Can you comment on my first metafilter post? July 3, 2007 5:26 PM Subscribe
A few days ago, I made my very first post to Metafilter, giving links to several different kinds of interactive film. It didn't get deleted, but there was almost no response. Was the topic just that boring? Or could I have done better in my post? Suggestions welcome.
because "i'm porking the barrista" sounds hipper and more sohpisticated than "i'm porking the waitress".
posted by quonsar at 5:29 PM on July 3, 2007 [4 favorites]
posted by quonsar at 5:29 PM on July 3, 2007 [4 favorites]
Most of the best posts get fewer comments, usually.
posted by puke & cry at 5:31 PM on July 3, 2007
posted by puke & cry at 5:31 PM on July 3, 2007
Just keep doing what you did. Sometimes a post strikes a nerve, sometimes it bombs. I've been pretty surprised which of my posts got attention and which didn't. Some dodn't get any attention for a day or two, then start collecting favorites faster than an otaku collects figureines.
posted by lekvar at 5:33 PM on July 3, 2007
posted by lekvar at 5:33 PM on July 3, 2007
If you want comments, it's usually good to:
a) post about Bush
b) post about one of the lesser demons (Cheney, Wolfowitz, Rummey, Paris Hilton)
c) post about Iraq or Gitmo
d) structure your post so that it will provoke a response (though this should not be confused with trolling)
As well, your post was a little hard to digest. It was too dense, with too much jargon. It's helpful to include a summary sentence at the beginning, so people can easily grab context and jump right in.
posted by KokuRyu at 5:37 PM on July 3, 2007
a) post about Bush
b) post about one of the lesser demons (Cheney, Wolfowitz, Rummey, Paris Hilton)
c) post about Iraq or Gitmo
d) structure your post so that it will provoke a response (though this should not be confused with trolling)
As well, your post was a little hard to digest. It was too dense, with too much jargon. It's helpful to include a summary sentence at the beginning, so people can easily grab context and jump right in.
posted by KokuRyu at 5:37 PM on July 3, 2007
go chase down the attractive barrista you've had your eye on for awhile.
Wait, how did you....!
Thanks for the suggestion, KokuRyu. I was probably a bit too worried about keeping it concise.
posted by honest knave at 5:38 PM on July 3, 2007
Wait, how did you....!
Thanks for the suggestion, KokuRyu. I was probably a bit too worried about keeping it concise.
posted by honest knave at 5:38 PM on July 3, 2007
Not sure why people didn't respond. FWIW, I've found that the most well-received fpps I've done have been the ones that either told a concise story or had a very clear theme. Good to word stuff so that the people who might be interested are drawn in quicker. People seem to be happiest when they feel you're showing them something unique & they don't have to sift through too much to understand the post's point. If it's too much work, they'll skip it.
posted by miss lynnster at 5:41 PM on July 3, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by miss lynnster at 5:41 PM on July 3, 2007 [1 favorite]
And what everyone else said. Comments really don't equal quality.
posted by miss lynnster at 5:43 PM on July 3, 2007
posted by miss lynnster at 5:43 PM on July 3, 2007
I thought your post was good. KokoRyu's advice is good. I'd also suggest not treating it like Wikipedia. You don't have to make every proper noun a link, people will dig deeper if the subject interests them and sometimes having a bunch of links makes people not know which is the main link and so they skim or skip it. However, your post was fine and this is just a small suggestion and it's possible that writing the post differently wouldn't get any more comments or favorites. People are fickle.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 5:43 PM on July 3, 2007
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 5:43 PM on July 3, 2007
You don't have to make every proper noun a link, people will dig deeper if the subject interests them and sometimes having a bunch of links makes people not know which is the main link and so they skim or skip it.
I hate it when posts have too many links. Or those posters who link to every single letter of every single word...
posted by KokuRyu at 5:45 PM on July 3, 2007 [1 favorite]
I hate it when posts have too many links. Or those posters who link to every single letter of every single word...
posted by KokuRyu at 5:45 PM on July 3, 2007 [1 favorite]
I agree with what everyone's said, comments count does not reflect on the quality of material. On MeFi something as crap as "OMG Steve Jobs sneezed" would get way more comments than a lot of really informative and mind expanding posts.
posted by riffola at 5:46 PM on July 3, 2007
posted by riffola at 5:46 PM on July 3, 2007
My suggestion: post about Poop. The MeFi crowd is just plain crazy for poop.
posted by five fresh fish at 5:53 PM on July 3, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by five fresh fish at 5:53 PM on July 3, 2007 [1 favorite]
Don't beanplate the FPP.
I once referred to the people who read a post without commenting as "the silent majority." (This was mistaken to mean "the silent majority" = "people who agree with me," but anyway...) I have had FPPs favorited several times before any comments were even made.
Yes, it is disappointing to spend a lot of time crafting a FPP and then not get a lot of comments. That's a natural reaction. But, many crappy posts get lots of comments, and many excellent posts get few. Don't worry about it. Keep posting.
posted by The Deej at 5:57 PM on July 3, 2007
I once referred to the people who read a post without commenting as "the silent majority." (This was mistaken to mean "the silent majority" = "people who agree with me," but anyway...) I have had FPPs favorited several times before any comments were even made.
Yes, it is disappointing to spend a lot of time crafting a FPP and then not get a lot of comments. That's a natural reaction. But, many crappy posts get lots of comments, and many excellent posts get few. Don't worry about it. Keep posting.
posted by The Deej at 5:57 PM on July 3, 2007
If you want honest criticism, yours is exactly the kind of post I skip over, since it's not obvious which link I need to click to figure out what you're on about.
posted by cillit bang at 6:09 PM on July 3, 2007 [2 favorites]
posted by cillit bang at 6:09 PM on July 3, 2007 [2 favorites]
Needs more cowbell.
posted by Roger Dodger at 6:11 PM on July 3, 2007
posted by Roger Dodger at 6:11 PM on July 3, 2007
Posting in order to inspire comments is known as "trolling".
