Categories for favorites? December 9, 2007 7:01 AM Subscribe
Pony request: categories for favorites?
Forgive if this has been discussed before, but it would be totally bitchin' Camaro if we could designate categories for favorites, perhaps in the same drop-down menu fashion as flags. Bonus points if we could define our own category names - wouldn't it be great to view all of your web design favorites, or book recommendation favorites, etc?
Probably a ton of work, I know, but man would it be useful.
Forgive if this has been discussed before, but it would be totally bitchin' Camaro if we could designate categories for favorites, perhaps in the same drop-down menu fashion as flags. Bonus points if we could define our own category names - wouldn't it be great to view all of your web design favorites, or book recommendation favorites, etc?
Probably a ton of work, I know, but man would it be useful.
I think del.icio.us, or your browser's bookmark feature, would work better for that.
posted by Memo at 7:36 AM on December 9, 2007
posted by Memo at 7:36 AM on December 9, 2007
Then we'd have del.icio.us.
Never messed with it - guess I ought to.
posted by jbickers at 7:53 AM on December 9, 2007
Never messed with it - guess I ought to.
posted by jbickers at 7:53 AM on December 9, 2007
But... then how would I ambiguously favourite something that suggests I'm potentially very, very strange, or possibly completely normal--but no one knows, because they don't know why I favourited it? Where would the fun be?!
posted by anaelith at 8:53 AM on December 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by anaelith at 8:53 AM on December 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
I think we can reduce it to the following categories, in order of popularity:
- Favorited because it is funny.
- Favorited because the author said what I wanted to say.
- Favorited because I'll be able to use this comment to catch the author in a contradiction one of these days.
- Favorited because it contains useful information that I'll want to refer to in the future.
Seriously, though, I think this gets too complicated. +1 for del.icio.us.
posted by adamrice at 9:00 AM on December 9, 2007 [2 favorites]
- Favorited because it is funny.
- Favorited because the author said what I wanted to say.
- Favorited because I'll be able to use this comment to catch the author in a contradiction one of these days.
- Favorited because it contains useful information that I'll want to refer to in the future.
Seriously, though, I think this gets too complicated. +1 for del.icio.us.
posted by adamrice at 9:00 AM on December 9, 2007 [2 favorites]
a feature where you can synchronise your favourites with del.ico.us & google bookmarks would be nice
posted by jouke at 9:08 AM on December 9, 2007
posted by jouke at 9:08 AM on December 9, 2007
With all of these ponies there's going to be a lot of shit to clean up.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 9:23 AM on December 9, 2007
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 9:23 AM on December 9, 2007
- Favorited because I'll be able to use this comment to catch the author in a contradiction one of these days.
Wow, you people are hard-core. You're actually favoriting stuff to use as ammunition? That never occurred to me.
posted by jayder at 9:42 AM on December 9, 2007 [2 favorites]
Wow, you people are hard-core. You're actually favoriting stuff to use as ammunition? That never occurred to me.
posted by jayder at 9:42 AM on December 9, 2007 [2 favorites]
First I've heard of it, jayder. I think adamrice is joking. Well, I hope so, at least.
posted by grouse at 10:22 AM on December 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by grouse at 10:22 AM on December 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
*favorites jayder, chambers round*
posted by Kwine at 10:52 AM on December 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by Kwine at 10:52 AM on December 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
First I've heard of it, jayder. I think adamrice is joking. Well, I hope so, at least.
favorited for use later...
posted by DMan at 10:55 AM on December 9, 2007 [1 favorite]
Being able to tag favorites is a great idea. Once you get enough, they become almost useless as bookmarking features because you can never find anything that you favorite. Then they become useful only as public shows of applause or votes in arguments. I'd like to see their cataloging capabilities be heightened to prevent them from naturally turning into a tool for popularity contests.
posted by painquale at 11:44 AM on December 9, 2007
posted by painquale at 11:44 AM on December 9, 2007
Favorited because I'll be able to use this comment to catch the author in a contradiction one of these days.
In a previous discussion of how MeFites use favorites, someone (I want to say SCDB, but don't hold me to that) has commented that he'd noticed that someone had favorited something controversial that they obviously did not favor, and speculated it was for use as ammunition.
posted by adamrice at 11:48 AM on December 9, 2007
In a previous discussion of how MeFites use favorites, someone (I want to say SCDB, but don't hold me to that) has commented that he'd noticed that someone had favorited something controversial that they obviously did not favor, and speculated it was for use as ammunition.
posted by adamrice at 11:48 AM on December 9, 2007
- Favorited because it is funny.
- Favorited because the author said what I wanted to say.
- Favorited because I'll be able to use this comment to catch the author in a contradiction one of these days.
- Favorited because it contains useful information that I'll want to refer to in the future.
you forgot: -favorited because I am tehloki.
(just kidding bro)
posted by jonmc at 12:02 PM on December 9, 2007
- Favorited because the author said what I wanted to say.
- Favorited because I'll be able to use this comment to catch the author in a contradiction one of these days.
