Bottom posting links

December 12, 2007 4:04 AM

My recent activity is becoming homunculus' blog/link dump.

There is some bottom of thread link posting going on that is keeping threads alive for days and sometimes weeks when the discussion has largely tapered off.

Some examples:
http://www.metafilter.com/66805/Secret-Warrants-Granted-Without-Probable-Cause
http://www.metafilter.com/67293/War-Games
http://www.metafilter.com/67244/The-United-States-does-not-video-tape-torture

It's bad enough that the contentious threads tend to be a bit crazy at the bottom but now not only are they refusing to die they are appear to be a way around the posting limits.

posted by srboisvert to Etiquette/Policy at 4:04 AM (105 comments total)

You can remove threads from your recent activity now, you know that right? (left hand margin) Otherwise, I can't see what could possibly be done to address this - posting links to threads is the veritable additive currency of the place. Those homunculus links are on topic at least.
posted by peacay at 4:17 AM on December 12, 2007

So. Pie, anyone?
posted by Jofus at 4:24 AM on December 12, 2007

He's staying on top of issues and posting related links in the appropriate places. He's not cluttering up the front page, he's putting links where they belong.

Strikes me as a very good use of Metafilter indeed.
posted by Malor at 4:25 AM on December 12, 2007 [18 favorites]

What does "a way around the posting limits" mean? I was hoping you were making an ironic post highlighting homunculus's excellent front page posts and on-topic followup stuff, but it looks as if you're genuinely upset by putting the links in the threads where they're supposed to go. In my view, homunculus has been putting up quality material on par with the best stuff here.
posted by cgc373 at 4:26 AM on December 12, 2007

Or, what Malor said.
posted by cgc373 at 4:27 AM on December 12, 2007

homunculus is the FOLLOW UP KING and you should be thankful.
posted by tellurian at 4:34 AM on December 12, 2007 [4 favorites]

I started a thread on MonkeyFilter on October 19 2004. Now, there's something that has been bothering me for some time. This thread gives me the opportunity to confess my plagiarism. I posted this post without attribution. chunking express recognised it and homunculus called me on it here and it has plagued my conscience ever since. I hereby confess and beg forgiveness. I'm sorry. May I also say that I like the idea of eternally open threads.
posted by tellurian at 5:17 AM on December 12, 2007 [1 favorite]

I'd like to thank homunculus too. Always interesting links and background.
posted by Abiezer at 5:24 AM on December 12, 2007

As far as I know there is no "posting limit" for comments. If you don't like what he's posted say that, but you haven't provided any evidence that this is in any way nefarious.

Also, remove the threads.
posted by OmieWise at 5:39 AM on December 12, 2007

Let me add my name to the chorus of people saying that homunculus is doing excellent work. I wish I were better about following an issue after it's been talked to death on MetaFilter and posting relevant links in threads.
posted by Kattullus at 6:02 AM on December 12, 2007

homunculus is doing an awesome job. If you're no longer interested in a topic, use the new "remove from recent activity" feature and you would have to see any more.

This might be the worst callout ever. It's a callout over something that is at worst innocuous, and at best highly beneficial.
posted by grouse at 6:05 AM on December 12, 2007

Ditto what everyone else said. Learn to use the "remove from recent activity" feature and stop complaining about someone who's doing a great job at keeping us informed. Jesus.
posted by languagehat at 6:07 AM on December 12, 2007

stop complaining about someone who's doing a great job at keeping us informed. Jesus.

I completely disagree. Jesus is doing an awful job at keeping us informed. He hasn't posted a single follow-up to his capital punishment thread.
posted by scottreynen at 6:26 AM on December 12, 2007 [11 favorites]

Every morning, a guy drives by and throws some paper wrapped in plastic. EVERY MORNING! Don't even get me started about the brick he tosses on Sundays. Why is this man throwing trash on my lawn? Then, at the end of the month, he has the gaul to bill me for it.
posted by absalom at 6:30 AM on December 12, 2007

Damn Gauls.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 6:32 AM on December 12, 2007 [2 favorites]

Please cancel the Google.
posted by chlorus at 6:33 AM on December 12, 2007 [9 favorites]

You'd rather he made them all front page posts, maybe?