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 6:18 PM on July 3, 2007
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 6:18 PM on July 3, 2007
What Deej said. One post I was incredibly proud of and spent ages crafting received very few comments and that was very disappointing personally. But then another post I spent like 5 minutes composing ends up winning a Wii. The lesson here is that you can't really predict what the Metafilter hordes will like, loathe or ignore*. All you can do is put up your best and then watch the results.
I think this MeTa thread smells a little of "please look at my post and maybe even favourite it please" although I am sure, given your n00b status, that that wasn't your intention. My suggestion instead is for you to stick the posts you'd like people to look at that you feel were underappreciated on your user page, as I have (scroll down and check out my 'Posts of Which I'm Proud' section). This way it doesn’t feel like you're begging for attention and directs people who are interested in your future contributions to what you'd really like them to see.
*Unless, as KokoRyu has said, you deliberately make posts that push known Metafilter buttons. But that's the sort of shit you leave to your sockpuppet.**
** Not that you should own a sockpuppet, since that's also frowned upon, but they're handy to have around when you're planning on pushing that big blue button labelled 'DO NOT PUSH'.
posted by Effigy2000 at 6:26 PM on July 3, 2007 [1 favorite]
I think this MeTa thread smells a little of "please look at my post and maybe even favourite it please" although I am sure, given your n00b status, that that wasn't your intention. My suggestion instead is for you to stick the posts you'd like people to look at that you feel were underappreciated on your user page, as I have (scroll down and check out my 'Posts of Which I'm Proud' section). This way it doesn’t feel like you're begging for attention and directs people who are interested in your future contributions to what you'd really like them to see.
*Unless, as KokoRyu has said, you deliberately make posts that push known Metafilter buttons. But that's the sort of shit you leave to your sockpuppet.**
** Not that you should own a sockpuppet, since that's also frowned upon, but they're handy to have around when you're planning on pushing that big blue button labelled 'DO NOT PUSH'.
posted by Effigy2000 at 6:26 PM on July 3, 2007 [1 favorite]
You made that post at 9pm EDT on a Saturday. The middle of the night where you live, on a weekend. Consider how many comments a post made midday Monday gets and the number of eyeballs piling on the front page of MetaFilter at that time. There are many fewer eyeballs on the weekend in general, moreso in the middle of the Occidental night. I'm your audience then, but even I get out and get down on the rare occasion. Thus few comments.
posted by carsonb at 6:36 PM on July 3, 2007
posted by carsonb at 6:36 PM on July 3, 2007
Yeah, what OmieWise said (check his posting history, for real). And carsonb too. If you're hustling for eyeballs, aim for the US east coast caffeine dip - if you're aiming for quality, write your post and be done with it. Some of my posts I've been most happy with have garnered less than 10 comments; some of the better-commented ones were crap in retrospect, or were deleted outright.
In short, I'd say you're doing fine.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:55 PM on July 3, 2007
In short, I'd say you're doing fine.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:55 PM on July 3, 2007
Let's take this opportunity to pay homage to the patron saint of the comment-light post, the incredible Jim Jones.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 7:03 PM on July 3, 2007
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 7:03 PM on July 3, 2007
What the hell, Jim is gone? I bought that man his account. I WANT MY $5 BACK!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:20 PM on July 3, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:20 PM on July 3, 2007 [1 favorite]
Since you're asking for criticism, I think the post was a bit was a bit too diffuse and could have done with some pruning.
I'm not really fan of the plastic.com (is that site even still around?) style -- the mini-essay, followed by topic for discussion phrased as a question.
But it was hardly a bad post.
posted by empath at 7:20 PM on July 3, 2007
I'm not really fan of the plastic.com (is that site even still around?) style -- the mini-essay, followed by topic for discussion phrased as a question.
But it was hardly a bad post.
posted by empath at 7:20 PM on July 3, 2007
What Deej said. One post I was incredibly proud of and spent ages crafting received very few comments and that was very disappointing personally. But then another post I spent like 5 minutes composing ends up winning a Wii. The lesson here is that you can't really predict what the Metafilter hordes will like, loathe or ignore*. All you can do is put up your best and then watch the results.
Same here -- I mean, I didn't win a wii but I had a post I agonized over, which got relatively few comments and one I threw together in fifteen minutes that consisted of one link and a quote that attracted dozens of comments.
MeFites are fickle and unpredictable. What can you do?
posted by jason's_planet at 7:27 PM on July 3, 2007
Same here -- I mean, I didn't win a wii but I had a post I agonized over, which got relatively few comments and one I threw together in fifteen minutes that consisted of one link and a quote that attracted dozens of comments.