- Favorited because it contains useful information that I'll want to refer to in the future.
you forgot: -favorited because I am tehloki.
(just kidding bro)
posted by jonmc at 12:02 PM on December 9, 2007
adamrice, if you had favorited that comment, you'd be able to use it as ammunition RIGHT NOW.
FAIL.
posted by grouse at 12:04 PM on December 9, 2007
FAIL.
posted by grouse at 12:04 PM on December 9, 2007
I really like this idea but have no idea how difficult/simple it would be to implement.
Suggestions for tags if they have to be fixed:
- funny
- me too!
- reference
Also, I've never really looked at del.icio.us but shouldn't stuff like this, intended for a Mefite's use, stay at MetaFilter? I want my ponies to be convenient.
posted by deborah at 12:55 PM on December 9, 2007
Suggestions for tags if they have to be fixed:
- funny
- me too!
- reference
Also, I've never really looked at del.icio.us but shouldn't stuff like this, intended for a Mefite's use, stay at MetaFilter? I want my ponies to be convenient.
posted by deborah at 12:55 PM on December 9, 2007
Some organizing/browsing tools for our own favorites would be most welcome. I assume (and I think he's mentioned it as on the list) that Matt & co. are working on some ways to do that.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:02 PM on December 9, 2007
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:02 PM on December 9, 2007
jayder: "Wow, you people are hard-core. You're actually favoriting stuff to use as ammunition? That never occurred to me."
Haven't been around MeTa much then, have you?
posted by dg at 1:37 AM on December 10, 2007
Haven't been around MeTa much then, have you?
posted by dg at 1:37 AM on December 10, 2007
Quick add-on to this: how come we can't have "least favourites" - ? I make quite a few lame jokes and unhelpful comments around here, and I have many emails, letters and faxes from other users asking me to please, please, please for the love of God, just shut the fuck up already, or else.
If those geysers of bilious liquid hate could be diverted from my ramparts via some clickable aqueduct, then it would certainly cut down my workload in having to send polite replies: "Dear contributor, thank you for your message. Your antipathy is important to me. All of my orifices are engaged at the moment, but your suggestion relating to the insertion of objects therein has been placed in a queue and will be handled my first available hole".
posted by the quidnunc kid at 2:18 AM on December 10, 2007 [2 favorites]
If those geysers of bilious liquid hate could be diverted from my ramparts via some clickable aqueduct, then it would certainly cut down my workload in having to send polite replies: "Dear contributor, thank you for your message. Your antipathy is important to me. All of my orifices are engaged at the moment, but your suggestion relating to the insertion of objects therein has been placed in a queue and will be handled my first available hole".
posted by the quidnunc kid at 2:18 AM on December 10, 2007 [2 favorites]
I wholeheartedly second the idea of adding some functionality to favorites. I favorite things for all kinds of reasons, but I have a really, really, really, really, really, really hard time finding a particular comment. At 700+ favorites, it's simply ridiculous to ask me to bookmark and tag each and every one to del.icio.us*, just so I can have some method of finding it!
For example, I recently was looking for a comment I favorited a while back...it was a great response to an anonymous question about a woman who was trying to change her boyfriend's behavior. All I remember about the comment was that it had to do with male oppression in suburbia and ball-peen hammers. Except I don't know how to spell ball-peen hammer, and I am not sure if I spelled it the way the poster spelled it. I spent about an hour going through my favorites, one 'effin page at a time, trying to gauge *when* I may have favorited it. There really was no other way. It was a pain in the ass.
Note: when I found it, I saved that fucker to del.icio.us. But I'm not going to do that with the other 700!
Point is, I need something–anything–to pare this down a bit. Suggestions?
*Not to mention that del.icio.us would become completely cluttered with comments...and redundancy. I'd probably opt to "do not share" the comments saved to delicious, since I run the feeds on blogs and stuff and don't necessarily want my updating delicious lists to be cluttered with comments from Metafilter. But then my delicious private list becomes really overloaded. I'm all for keeping meta in meta and not propogating it in delicious. Seems obvious to me, but whatevs.
Oh, and a hug for everyone, I hear they need it!
posted by iamkimiam at 11:07 AM on December 10, 2007
For example, I recently was looking for a comment I favorited a while back...it was a great response to an anonymous question about a woman who was trying to change her boyfriend's behavior. All I remember about the comment was that it had to do with male oppression in suburbia and ball-peen hammers. Except I don't know how to spell ball-peen hammer, and I am not sure if I spelled it the way the poster spelled it. I spent about an hour going through my favorites, one 'effin page at a time, trying to gauge *when* I may have favorited it. There really was no other way. It was a pain in the ass.
Note: when I found it, I saved that fucker to del.icio.us. But I'm not going to do that with the other 700!
Point is, I need something–anything–to pare this down a bit. Suggestions?