I like that he keeps threads going; I wish more people did the same. Threads used to last longer than they do. I miss our late-night talks.
posted by ook at 6:34 AM on December 12, 2007

I like it
keep up the good work homunculus (and amberglow too)
posted by caddis at 6:37 AM on December 12, 2007

I had no idea that there were additional useful links at the bottom of so many threads! Thanks for drawing my attention to this, and thanks to homunculus et al. for the follow-ups.
posted by nowonmai at 6:40 AM on December 12, 2007

I think it's great as well. As has been pointed out: you can remove threads from your recent activity. You should try doing that.
posted by chunking express at 6:58 AM on December 12, 2007

This has been the clearest example of a boomerang-callout that I have ever seen. That is all.
posted by blue_beetle at 7:12 AM on December 12, 2007

What Malor (and just about everyone else) said.

This-a call-out, she's-a stupido.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:14 AM on December 12, 2007

Does anyone else read "link dump" and imagine the Zelda hero sitting on the can?

No?
posted by brain_drain at 7:17 AM on December 12, 2007 [4 favorites]

Not until now, brain_drain, and thank you so much for the picture.
posted by cgc373 at 7:23 AM on December 12, 2007

The thought of a heartbroken Link crying in the corner was plenty for me.

But secretly, I like him better on the can.
posted by SpiffyRob at 7:27 AM on December 12, 2007

"Link dump" makes me think of a string of fresh sausages being extruded from someone's asshole, straight into the toilet.

You could heat the water in the toilet to cook them, and keep mustard by the bog roll, and then eat them right there on the can.

I wonder if you could make a perpetual motion machine out of this idea.
posted by breezeway at 7:40 AM on December 12, 2007 [2 favorites]

This place just turned into BowelZone again, didn't it?
posted by maudlin at 7:42 AM on December 12, 2007

Wow, that went poop-centric fast.
posted by flashboy at 7:48 AM on December 12, 2007

"A way around the posting limits?" First of all, there are posting limits? Second of all, posting in long-dead threads gets around them how?
posted by koeselitz at 7:49 AM on December 12, 2007

I guess the links get into our Recent Activity pages, koeselitz. At least, that's what srboisvert said was bugging.
posted by cgc373 at 7:53 AM on December 12, 2007

Wow, that went poop-centric fast.

To be fair, the title is "Bottom posting links." I suppose we would have gotten there a little sooner if it was "Bottom, posting links."

Although that's ENTIRELY too close to breezeway's suggestion.
posted by SpiffyRob at 7:55 AM on December 12, 2007

Wow, that went poop-centric fast.

Well, much of the MeFi population is anal retentive...
posted by the other side at 7:57 AM on December 12, 2007

srboisvert, I hear you on the general "threads that won't die" sensation; it's driven me crazy a few times before. Which is why, as a few folks have pointed out, we've recently added a (remove from activity) link to the Recent Activity page—look under the post header stuff in the left column. Click that and the thing is gone.

As far as the rest, I'm pretty much feeling what everyone else is feeling: I'm not sure what you're getting at with the thing about getting around posting limits, because there's never been any particular limit on commenting and adding relevant links to the bottom of a thread isn't really doing damage to anything.

I personally feel like the ongoing linkdump is sometimes a little GYOBish, if only because a linkdump at the bottom of a mefi thread is a little less straightforword as a future resource than a blog post that is specifically and only said linkdump; but it comes out as more of an "eh...different strokes" thing in my calculus than any real offense, and the flip side is that the mefi threads themselves do end up having a nice roundup of links for the folks who haven't decided to remove the thread from RA, or for later readers who get a sort of as-it-happened timeline of events. So, hey.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:00 AM on December 12, 2007

Thanks homunculus for keeping the conversation going, and keeping us informed.

This sort of callout was maybe possibly occasionally plausibly defensible sometimes back in the pre-(remove from activity)-link-in-the-Recent-Activity-section era. But in this ever-changing world in which we live in, currently, it is not.
posted by ibmcginty at 8:13 AM on December 12, 2007

Yeah, what Abiezer said. homunculus has enriched quite a few posts of my own and threads I participated in with interesting, relevant updates. Thanks little man.

Oh, and

srboisvert, I hear you on the general "threads that won't die" sensation; it's driven me crazy a few times before.