MeFites are fickle and unpredictable. What can you do?
posted by jason's_planet at 7:27 PM on July 3, 2007
Paris Hilton in amateur porn!!! In Emmy-winning Paris Hilton in amateur porn!!!, as in other films by Paris Hilton, viewers' votes determine the next episode. Other films invite more personal interaction. In Paris Hilton in amateur porn!!! viewers interview suspects. In the BBC's Keeley Hazell in amateur porn!!! (produced by The Sun), characters seek viewers' advice. [Much More Deep Inside]
There, I've rewritten it for you. That will get you a buttload of comments, for sure.
posted by googly at 7:39 PM on July 3, 2007
There, I've rewritten it for you. That will get you a buttload of comments, for sure.
posted by googly at 7:39 PM on July 3, 2007
I liked the post, it was interesting, but I had nothing intelligent to add in the way of a comment. It happens sometimes.
posted by deern the headlice at 7:46 PM on July 3, 2007
posted by deern the headlice at 7:46 PM on July 3, 2007
But seriously. As others have said, (lack of) quantity of comments is not indicative of (lack of) quality of post. My first post got all of 6 comments, 5 of which said it was excellent. My small consolation is that that ratio is inestimably better than posts that get 300 comments, none of which comment onthe quality of the post.
posted by googly at 7:46 PM on July 3, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by googly at 7:46 PM on July 3, 2007 [1 favorite]
crankyfilter: usage of "!= " is to be deprecated except in a real program. No, we are not all just bots, well, most of us are not, and I am not saying whether I speak for myself or not.
posted by caddis at 8:00 PM on July 3, 2007
posted by caddis at 8:00 PM on July 3, 2007
Hell, my first post also got only six comments. It was a total crap single-link to a local news story that played to all the worst stereotypes of what MetaFilter would "like" while mentioning as many in-jokes as possible to prove that I knew what I was doing, and I'm still embarassed I did it.
On the other hand, all six commenters were, and still are, well-respected active members of the community.
On the other other hand, I count at least three typos in those imminent six commenters' comments.
posted by yhbc at 8:10 PM on July 3, 2007
On the other hand, all six commenters were, and still are, well-respected active members of the community.
On the other other hand, I count at least three typos in those imminent six commenters' comments.
posted by yhbc at 8:10 PM on July 3, 2007
I also didn't really get what it was all about but it took me 2 reads of the NYT article (I'm tired) before I kind had a better idea about it all. I would probably have phrased it as below but even then, as everyone is saying: audience fickle, commentary not good metric, you did well, don't take it personally.
**The emerging genre of video drama serials for broadband users combines innovative production styles and varied audience participation. The cliffhanger series Satacracy88 (from itsallinyourhands), where viewers vote on future plotlines, received the first ever Emmy award this month for a broadband show. In Mystery at Mansfield Manor, viewers get to interview suspects, while characters are able to seek advice from viewers in Wannabes (BBC) [more inside: hypervideo history]**
posted by peacay at 8:18 PM on July 3, 2007
**The emerging genre of video drama serials for broadband users combines innovative production styles and varied audience participation. The cliffhanger series Satacracy88 (from itsallinyourhands), where viewers vote on future plotlines, received the first ever Emmy award this month for a broadband show. In Mystery at Mansfield Manor, viewers get to interview suspects, while characters are able to seek advice from viewers in Wannabes (BBC) [more inside: hypervideo history]**
posted by peacay at 8:18 PM on July 3, 2007
My first post had five comments. One was from mathowie and one was from me.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:20 PM on July 3, 2007
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:20 PM on July 3, 2007
Yeah? Well my second post only had three comments - two were from me, and the other was from MiguelCardoso! Top THAT, librarian!
* struts, with aggressive chin-bobbing and eye-rolling *
posted by yhbc at 8:33 PM on July 3, 2007
* struts, with aggressive chin-bobbing and eye-rolling *
posted by yhbc at 8:33 PM on July 3, 2007
The criterion of my Metafilter posting history, Cum vs. Moisturizer, received 20 comments.
posted by Stan Chin at 9:06 PM on July 3, 2007
posted by Stan Chin at 9:06 PM on July 3, 2007
One key to getting a lot of comments seems to be having a subject that many people can relate to, and have opinions or persional stories about without even reading the links.
Cats. Bottled water. Politics. Sex (sometimes). Houses. Design.
*Begins crafting FPP about bottled water for cats owned by polititians having sex in oddly-designed houses.*
posted by The Deej at 9:12 PM on July 3, 2007
Cats. Bottled water. Politics. Sex (sometimes). Houses. Design.
*Begins crafting FPP about bottled water for cats owned by polititians having sex in oddly-designed houses.*
posted by The Deej at 9:12 PM on July 3, 2007
And a post with the lead-in of "Pictures of Fat Kid eating 16 Patty In-n-Out cheeseburger." received 126 comments. In which, member y6y6y6 noted:
But it's Stan. And everyone loves him because he's so clever. So we don't mind him posting links that would get deleted if they came from anyone else.
So, it helps to be me.
posted by Stan Chin at 9:12 PM on July 3, 2007
But it's Stan. And everyone loves him because he's so clever. So we don't mind him posting links that would get deleted if they came from anyone else.
So, it helps to be me.
posted by Stan Chin at 9:12 PM on July 3, 2007
Apparently. Also, lolxians posts are apparently no longer welcome. Which explains why the tag is so woefully underpopulated.
posted by mock at 9:35 PM on July 3, 2007
posted by mock at 9:35 PM on July 3, 2007
They're all wrong. It's because you didn't end it with
"Discuss."
ALWAYS DO THIS
posted by George_Spiggott at 10:25 PM on July 3, 2007
"Discuss."
ALWAYS DO THIS
posted by George_Spiggott at 10:25 PM on July 3, 2007
I'm experienced in the green but still a newbie in the blue. What I thought was a minor FPP in the blue today, with one link to an interesting article (the bottled water post), got 100+ responses in its first five hours. Many of them are tangential bickering, but, as The Deej points out, the main lesson is that tons of people will jump in with opinions if the post is on an everyday, relateable topic.
