Where does the via go?

March 10, 2007 3:58 AM

Dear Mefi. What is the proper etiquette for the [via]? Some go inside, others on the front.
posted by dabitch to Etiquette/Policy at 3:58 AM (27 comments total)

I had a ball at the first via site shown which I'd never seen before, so I thought, why not give them some link-love on the front page? Hence the Q. I did search so if this has been asked before can someone please wipe the egg off my face
posted by dabitch at 3:59 AM on March 10, 2007

I think the on the front usage is much more common than the inside usage, so if meaning is use, I'd say front.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 4:11 AM on March 10, 2007

I don't think it really matters. Inside, outside, or not at all. It's up to you.
posted by Dave Faris at 4:23 AM on March 10, 2007

Q: What is the proper etiquette for the [via]?
A: Some go inside, others on the front.
posted by Plutor at 4:46 AM on March 10, 2007

Hell, I'm just happy whenever I see one at all. But if the goal is to help out a cool site that turned you on to something interesting (and who wouldn't want to do that?), then putting the [via] on the front page would catch more eyeballs.
posted by mediareport at 5:56 AM on March 10, 2007

Definitely the front. You're acknowledging that they found it first.They will also get the maximum clickage through the front page (quite why that is important, I've yet to work out, unless there's some advertising involved). On another note: I come across and sometimes post sites through blindly clicking foreign language sites (I only speak english). Should I [via] those non-english sites?
posted by tellurian at 6:32 AM on March 10, 2007

Should I [via] those non-english sites?

Sure. What, they don't deserve credit because they're not in English? And some of us, you know, read foreign languages.
posted by languagehat at 6:54 AM on March 10, 2007

Вы любимейший язык всасываете.
posted by Plutor at 7:14 AM on March 10, 2007

Jesus said, "ego sum via, veritas et vita". In other words, all posts cometh from THE LORD. If you want to give a big "word-out" to your blogspots or webstains or whatever, you're simply fooling yourself - and diluting this site's moral fabric.

The [lord inside] tag is also woefully misused.
posted by the quidnunc kid at 7:26 AM on March 10, 2007 [1 favorite]

What, they don't deserve credit because they're not in English
Absolutely not. They deserve total credit.
languagehat, It's not because they're not in English, It's because I don't know what I'm linking [via]ing to. For example, I got this post from a (to me) foreign language site. I thought the link was interesting but I don't know anything about the site I got it from because it was in a foreign language. I am reluctant to [via] a site when I don't know what it says.
posted by tellurian at 7:37 AM on March 10, 2007

I don't know what languages you're going through, but generally a google translate or babelfish, etc, would probably let you know if it was some kind of hate site or whatever, I think (assuming that's what you're worrying about).
posted by jacalata at 7:57 AM on March 10, 2007

front, unless you forget, then stick it inside later
posted by caddis at 8:07 AM on March 10, 2007

I'd go with the Mullet Principle: Business in the front, party in the back.
posted by wendell at 9:39 AM on March 10, 2007 [1 favorite]

Why not go crazy, and develop your individual fashion of way-out posting?
posted by nanojath at 9:49 AM on March 10, 2007

all posts cometh from THE LORD

I pronounce that "drew curtis" but whatever
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 10:29 AM on March 10, 2007

languagehat, It's not because they're not in English, It's because I don't know what I'm linking [via]ing to.

Ah, sorry. I guess that's a valid concern. But yeah, you could try Babelfishing the sucker.
posted by languagehat at 10:38 AM on March 10, 2007

I always give a front page 'via' when I've found something at another blog because 1) if someone finds the post interesting, chances are they'll enjoy the original site, and 2) it just seems like the polite thing to do. OTOH, those 'You forgot to via' call-outs get on my nerves. It's up to the poster.
posted by maryh at 10:54 AM on March 10, 2007

This is a huge deal, and if you mistakenly put the via in the wrong place, I am personally going to call you out for it.

but yeah, I don't think there's anything wrong with either, and if you want more eyeballs on your via link for altruistic reasons, then the front is more likely to serve that purpose.

boo yah.
posted by shmegegge at 11:02 AM on March 10, 2007

I vote for outside and I think it's a nice courtesy, particularly for smaller, more out-of-the-way blogs, but I also think it should be optional. Just say no to the via police!
posted by madamjujujive at 11:22 AM on March 10, 2007

Can we delineate some consequences for not following the correct procedure?
posted by redhanrahan at 11:32 AM on March 10, 2007

via con dios.
posted by Dave Faris at 2:00 PM on March 10, 2007

so, a via goes wherever you want it to go? Okay, that settles it. ;) Cheers! (though I think front page lurve should be encoraged, so that's my vote.)
posted by dabitch at 3:59 PM on March 10, 2007

[via] is just a sneaky way of getting your favorite blog on the front page of Metafilter.
posted by gwint at 4:34 PM on March 10, 2007

I'd use the via tag if I ever actually found anything interesting via another blog, but 99% of my front page posts have come out of left nowhere. If I did use it, I'd stick it on my pants.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 8:58 PM on March 10, 2007

My next post will be tagged "via grapefruitmoon's pants" regardless of its actual provenance.
posted by cgc373 at 9:15 PM on March 10, 2007

Some go inside, others on the front.

Just like gay sex.
posted by frecklefaerie at 9:23 PM on March 10, 2007

Poker in the front. Liquor in the rear.

Or was that liquor in the front and poker in the rear?

No wonder I'm so confused.
posted by loquacious at 10:51 PM on March 10, 2007