*cough* longboat *cough*
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 9:00 AM on December 12, 2007

Is that a Viking in your throat or are you just happy to . . . I don't really know how to do this, do I?
posted by cgc373 at 9:03 AM on December 12, 2007 [1 favorite]

*taps foot, bottom-posts in cgc373's thread*
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 9:08 AM on December 12, 2007

Hmm. So now do I hunt through my measely 16 posts to the blue to see if gnfti knows how to exploit the old bug that allowed somebody to post in closed threads? The Dutch are crafty, or so I've heard. It's possible, surely. I better check.
posted by cgc373 at 9:12 AM on December 12, 2007

It's Google-bombing with relevance, and it must stop!
posted by blue_beetle at 9:12 AM on December 12, 2007

Huh. No, goodnewsfortheinsane must have meant Tap Extravaganza!
posted by cgc373 at 9:14 AM on December 12, 2007

It's bad enough that the contentious threads tend to be a bit crazy at the bottom but now not only are they refusing to die they are appear to be a way around the posting limits.

Goddamn it, homunculus. Stop getting your "information" in our pissing contest. We don't post interesting things here to talk about them or link related content. You favorite or flag, and you move on. It's the only way to know who's winning. The whole discussion thing is just a clever smokescreen.
posted by Tehanu at 9:14 AM on December 12, 2007

srboisvert: For your own sake, might I recommend removing this thread from your recent activity?
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:24 AM on December 12, 2007

No don't srboisvert; I can recall you making a number of interesting comments that set me thinking and I also value your participation in the site.
The above was sincere, but I will be standing for the Natural Law Party (Tendence Rainbow Hippy Death Squad) at the upcoming elections and I need every vote I can arse-lick me way to, so this kind of tocuhy-feely stuff comes easy now.
posted by Abiezer at 9:36 AM on December 12, 2007 [1 favorite]

By a strange coincidence, I've been on the can crying all morning. Jesus, what did I eat last night?
posted by homunculus at 9:37 AM on December 12, 2007 [4 favorites]

MetaFilter: Crazy at the bottom
posted by Plutor at 9:40 AM on December 12, 2007

But in this ever-changing world in which we live in
homunculus is the last guy
in THREADS THAT WON'T DIE!
*BUM...BUM, BUM...BUM*

(Sorry for sticking you all with that ear worm, but I just had to.)
posted by Floydd at 9:48 AM on December 12, 2007

homunculus, your intuition is in overdrive I guess. I'm glad I just get itchy palms.

I love the continuing follow-up links, they solve what I always saw as metafilter's major weakness- the fact that interesting topical discussions sometimes are based on links to stories or breaking news that are only the tip of the information iceberg. By the time additional, well researched items are added to mix, the original post has been buried three pages back and the discussion has been all but wrapped up.

humunculus is providing a fantastic service to anyone who is interested in continuing to investigate these topics further, following along as the new posts with new information arrive.
posted by stagewhisper at 9:57 AM on December 12, 2007

Fat bottom threads they make the MeFi world go 'round!

Get on your recumbents and ride!!

provided as a public service to those fighting the McCartney earworm
posted by wendell at 10:08 AM on December 12, 2007

When it was young
And your thread was an open book
You used to say post and let post
You know you did
You know you did
You know you did
But in this ever-changing site in which we live in
homunculus is the last guy
in threads that won't die
Threads that won't die

What does it matter to ya
When ya got a remove link
You can to remove it now
Don't give the the other fella hell

You used to say post and let post
You know you did
You know you did
You know you did
But in this ever-changing site in which we live in
homunculus is the last guy
in threads that won't die
Threads that won't die

hat tip to Floyd for the heavy lifting
posted by never used baby shoes at 10:13 AM on December 12, 2007

"can too" remove it now. Dammit.
posted by never used baby shoes at 10:15 AM on December 12, 2007

Or drop the "too" completely. I don't know. I screwed that line up and now all I can do is fuss over it. Can I get a do over?
posted by never used baby shoes at 10:46 AM on December 12, 2007

I'm pretty sure that srboisvert is, in reality, just giving a shout-out to homunculus for his excellent and informative commenting in MeFi threads, laced with enough subtle irony and sarcasm to get people's pants in a twist.

Well-deserved shout out, srboisvert! I for one will not fall for your little ruse, however.
posted by Brak at 10:47 AM on December 12, 2007

For the record I only learned of the removal feature here. I generally avoid the grey and didn't see the wee little links.

I'm clearly completely out of step and accept the rebukes.
posted by srboisvert at 10:58 AM on December 12, 2007

And we will execute great vengeance upon thee with furious rebukes; and thou shalt know that we are the LORD, when we shall lay our vengeance upon thee!