I'll say this: it's easy to feel like you should take mefi *seriously* because it can be such an excellent & rich info source for your questions... but don't take it *personally*. The only times my threads have been really derailed, it's been someone taking them oddly personally or operating with a personal agenda/attitude. Mefi is full of excitingly smart people, but even smart people do really silly things.
posted by allterrainbrain at 10:33 PM on July 3, 2007
I'll say this: it's easy to feel like you should take mefi *seriously* because it can be such an excellent & rich info source for your questions... but don't take it *personally*. The only times my threads have been really derailed, it's been someone taking them oddly personally or operating with a personal agenda/attitude. Mefi is full of excitingly smart people, but even smart people do really silly things.
posted by allterrainbrain at 10:33 PM on July 3, 2007
It was a good post, honest knave. You seem to have the right idea. My first post was a one-link super-accessible but kind of crappy thing and scored all of 14 comments, 3 of 'em my own. I'd trade you in a second.
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:34 PM on July 3, 2007
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:34 PM on July 3, 2007
I am displeased that my last post received only 13 comments, three of which were mine. All of you who didn't comment there are jerx, and I've opted you all in for Wendell's mailing list.
This hurts you worse than it hurts me.
posted by taz at 11:02 PM on July 3, 2007
This hurts you worse than it hurts me.
posted by taz at 11:02 PM on July 3, 2007
I think I didn't even see the post.
Could you use the blink tag on the next one?
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:58 AM on July 4, 2007
Could you use the blink tag on the next one?
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:58 AM on July 4, 2007
I'll say this: it's easy to feel like you should take mefi *seriously* because it can be such an excellent & rich info source for your questions... but don't take it *personally*.
Good call. I must admit, it was really exciting to think, "wow. I have something to post about, *and* I have the time to do it", hence writing it up on the spot, in the middle of the night.
cortex: thanks for the encouragement.
posted by honest knave at 1:26 AM on July 4, 2007
Good call. I must admit, it was really exciting to think, "wow. I have something to post about, *and* I have the time to do it", hence writing it up on the spot, in the middle of the night.
cortex: thanks for the encouragement.
posted by honest knave at 1:26 AM on July 4, 2007
Yours was a good post in terms of the linked material, which is the only thing that's really, really important. It could have been better presented, making it more clear what the link was about. You do want people to notice a post and be able to tell that they want to follow the link, after all.
But comments should have nothing to do with either your desire to post or your selection of what to post or your presentations of your post. There's a lot of value in MeFi's discussion, it does arguably make the site what it is, but pandering to discussion will undermine the reasons why discussion participants come here in the first place. Pandering to discussion will make crappy posts, make the discussion more predictable and similar to other discussion on the web, and eventually ruin MetaFilter. We may be smart people with interesting things to say, but without good material to work from in the form of good links in posts, our discussion is as tedious and annoying as that of sites that are far lower quality than MetaFilter.
“If you want comments, it's usually good to...”
Please, don't do any of those things. That's basically a how-to list for crappy posts.
Here's another way to look at it: why do you want validation in the form of many comments? In my years of being at MetaFilter, I really can't think of an example where a shitload of comments created an overall impression of "wow! what a great post! I'm so glad that userx posted this!". On the other hand, individual people often explicitly say such things in a post that gets only a few comments. If you want validation/thanks/congratulations for a good post, you'll get it in the form of an explicit comment saying so, or favorites. A bunch of comments doesn't mean anything particular, other than that people want to bullshit about something. People bullshit about the weather.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 2:22 AM on July 4, 2007
But comments should have nothing to do with either your desire to post or your selection of what to post or your presentations of your post. There's a lot of value in MeFi's discussion, it does arguably make the site what it is, but pandering to discussion will undermine the reasons why discussion participants come here in the first place. Pandering to discussion will make crappy posts, make the discussion more predictable and similar to other discussion on the web, and eventually ruin MetaFilter. We may be smart people with interesting things to say, but without good material to work from in the form of good links in posts, our discussion is as tedious and annoying as that of sites that are far lower quality than MetaFilter.
“If you want comments, it's usually good to...”
Please, don't do any of those things. That's basically a how-to list for crappy posts.
Here's another way to look at it: why do you want validation in the form of many comments? In my years of being at MetaFilter, I really can't think of an example where a shitload of comments created an overall impression of "wow! what a great post! I'm so glad that userx posted this!". On the other hand, individual people often explicitly say such things in a post that gets only a few comments. If you want validation/thanks/congratulations for a good post, you'll get it in the form of an explicit comment saying so, or favorites. A bunch of comments doesn't mean anything particular, other than that people want to bullshit about something. People bullshit about the weather.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 2:22 AM on July 4, 2007
Who did y6x3 become again, or did he just up and leave?
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:31 AM on July 4, 2007
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:31 AM on July 4, 2007
There's really a lot of pre-20K users who have effectively left the site in the last year or so, I've suddenly noticed. A number of them are people I'm quite happy to not see. Others, I miss. I wonder why there's so much old-timer attrition. I've been thinking that the difference between small-pond and big-pond is just not to the liking of many old-timers. But maybe it's simply the inevitable burnout.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 2:44 AM on July 4, 2007
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 2:44 AM on July 4, 2007
Look, whoever gets the most favorites wins. It's as simple as that.
While you were composing that post, you could've been rattling off witty one-liners in a dozen threads, racking up those favorites.
posted by Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America at 2:46 AM on July 4, 2007
While you were composing that post, you could've been rattling off witty one-liners in a dozen threads, racking up those favorites.
posted by Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America at 2:46 AM on July 4, 2007
Unless I have a particularly strong interest in the subject, I am personally more likely to read the post if there are only one or two links. Ask yourself what the best thing in your post is, link to that from the front page, and then use your first comment for the other stuff.