*Not to mention that del.icio.us would become completely cluttered with comments...and redundancy. I'd probably opt to "do not share" the comments saved to delicious, since I run the feeds on blogs and stuff and don't necessarily want my updating delicious lists to be cluttered with comments from Metafilter. But then my delicious private list becomes really overloaded. I'm all for keeping meta in meta and not propogating it in delicious. Seems obvious to me, but whatevs.
Oh, and a hug for everyone, I hear they need it!
posted by iamkimiam at 11:07 AM on December 10, 2007
*Not to mention that del.icio.us would become completely cluttered with comments...and redundancy. I'd probably opt to "do not share" the comments saved to delicious, since I run the feeds on blogs and stuff and don't necessarily want my updating delicious lists to be cluttered with comments from Metafilter.
not to mention that del.icio.us is yet another site to keep track of. I read the NYT and MeFi and MeCha and flickr and a few other select random sites daily, but I also have to do things like work and ride bikes and ski and hug mr. lfr and pet the cat and I just don't have time for all this internet nonsense. And yet I discover that some people are also pressing me to join twitter and livejournal and facebook and digg and... *head explodes*
Seriously, I do use an aggregator but holy CHRIST how much information can one person reliably be asked to process?
A tag feature added to favourites would be stellar for those of usluddites time-constricted GenXers who feel we have better things to do with our lives than hover 'round the RSS feed all day, thanks.
posted by lonefrontranger at 11:14 PM on December 10, 2007
not to mention that del.icio.us is yet another site to keep track of. I read the NYT and MeFi and MeCha and flickr and a few other select random sites daily, but I also have to do things like work and ride bikes and ski and hug mr. lfr and pet the cat and I just don't have time for all this internet nonsense. And yet I discover that some people are also pressing me to join twitter and livejournal and facebook and digg and... *head explodes*
Seriously, I do use an aggregator but holy CHRIST how much information can one person reliably be asked to process?
A tag feature added to favourites would be stellar for those of us
posted by lonefrontranger at 11:14 PM on December 10, 2007
Agreed. I feel overloaded too. I've got delicious and AskMe and Metafilter and Flickr and MeCha and BBQ streaming into Bloglines, along with 100+ other feeds. I add the cool stuff back to delicious, which then auto uploads on my blog and back into Bloglines. Co.mments tracks all the loose ends, which notifies me on one of four email accounts that filter into the main one. Not to mention the autopay and email reminders/notices for banks, rent, bills and such. Then there's Evite, MySpace, Facebook. And mileage accounts, special offers, forums, and news. City and event guides too. *Sometimes* I even get emails or posts or comments from (gasp) PEOPLE I KNOW IN REAL LIFE. I don't even NEED chains on my desk. It's nuts.
And don't get me started on passwords.
posted by iamkimiam at 11:27 PM on December 10, 2007
And don't get me started on passwords.
posted by iamkimiam at 11:27 PM on December 10, 2007
And the sad thing is, I know that I'm not alone here. I freelance at a lot of different offices and I often get up and wander around for a little break. I see all the people at their desks, hunched over their monitors with 80 browser windows open at once. Multi-tasking machines, I swear.
And most of these people also go home to kids, family, appointments, classes, soccer practice, _____ in all their "free" time...it's AMAZING.
posted by iamkimiam at 11:32 PM on December 10, 2007
And most of these people also go home to kids, family, appointments, classes, soccer practice, _____ in all their "free" time...it's AMAZING.
posted by iamkimiam at 11:32 PM on December 10, 2007
Perhaps some sort of functionality using the existing tags on the favourites might be a useful feature to help search through them?
posted by drill_here_fore_seismics at 4:50 AM on December 11, 2007 [2 favorites]
posted by drill_here_fore_seismics at 4:50 AM on December 11, 2007 [2 favorites]
We could call the categories "tags." Then we'd have del.icio.us.
Then why have favorites incorporated into metafilter at all? Not being able to effectively search through your favorites turns the feature into the popularity contest that we all claim we don't want this site to be. If favorites is really supposed to be "a way to save a good thread or comment to a central place that you can come back to later to catch up or read again" then there should be a simple way to go back and find it. That's what we're saying.
Perhaps some sort of functionality using the existing tags on the favourites might be a useful feature to help search through them?
Seconded Thirded. But I have a feeling that the solution to all of this is a more effective search method for the site overall. Settings such as being able to search within a range of dates, or limit searches to specific subdomains of the site, or even limited to your own favorites or contacts. And the option to hide favorites would be great too.
how come we can't have "least favourites"
Flagged. =)
posted by sambosambo at 4:47 AM on December 16, 2007
Then why have favorites incorporated into metafilter at all? Not being able to effectively search through your favorites turns the feature into the popularity contest that we all claim we don't want this site to be. If favorites is really supposed to be "a way to save a good thread or comment to a central place that you can come back to later to catch up or read again" then there should be a simple way to go back and find it. That's what we're saying.
Perhaps some sort of functionality using the existing tags on the favourites might be a useful feature to help search through them?
how come we can't have "least favourites"
Flagged. =)
posted by sambosambo at 4:47 AM on December 16, 2007
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posted by grouse at 7:35 AM on December 9, 2007