'm joining fishfucker's band.
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:38 PM on October 20, 2005

Must have been the rare case where both mathowie and I were offline for a chunk of the day.

I was so hoping y'all would catch this thread...
posted by Vidiot at 7:37 PM on October 20, 2005

Anyone who posts the same breaking topic within a 24-hour period gets to take a week off from front-page posting.

I like that idea and I'll raise you - if you not only double post on front page, but you are the author of both posts, you get a year off and you have to turn in all your PCs and laptops to MeFi for impounding. That was just gross....
posted by 27 at 8:31 PM on October 20, 2005

[and yeah, I know the post I linked to wasn't on the front page at the same time as the original... but it's only a matter of time. Best we set the guideline up front.]
posted by 27 at 8:33 PM on October 20, 2005

speaking of which, anyone want to join my all-triangle-tribute to willie nelson?

How often are the weed breaks?
posted by If I Had An Anus at 8:46 PM on October 20, 2005

How often are the weed breaks?

well, i figure we'll stop with the bong rips every six hours or so -- i mean, a passed out triangle band ain't that exciting.
posted by fishfucker at 8:54 PM on October 20, 2005

a passed out CIRCLE band, now, that's a different matter.

a different matter indeed.
posted by fishfucker at 8:56 PM on October 20, 2005

"Heeeres Soooooooooyyyyyyyyyyyjoy."
posted by fleacircus at 10:50 PM on October 20, 2005

If I'm wrong, "Sooooooooryyyyyyyyyy."

wow, this upset somebody...when i read it, i automatically heard it in a joanne worley kinda voice, and i imagined its author was friendly and wore bright, bold colors in interesting patterns...a total positive effect, i would say
posted by troybob at 11:19 PM on October 20, 2005

you have a vastly different reaction to joanne worley than I do.
posted by shmegegge at 3:54 AM on October 21, 2005

Joanne Worley scared me! I still think she was an alien.
That said.....
Every time I read this kind of discussion, I'm glad I'm not Matt, and it reaffirms my respect for him for maintaining this site...what a pain in the ass it must be at times.... I would have said the hell with the petty arguments a long time ago, but then I'm a very immature and impulsive type of person!
posted by HuronBob at 6:34 AM on October 21, 2005

i always suspected that matt has coded to take care of that...my suspicion is that when he looks at metafilter he sees something like this:

Xxxxx xxxx xxxx'x xxx xx xxxxx xxxx.

XxxxXxx xx xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxx xxxx.

Metafilter: Xxxxx xxxxxx xxxx xxxxxxxxxxx xxx xxxxx.

xx xxxxx xxx xxx xx.

Xxxxxxxxxx xxx xxx xxxxxx Matt xxxx xxxxxxx xxx xxx.

MetaTalk!

Xxxxx xxx xxxxxxx xx.
posted by troybob at 8:56 AM on October 21, 2005

Metafilter: what a pain in the ass it must be at times...
posted by cortex at 9:17 AM on October 21, 2005

Metafilter: Xxxxx xxxxxx xxxx xxxxxxxxxxx xxx xxxxx.
posted by cortex at 9:18 AM on October 21, 2005

Heh. troybob, I don't know if that was meant to be reminiscent of the famous "What Dogs Hear" Far Side cartoon, but it reminded me that to this day that when I'm at the grocery store looking for a certain root spice I inevitably find myself saying "Blah blah blah blah GINGER blah blah blah GINGER!"
posted by soyjoy at 9:57 AM on October 21, 2005

I love that cartoon, soyjoy; one of the best ever.
posted by taz at 10:13 AM on October 21, 2005

I like the addendum to that cartoon. "What Cats Hear", too.
posted by sciurus at 10:23 AM on October 21, 2005

i imagine that much of what i say is stolen from far side cartoons!
posted by troybob at 12:49 PM on October 21, 2005

Xxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxx x xxxxxxxxxxx.

Xxxx xxxxxx JRUN xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx. Xxxxxx xxxxxx.

Coldfusin xxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxxxxx.

Xxxxxxx xxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxx xxxxxxxx Quonsar xxxxx.
posted by shmegegge at 6:29 PM on October 21, 2005

Christine: Bull, an anglophile is someone who's fascinated by the British!
Bull: Ohhh. I thought it was someone who liked to put liverwurst down their pants and look at pictures of JoAnn Worley. What do you call them?
Roz: A Worley-bird.

(No point; just thought it was funny.)
posted by evilcolonel at 12:22 AM on October 23, 2005