Plenty of people here will disagree, but in my opinion a Metafilter post is only ever as good as its best link, and padding only makes it weaker.
posted by teleskiving at 4:22 AM on July 4, 2007 [1 favorite]
Plenty of people here will disagree, but in my opinion a Metafilter post is only ever as good as its best link, and padding only makes it weaker.
posted by teleskiving at 4:22 AM on July 4, 2007 [1 favorite]
Stavros : y6y6y6 was WoWgmr72, at least. No telling who else, though.
posted by Dave Faris at 4:50 AM on July 4, 2007
posted by Dave Faris at 4:50 AM on July 4, 2007
People seem to be happiest when they feel you're showing them something unique & they don't have to sift through too much to understand the post's point. If it's too much work, they'll skip it.
it's the perfect recipe to dumb something down, no snark intended, I'm just pointing this out. and that's why youtube's so popular here, you don't even have to read, just watch the goddamn thing -- reading hurts one's eyes, trying to figure shit out is even worse, gives you headaches. it's Internet as television-in-your-computer -- the reason for youtube's success, as I said, and the reason why so many youtube links are so popular here, it's TV vs print all over again, this time on the Internet. as it always did, text loses.
posted by matteo at 4:56 AM on July 4, 2007 [1 favorite]
it's the perfect recipe to dumb something down, no snark intended, I'm just pointing this out. and that's why youtube's so popular here, you don't even have to read, just watch the goddamn thing -- reading hurts one's eyes, trying to figure shit out is even worse, gives you headaches. it's Internet as television-in-your-computer -- the reason for youtube's success, as I said, and the reason why so many youtube links are so popular here, it's TV vs print all over again, this time on the Internet. as it always did, text loses.
posted by matteo at 4:56 AM on July 4, 2007 [1 favorite]
y6^3 was also going by something like MrCheese, but I can't remember exactly what it was.
posted by gleuschk at 5:36 AM on July 4, 2007
posted by gleuschk at 5:36 AM on July 4, 2007
It's a perfectly good post...but at the same time it is rather dense. Sometimes I like to delve into multiple links on a post, but more often than not a single link to YouTube is all I can handle (and YES, those CAN make perfectly fine posts, thanks very much). You've also got a lot of insider jargon on the post, making it hard to know where to start. Focus your writing and links and make them work together well. And dumb it down for us dummies who know nothing about [video editing].
posted by zardoz at 5:58 AM on July 4, 2007
posted by zardoz at 5:58 AM on July 4, 2007
If you want honest criticism, yours is exactly the kind of post I skip over, since it's not obvious which link I need to click to figure out what you're on about.
in my opinion a Metafilter post is only ever as good as its best link, and padding only makes it weaker.
What they said. Comments are not a measure of quality, but if you want more people to read (and perhaps comment on) your posts, tighten them up and make them appealing. There's no shame in considering the consumer. (If you have a number of links you think are necessary, put the most basic/intriguing one up front and include the rest in a More Inside—first get 'em hooked, then give 'em the encyclopedia.)
posted by languagehat at 6:25 AM on July 4, 2007
in my opinion a Metafilter post is only ever as good as its best link, and padding only makes it weaker.
What they said. Comments are not a measure of quality, but if you want more people to read (and perhaps comment on) your posts, tighten them up and make them appealing. There's no shame in considering the consumer. (If you have a number of links you think are necessary, put the most basic/intriguing one up front and include the rest in a More Inside—first get 'em hooked, then give 'em the encyclopedia.)
posted by languagehat at 6:25 AM on July 4, 2007
There's really a lot of pre-20K users who have effectively left the site in the last year or so, I've suddenly noticed. A number of them are people I'm quite happy to not see. Others, I miss. I wonder why there's so much old-timer attrition. I've been thinking that the difference between small-pond and big-pond is just not to the liking of many old-timers. But maybe it's simply the inevitable burnout.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 5:44 AM on July 4 [+] [!]
for clues look here
we have been invaded by 13 year old boys. if it gets any worse it will be 7 year old boys and poopy jokes.
posted by caddis at 6:41 AM on July 4, 2007
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 5:44 AM on July 4 [+] [!]
for clues look here
we have been invaded by 13 year old boys. if it gets any worse it will be 7 year old boys and poopy jokes.
posted by caddis at 6:41 AM on July 4, 2007
Well, i didn't comment on your blue post, so I'm certainly not going to comment in the grey.
posted by pompomtom at 7:57 AM on July 4, 2007
posted by pompomtom at 7:57 AM on July 4, 2007
your post was really good--i think it's that the links require more time than other posts. (i bookmarked yours for the weekend)
posted by amberglow at 8:37 AM on July 4, 2007
posted by amberglow at 8:37 AM on July 4, 2007
I'm glad I read this:
I thought your post was good. KokoRyu's advice is good. I'd also suggest not treating it like Wikipedia. You don't have to make every proper noun a link, people will dig deeper if the subject interests them and sometimes having a bunch of links makes people not know which is the main link and so they skim or skip it. However, your post was fine and this is just a small suggestion and it's possible that writing the post differently wouldn't get any more comments or favorites. People are fickle.
posted by jessamyn at 5:43 PM on July 3
since I've been hauled up on the "too many linkies" thing before, usually when I get carried away on my topic du jour.
But I must agree that quality of post is not directly proportional to the number of comments.
And finally, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, why didn't my latest post get even ONE favourite???? *sniffs* *chokes back tears* *contemplates death by boogaloo*
posted by infini at 8:52 AM on July 4, 2007
I thought your post was good. KokoRyu's advice is good. I'd also suggest not treating it like Wikipedia. You don't have to make every proper noun a link, people will dig deeper if the subject interests them and sometimes having a bunch of links makes people not know which is the main link and so they skim or skip it. However, your post was fine and this is just a small suggestion and it's possible that writing the post differently wouldn't get any more comments or favorites. People are fickle.
posted by jessamyn at 5:43 PM on July 3
since I've been hauled up on the "too many linkies" thing before, usually when I get carried away on my topic du jour.
