Contacts restrictions

November 1, 2006 7:28 AM

I am wondering about the use of radio buttons vs. checkboxes in the "add contacts" page.
posted by Meatbomb to Feature Requests at 7:28 AM (25 comments total)

Why is it that a fellow Mefite can be both a co-worker and colleague, but must be (exclusively) either a child, parent, sibling or spouse? On a number of occasions I have had to make difficult choices. This is a community, right? I don't understand why we can't just let it all hang out.

Most Mefites I wish to link to, just for example, are both siblings and children. Can we not celebrate the differences? Do we always need to fit into tidy radiobuttons? Can't we celebrate the freedom of mutually applicable checkboxes?
posted by Meatbomb at 7:28 AM on November 1, 2006

...
posted by cortex at 7:39 AM on November 1, 2006

I still miss the freeform contact entry box. Why can't I mark a contact as "nemesis"?
posted by monju_bosatsu at 7:51 AM on November 1, 2006

I know, I know, it's not in the spec.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 7:52 AM on November 1, 2006

If all men were brothers, would you let one contact your username?
posted by languagehat at 7:56 AM on November 1, 2006

I have no siblings, and I would like to mark my father's grandson's father as a contact. OH MY GOD THAT IS ME
posted by brain_drain at 8:04 AM on November 1, 2006

yes, brain_drain, that is exactly the injusice I am fighting against here.
posted by Meatbomb at 8:08 AM on November 1, 2006

You're a sick woman, Mrs. Mulwray.
posted by Armitage Shanks at 8:16 AM on November 1, 2006

Are you this guy?
posted by educatedslacker at 8:21 AM on November 1, 2006

XFN is ridiculous. It has probably the most restrictive choices and least intuitive choices possible, and it's been stagnant for like a decade. There's absolutely no reason to stick to it.

Also, Meatbomb, to actually answer your question, the point isn't to describe the person who will be your contact, but rather to describe your relationship to them. Only put "child" and "sibling" if the contact is your child and your sibling.
posted by Plutor at 8:41 AM on November 1, 2006

Plutor, I think Meatbomb was being silly and implying precisely that sort of complicated "my sister, my lover" situation.
posted by cortex at 8:46 AM on November 1, 2006

Agreed, plutor. I've occasionally thought "XFN has no relationship for how I feel towards this person", mostly when I'm boiling with Tourettish internet-rage.

I think relationships should get tag clouded up a notch.
posted by boo_radley at 8:53 AM on November 1, 2006

Although I see that XFN can account for sock-puppets in a clever way:
identity

me

A link to yourself at a different URL. Exclusive of all other XFN values. Required symmetric. There is an implicit "me" relation from a subdirectory to all of its contents.

posted by boo_radley at 8:56 AM on November 1, 2006

Meatbomb, do want to go to the timeout corner again?
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:13 AM on November 1, 2006

I suddenly have the urge to get my wallet out and re-enact the whole "I am my own grandfather" song through the artistic medium of MeFi user contacts.
posted by chrismear at 9:19 AM on November 1, 2006

...precisely that sort of complicated "my sister, my lover" situation.

About two-thirds of the complete set of checkbox permutations are possible.
posted by StickyCarpet at 9:20 AM on November 1, 2006

both siblings and children.

I guess this proves meatbomb is a motherfucker.
posted by If I Had An Anus at 9:36 AM on November 1, 2006

Meatbomb, do want to go to the timeout corner again?

Someone wants a blowwwwwwjob.
posted by Rumple at 9:47 AM on November 1, 2006

Meatbomb, do want to go to the timeout corner again?

I'll pull this car over right now! No radio buttons, no checkboxes, nadda! I'm serious!

Disclaimer: I have no idea what he did to get timed out in the first place
posted by prostyle at 9:59 AM on November 1, 2006

I have no idea what he did to get timed out in the first place
Treaty of Ghent + Treaty of This + Treaty of That, all pasted in their entirety into a thread.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 11:21 AM on November 1, 2006

Meatbomb bombs metafilter
posted by boo_radley at 12:12 PM on November 1, 2006

Huh, I had actually read both threads shortly after they were posted but I had assumed nothing came of it due to it being a double and all. Thanks for the heads up.
posted by prostyle at 12:22 PM on November 1, 2006

Meatbomb: You're just doing this to rile mediareport, yes?
posted by gigawhat? at 1:16 PM on November 1, 2006

*yawns, stretches, raises head*

Is he still at it?

Told ya. Getting temp-banned has really gone to his head in a strange way. I don't think I've ever seen it so obvious before, but right now he seems to be pushing the limits of the site in every way he can think of. I give it, oh, 5 days before he gets banned permanently.

*lowers head, goes back to sleep*
posted by mediareport at 7:53 PM on November 1, 2006

Who is meatbomb?
posted by The God Complex at 1:09 AM on November 2, 2006