Repeated posts in RSS

September 7, 2006 4:03 AM

I've been seeing something strange on metafilter, for quite some time now. Posts from certain people appear over and over again in my RSS feed (about once an hour). I would think this was a flaw in my RSS reader (which is intraVnews, btw), but it is always the posts of the same small set of users. It seems to not be an effect on all posts, or on a random selection of posts, but on all posts from a very few posters (whose names I'll withhold as not to sound accusatory).

So, is this a spamming effort being effected by some users? For instance, if one were to periodically edit ones own posts, could one achieve the effect of getting into the RSS feed over and over? Or perhaps there's some other trick. I've corresponded with jessamyn on this, and probably been a pain (sorry). She recommended I contact mathowie (who I imagine reads this) and metatalk.
posted by re6smith to Bugs at 4:03 AM (31 comments total)

You can't edit your own posts. Your RSS reader is broken (I write one myself, and this bug is quite easy to do). Get a new one.
posted by cillit bang at 4:25 AM on September 7, 2006

I find it rather funny that when asking a question about posts appearing over and over it ends up being double posted. hehe
posted by Stunt at 4:47 AM on September 7, 2006

One of the things that I've mentioned, but it bears repeating here is that users can't edit their own posts. mathowie and I can edit posts -- as I did here to remove a tonof whitespace -- but we rarely ever do it. I tried making a few test edits to some FPPs to see if it was the act of editing that made them show up again in the RSS reader, since I've seen that happen sometimes with my RSS reader, but that didn't seem to be the problem.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 5:04 AM on September 7, 2006

And they Americans don't appreciate irony (sorry for the double post).

Perhaps it is my RSS reader. But, honestly, it happens with one mefites posts in particular virtually all the time!

Why, oh why!?!

R.
posted by re6smith at 5:11 AM on September 7, 2006

BTW, since it seems clear that it's not something the poster is doing, I'll say who it is, without any hint of accusation.

matteo's posts always appear about once an hour in my RSS feed. I get this effect with a few other mefites, but matteo is certainly the most notable.

I could understand a random selection of posts repeating, or all posts repeating, but all the posts of a *particular poster*!

Again, I cry, oh why oh why?!?
posted by re6smith at 5:15 AM on September 7, 2006

Also, I'm not sure what's going on on your end, but you posted this, at last count, three times to MetaTalk. This strongly implies to me that you have some sort of issue on your end that affects upstream and downstream traffic. Do you have some sort of internet connection that does a lot of caching?
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 5:22 AM on September 7, 2006

No, I posted it several times because I'm an idiot! I had a dodgy connection at a cafe, and each time I refreshed it I happened to have the posting page open, and did a postdata refresh. So, the two problems aren't related.

Sorry for clouding the waters!!!

Yes, I'm both a pain, and an idiot, but the problem I posted about really is real, I swear.

R.
posted by re6smith at 5:38 AM on September 7, 2006

Try another RSS reader and see if the problem persists.

H.
posted by handee at 5:58 AM on September 7, 2006

Oooookay, next time I see the repeated post problem, I'll try another reader.

Just to check: has anyone else noticed this problem with matteo's posts in particular. If not, I suppose I'll just have to assume that it's some sort of bizzare effect in my RSS reader.

But it feels like a pretty inadequate explanation, given the symptoms.

R.
Not crazy.
posted by re6smith at 6:02 AM on September 7, 2006

Also, you don't need to sign your initials at the end of each comment. Your nickname (including the first letter!) is right there for us to all see.

TL.
posted by grouse at 6:13 AM on September 7, 2006 [1 favorite]

Well, I can tell you that in Bloglines, I never see repeated posts in my MeFi RSS feeds. So it is almost certainly your RSS reader.
posted by antifuse at 6:21 AM on September 7, 2006

I haven't seen that with matteo (or anyone else) in my RSS reader, Sage.
posted by Bugbread at 6:23 AM on September 7, 2006

im in ur RSS feed feedin ur feed

matteo
posted by languagehat at 6:25 AM on September 7, 2006 [2 favorites]

it feels like a pretty inadequate explanation, given the symptoms ... Not crazy.

No one thinks you're crazy, they think you're not troubleshooting this effectively. Please try another RSS reader and see if this effect persists.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:32 AM on September 7, 2006

jessamyn writes "No one thinks you're crazy"

Well I do, but I'm like that.
posted by OmieWise at 6:42 AM on September 7, 2006

That effing matteo ... he haunts all of us.
posted by crunchland at 6:47 AM on September 7, 2006

matteo! that thrice-post'd devil!
matteo! abuser of feed readers!
matteo! matteo! matteo!
posted by cortex at 7:34 AM on September 7, 2006

We have always been at war with matteo.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 8:16 AM on September 7, 2006

Ooookay, step away from the thread. Nothing to see hear.

I was trying to find out if anyone had had similar experiences, and found out. I did a crap job otherwise (mea culpa).

Thanks, I'll try another RSS reader. And no offense intended, matteo.

R.
(that time it was just an initial to piss of a pedant)
posted by re6smith at 8:40 AM on September 7, 2006

You mean piss off a pedant?
posted by 31d1 at 8:53 AM on September 7, 2006 [1 favorite]

I also meant "here" instead of "hear".

If you're going to be pedantic, at least be thorough.
posted by re6smith at 8:54 AM on September 7, 2006

About once every hour Mateo appears ON my computer screen like the Virgin Mary on a tortilla and holds a round table on Bresson's refusal to use titles or music that isn't seen to be playing in shot and the implications for the denial of the fourth wall, I've been meaning to complain about it to Jessamyn but quonsar has possesed my gmail account again and every email I send ends up being a picture of a two rats fucking in a wool sock, if any of you pedants can take five minutes from your I'm in ur moms making ur new half-brother posts I'd love an explaination and possible patch.


THXNADVNC

Wino

(Damn FUCKING Crazy)
posted by Divine_Wino at 9:15 AM on September 7, 2006 [2 favorites]

Good point about Bresson.
posted by Falconetti at 9:43 AM on September 7, 2006

Sadly, that joke is my most successful use of my degree in film to date.
posted by Divine_Wino at 9:53 AM on September 7, 2006 [1 favorite]

film degree lol

*goes back to doing work at job unrelated to CS degree*
posted by cortex at 1:21 PM on September 7, 2006

I'm not really pissed off, sorry. But I am a pedant.

T. L.
posted by grouse at 1:48 PM on September 7, 2006

I vote for crazy.

T. I. T.
posted by timeistight at 3:26 PM on September 7, 2006

Don't mind if I do!
posted by grouse at 3:41 PM on September 7, 2006

Also, you don't need to sign your initials at the end of each comment. Your nickname (including the first letter!) is right there for us to all see.

Sidebar: once upon a time I used to end every post I made anywhere with:

THEY CALL ME PASTABAGEL
posted by Pastabagel at 8:23 PM on September 7, 2006

I thought they called it puppy love?
posted by arto at 10:59 PM on September 7, 2006

No one thinks you're crazy, ...,/i>
Actually, everyone but jessamyn thinks you're crazy.

x
posted by dg at 8:04 PM on September 10, 2006