But I must agree that quality of post is not directly proportional to the number of comments.
And finally, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, why didn't my latest post get even ONE favourite???? *sniffs* *chokes back tears* *contemplates death by boogaloo*
posted by infini at 8:52 AM on July 4, 2007
I got in an argument with y6 during the WoWgmr72 phase, which lead to a discussion of his latter-day mefi activity philosophy over on his blog. I don't know if he's kept up with it, but at the time his M.O. was registering a new account every month or so and letting the old one lie fallow. WoWgmr72 was the Late-October-to-Late-November-2006 account, for example. MrCheese!!! looks like an exception, in that he disappeared for a few months while WoWgmr72 (and presumably some others) had their time in the sun, only to return in December of 06 for a bit.
Like I said, I don't know if he's still up to that. At the time, my biggest objection was to the idea of playing unethically at sockpuppetry and trolling—something that I thought was on ugly (if in retrospect pretty mild) display in WoWgmr72's fake-out flame-out; but y6 argued that in general he was trying very much to avoid trolling and wasn't using simultaneous accounts for dhoytish hijinx, that the account-hopping was an attempt to avoid cult-of-personality issues (understandable, given that we all remember y6y6y6 by name), and that it was a way for him to feed the mefi coffers five bucks at a time. I find that last bit both charming and uncompelling—it's both a nice idea and ridiculous, since you can paypal Matt without needing to run serial accounts—but that's neither here nor there.
If he hasn't been standing out with his new accounts, I don't much care in the end if he's doing it or not. I think it's weird, and the two of us will probably continue to disagree about some of the foundations of the situation if we ever have occasion to discuss it again, but I haven't been clicking through to profiles of flaming, provocative newbies and finding his name (which he had made a respectable habit of including, unaltered, on his new accounts' profiles), so it seems like just one of those things that is strange to me but ultimately benign.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:02 AM on July 4, 2007 [1 favorite]
Like I said, I don't know if he's still up to that. At the time, my biggest objection was to the idea of playing unethically at sockpuppetry and trolling—something that I thought was on ugly (if in retrospect pretty mild) display in WoWgmr72's fake-out flame-out; but y6 argued that in general he was trying very much to avoid trolling and wasn't using simultaneous accounts for dhoytish hijinx, that the account-hopping was an attempt to avoid cult-of-personality issues (understandable, given that we all remember y6y6y6 by name), and that it was a way for him to feed the mefi coffers five bucks at a time. I find that last bit both charming and uncompelling—it's both a nice idea and ridiculous, since you can paypal Matt without needing to run serial accounts—but that's neither here nor there.
If he hasn't been standing out with his new accounts, I don't much care in the end if he's doing it or not. I think it's weird, and the two of us will probably continue to disagree about some of the foundations of the situation if we ever have occasion to discuss it again, but I haven't been clicking through to profiles of flaming, provocative newbies and finding his name (which he had made a respectable habit of including, unaltered, on his new accounts' profiles), so it seems like just one of those things that is strange to me but ultimately benign.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:02 AM on July 4, 2007 [1 favorite]
btw, apt comment stolen from metafilter thread reposted here:
Wow we've gone from single-link, video-based posts to single-image, CONTENT-DEVOID crapposts. CONGRATS! EVOLV'd! FAIL.
GYOB. Show us what Mefi should be. Let us know.
This post made me laugh. It made me think about the similarities that our sometimes remote-feeling cultures share. Then I marveled at the lamp and rug that some commenters linked to in this thread. Then I laughed again when I saw the video of the chase that was linked to further down.
I don't think that a simple post is bad by default; it's about what you make of it, I guess. Sometimes the discussion is what makes the post - sometimes you find more than you expect.
posted by dozo at 8:08 AM on July 4 [1 favorite -] Favorite added! [!]
posted by infini at 9:08 AM on July 4, 2007
Wow we've gone from single-link, video-based posts to single-image, CONTENT-DEVOID crapposts. CONGRATS! EVOLV'd! FAIL.
GYOB. Show us what Mefi should be. Let us know.
This post made me laugh. It made me think about the similarities that our sometimes remote-feeling cultures share. Then I marveled at the lamp and rug that some commenters linked to in this thread. Then I laughed again when I saw the video of the chase that was linked to further down.
I don't think that a simple post is bad by default; it's about what you make of it, I guess. Sometimes the discussion is what makes the post - sometimes you find more than you expect.
posted by dozo at 8:08 AM on July 4 [1 favorite -] Favorite added! [!]
posted by infini at 9:08 AM on July 4, 2007
"reading hurts one's eyes, trying to figure shit out is even worse, gives you headaches."
Well so does your superior tone and empty rhetoric.
posted by vronsky at 9:47 AM on July 4, 2007 [1 favorite]
Well so does your superior tone and empty rhetoric.
posted by vronsky at 9:47 AM on July 4, 2007 [1 favorite]
One key to getting a lot of comments seems to be having a subject that many people can relate to, and have opinions or persional stories about without even reading the links.
Nail. Hammer. Bang. Plenty of people will glance at a post, type something hastily based on preconceived notions of what they think the post is about, or just their own pet topic that is tangentially related to what you had to say.
IOW, be careful what you wish for. You could get a boatload of comments by exploring the themes:
BUSH IS AN ASSHOLE.
THE IRAQ WAR IS BAD. VERY BAD.
but the post would probably suck.
posted by jason's_planet at 10:07 AM on July 4, 2007
Nail. Hammer. Bang. Plenty of people will glance at a post, type something hastily based on preconceived notions of what they think the post is about, or just their own pet topic that is tangentially related to what you had to say.
IOW, be careful what you wish for. You could get a boatload of comments by exploring the themes:
BUSH IS AN ASSHOLE.
THE IRAQ WAR IS BAD. VERY BAD.
but the post would probably suck.
posted by jason's_planet at 10:07 AM on July 4, 2007
Yeah, have to agree, not that I'm Paragon Poster (and I think I have WAY more doubles than average), but some of what I consider my best posts had the least amount of comments.
posted by absalom at 10:19 AM on July 4, 2007
posted by absalom at 10:19 AM on July 4, 2007
Many of the posts here that I have truly loved have not gotten a ton of comments. I think it's because they are so well-crafted that there's nothing left to say about them other than, "that's amazing!" I try to always let a user know that I enjoyed their post but it sometimes feels weird to be the 10th person saying nothing more than "great post!" So I do it in other ways, like favoriting or flagging.
posted by LeeJay at 10:40 AM on July 4, 2007
posted by LeeJay at 10:40 AM on July 4, 2007
Well so does your superior tone and empty rhetoric.
Don't be so harsh, vronsky. Without his superior tone & empty rhetoric, matteo has nothing left to contribute to the site. It's like asking a regular member to avoid using letters in their posts.
posted by jonson at 12:10 PM on July 4, 2007
Don't be so harsh, vronsky. Without his superior tone & empty rhetoric, matteo has nothing left to contribute to the site. It's like asking a regular member to avoid using letters in their posts.
posted by jonson at 12:10 PM on July 4, 2007
07 1 46933
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:18 PM on July 4, 2007
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:18 PM on July 4, 2007
matteo has nothing left to contribute to the site
you're posting for everybody else anyway
posted by matteo at 12:31 PM on July 4, 2007
you're posting for everybody else anyway
posted by matteo at 12:31 PM on July 4, 2007
It's like asking a regular member to avoid using letters in their posts
or like asking you not to recycle every single pointless piece of shit you see floating on digg just to see your name appear on the front page?
posted by matteo at 12:32 PM on July 4, 2007
or like asking you not to recycle every single pointless piece of shit you see floating on digg just to see your name appear on the front page?
posted by matteo at 12:32 PM on July 4, 2007
yep, there's that superior tone again. It's like a fine italian whine.
posted by jonson at 12:44 PM on July 4, 2007
posted by jonson at 12:44 PM on July 4, 2007
Girls, girls! You're both petty.
Really, it's just bizarre. You both have pretty damned great posting records on the blue, differing style but both of you excellent contributors on the front page. I don't know why matteo is such a grump sometimes, but this whole dick-measuring thing is pretty stupid.
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:54 PM on July 4, 2007
Really, it's just bizarre. You both have pretty damned great posting records on the blue, differing style but both of you excellent contributors on the front page. I don't know why matteo is such a grump sometimes, but this whole dick-measuring thing is pretty stupid.
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:54 PM on July 4, 2007
It's not "sometimes," it's me. The dude kinda hates me and only ever comments in my posts to point out where he saw this link previously or how I'm a dick. I'm not sure how it started, but I must have raped his mom or something.
posted by jonson at 12:58 PM on July 4, 2007
posted by jonson at 12:58 PM on July 4, 2007
“Don't be so harsh, vronsky. Without his superior tone & empty rhetoric, matteo has nothing left to contribute to the site. It's like asking a regular member to avoid using letters in their posts.”
His lovely culture FPPs were devoid of a superior tone or empty rhetoric. Those were the days. Now we're just left with this toxic persona.
“I don't know why matteo is such a grump sometimes”
It's full-time in his commenting, as far as I can tell. And he's usually just sniding about how we're all such cretins or some such grumbling nonsense.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 1:02 PM on July 4, 2007
His lovely culture FPPs were devoid of a superior tone or empty rhetoric. Those were the days. Now we're just left with this toxic persona.
“I don't know why matteo is such a grump sometimes”
It's full-time in his commenting, as far as I can tell. And he's usually just sniding about how we're all such cretins or some such grumbling nonsense.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 1:02 PM on July 4, 2007
I like matteo's grumpiness (except when it is directed at me of course), although I only partly agree with his comment about dumbing down the place. Even when posting something with more heft than a youtube link about some jackass stunt gone bad it is nice to explain the context, if there are lots of links then highlight the main link, etc.
posted by caddis at 1:41 PM on July 4, 2007
posted by caddis at 1:41 PM on July 4, 2007
“I don't know why matteo is such a grump sometimes”
maybe he needs to get laid?
But don't look at me, I wouldn't fuck him with Bea Arthur's penis.
posted by vronsky at 3:16 PM on July 4, 2007
I used to hate jonson, too. Now, I merely loathe him.
posted by Dave Faris at 3:37 PM on July 4, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by Dave Faris at 3:37 PM on July 4, 2007 [1 favorite]
Wow. I don't even know anyone here well enough to hate. I better get busy.
posted by The Deej at 4:02 PM on July 4, 2007
posted by The Deej at 4:02 PM on July 4, 2007
I guess "crunchland" hated me whereas "Dave Faris" merely loathed me. The thing both users shared in common was a weird man-crush on me that culminated in flowers and even once a live kitten in a box via fedex. Thanks for the kitten Dave, but the answer's still no.
posted by jonson at 4:21 PM on July 4, 2007
posted by jonson at 4:21 PM on July 4, 2007
all you people with the hate thing, well, you can just shove it far up your ass and rotate.
posted by caddis at 5:21 PM on July 4, 2007
posted by caddis at 5:21 PM on July 4, 2007
Won't someone please take the time to take an irrational interest in my online persona? I'm feeling lonely.
posted by absalom at 6:21 PM on July 4, 2007
posted by absalom at 6:21 PM on July 4, 2007
oh lord help me...
Metafilter: this whole dick-measuring thing is pretty stupid.
posted by lonefrontranger at 6:27 PM on July 4, 2007
Metafilter: this whole dick-measuring thing is pretty stupid.
posted by lonefrontranger at 6:27 PM on July 4, 2007
*measures dick*
Yeah, it's pretty stupid all right.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:28 PM on July 4, 2007
Yeah, it's pretty stupid all right.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:28 PM on July 4, 2007
The last clause of your post's second sentence should have been its first. That would have made your post clearer.
Keep the main link and the explanation of the main link together.
posted by washburn at 6:35 PM on July 4, 2007
Keep the main link and the explanation of the main link together.
posted by washburn at 6:35 PM on July 4, 2007
A wise man (languagehat) said once, "We always notice in others the sins we hate in ourselves." And in that spirit I humbly offer matteo an olive branch.
posted by vronsky at 7:25 PM on July 4, 2007
posted by vronsky at 7:25 PM on July 4, 2007
Ah. Nothing solves all the world's ills like a music video pn Youtube from Vronsky.
posted by Dave Faris at 3:58 AM on July 5, 2007
posted by Dave Faris at 3:58 AM on July 5, 2007
As for Warnock's Dilemma, I feel for MeFi it is almost always either interpretation 1 or 4.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 4:15 AM on July 5, 2007
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 4:15 AM on July 5, 2007
Can you comment on my first metafilter post?
Nope. Restraining order on me for first posts after that incident with the newbie and the dick measuring and the box with the hole. You understand, right?
Rest assured, though, I've got a huge wad of snark saved up for your second.
posted by and hosted from Uranus at 6:33 AM on July 5, 2007
Nope. Restraining order on me for first posts after that incident with the newbie and the dick measuring and the box with the hole. You understand, right?
Rest assured, though, I've got a huge wad of snark saved up for your second.
posted by and hosted from Uranus at 6:33 AM on July 5, 2007
I was that newbie. It was horrible. I still shudder sometimes like someone has walked over my grave.
posted by OmieWise at 6:50 AM on July 5, 2007
posted by OmieWise at 6:50 AM on July 5, 2007
In other news, my workplace blocks www.metafilter.com/tags because "WebSense category: Sex"; but not, ironically, ask.metafilter.com/tags.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 7:51 AM on July 5, 2007
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 7:51 AM on July 5, 2007
OK Dave, mock my conciliatory gesture if you must. Ridicule me for my cheap sentimentality, and my attempts to light a candle instead of cursing the darkness. hell, go ahead and crucify me for all I care.
But at least matteo is a worthy adversary. You on the other hand? I know you used to be crunchland, and there is some backstory involved, but I've never found you interesting enough to find out what it is.
So, yes, I have noticed you sniping at me in recent threads and you obviously need some attention... so let the games begin.
posted by vronsky at 9:08 AM on July 5, 2007
But at least matteo is a worthy adversary. You on the other hand? I know you used to be crunchland, and there is some backstory involved, but I've never found you interesting enough to find out what it is.
So, yes, I have noticed you sniping at me in recent threads and you obviously need some attention... so let the games begin.
posted by vronsky at 9:08 AM on July 5, 2007
thread derail/defuse attempt FAIL
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 9:26 AM on July 5, 2007
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 9:26 AM on July 5, 2007
Well - I thought the post was a pretentious load of crap, and you were simply trying to use metafilter to drive traffic to your friend's website.
And I think you were frustrated by the lack of traffic your post generated for your friends, so you're reposting it here in the hopes of creating more hits.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 1:23 PM on July 5, 2007
And I think you were frustrated by the lack of traffic your post generated for your friends, so you're reposting it here in the hopes of creating more hits.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 1:23 PM on July 5, 2007
Effigy2000, I want to say thank you for linking to your 5 minute post about German 'auf der Walz'. My great x 3 grandfather did this as a weaver apprentice back in the 1840's, and in his biography he even listed the places he traveled to. But since I didn't know what his travels were called, I couldn't do further research. I feel like I've won the lottery with your post, I'm thrilled. Thank you.
posted by LadyBonita at 1:40 AM on July 8, 2007
posted by LadyBonita at 1:40 AM on July 8, 2007
Upon re-reading this thread, a thought came to mind, and it seems a good place to share it given the OP's question.
It is commonly said of Metafilter that comments != quality. I think it's also true that favourites != quality either.
What really matters to me is comments like LadyBonita's, or comments within an FPP you made telling you it's a great post. I find that far more satisfying than getting favorites or 100+ comments.
LadyBonita: I am pleased to have helped you, and may I thankyou for your kind words. Hope your research on your great, great great grand dad goes well!
posted by Effigy2000 at 3:36 PM on July 8, 2007
It is commonly said of Metafilter that comments != quality. I think it's also true that favourites != quality either.
What really matters to me is comments like LadyBonita's, or comments within an FPP you made telling you it's a great post. I find that far more satisfying than getting favorites or 100+ comments.
LadyBonita: I am pleased to have helped you, and may I thankyou for your kind words. Hope your research on your great, great great grand dad goes well!
posted by Effigy2000 at 3:36 PM on July 8, 2007
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
you've been here since November - you should know that by now. just label all of us who didn't look at it as barbarians and go chase down the attractive barrista you've had your eye on for awhile.
posted by Stynxno at 5:27 PM on July 3, 2007