—The People of MetaTalk to srboisvert
posted by languagehat at 11:06 AM on December 12, 2007 [1 favorite]

I like that, 'The People of MetaTalk'. Has sort of a 'Children of the Corn' vibe to it.
posted by Catfry at 11:20 AM on December 12, 2007

Children of the Plate of Beans.
posted by wendell at 11:24 AM on December 12, 2007 [1 favorite]

I like homunculus as a replacement for Amberglow, who used to do the same thing. It's not universally good, sometimes he does post stuff that I don't find particularly interesting as updates, but there have been at least a handful of threads where he added articles I hadn't seen that were easily worth their own FPPs had they not been follow-ups.
posted by klangklangston at 11:40 AM on December 12, 2007

srboisvert: "For the record I only learned of the removal feature here. I generally avoid the grey and didn't see the wee little links. I'm clearly completely out of step and accept the rebukes."

Apparently you're also unaware that all MeTa threads that meet with disagreement are required to devolve into incivility and flameouts. Get with the program.
posted by Plutor at 11:55 AM on December 12, 2007

Seriously. Get with the program dude. Threaten to cut off your arm. Don't make me remove this thread from my recent activity page. I'll do it; don't think I won't.
posted by chunking express at 12:09 PM on December 12, 2007

*drops cricket bat, marshmallows, and duct tape with a sigh*

You know, it's just no fun when someone wants to be rebuked.
posted by maudlin at 12:22 PM on December 12, 2007

This is why we can have nice things.
posted by ook at 12:28 PM on December 12, 2007

The contentious threads often have a way of turning civil again after a week or two. I only know that because they just wont' die...
posted by lodurr at 12:51 PM on December 12, 2007

What? Dead threads are as civil as you can go.
posted by ersatz at 1:12 PM on December 12, 2007

Amberglow, who used to do the same thing

Ericb is/was notorious for it, too.
posted by Dave Faris at 1:22 PM on December 12, 2007

Dead threads are dead. Civility implies a choice to be civil.
posted by lodurr at 1:22 PM on December 12, 2007

Has sort of a 'Children of the Corn' vibe to it.
I was getting more 'Village Of The Damned'.
posted by punilux at 1:46 PM on December 12, 2007

Dead threads are dead.

And some threads just get better and better...
posted by Threads that won't die at 2:24 PM on December 12, 2007

*Waves to Homunculus*
posted by Threads that won't die at 2:29 PM on December 12, 2007

*Waves to the new sockpuppet on the Website of the Damned.*
posted by never used baby shoes at 2:33 PM on December 12, 2007 [1 favorite]

Floyyd (et al.): But in this ever-changing world in which we live in

That's a mondegreen (albeit a very popular one). The actual lyric is "But in this ever-changing world in which we're livin'."
posted by macrone at 3:24 PM on December 12, 2007

Deadhead dead threads.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:52 PM on December 12, 2007

never used baby shoes: *Waves to the new sockpuppet on the Website of the Damned.*

Lighten up you Ass Cobbler.
posted by Threads that won't die at 5:14 PM on December 12, 2007

That's a mondegreen (albeit a very popular one). The actual lyric is "But in this ever-changing world in which we're livin'."

People keep claiming this, but as I said in an LH comment thread:

No, I've heard the song more times than I would really have preferred to, and I'm pretty sure he sings "in which we live in." The "living" version is a face-saving after-the-fact suggestion.
posted by languagehat at 5:14 PM on December 12, 2007

I'm with languagehat. But as far as face-saving, I wasn't aware that Paul had any face left to save. And I say that as someone with immense respect for so many of the magnificent songs that the esteemed Sir Paul wrote while in the company of those other 3 fellows. Heck, even a few of is post-Beatles songs were damn good.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:18 PM on December 12, 2007

Courtesy of YouTube, Sir Paul and his pretty face, not yet in need of saving. It sure sounds like "in this ever-changing world in which we live in" to me when you scroll to 0:45.
posted by maudlin at 5:27 PM on December 12, 2007

srboisvert, you have taken crap here, but don't sweat it, you are cool and loved here on mefi.
posted by caddis at 5:48 PM on December 12, 2007

the gaul..

Loved that, still chuckling. and poop-centric. Great thread.

Sometimes after a thread is quiet I see a link relevant to the thread and once in a blue moon post that as follow up, like the nukes over America one. It seems like a good place to put the info when it's a news thread, related links, updates etc. And besides, homunculus is awesome.
posted by nickyskye at 6:00 PM on December 12, 2007

My proctologist says things like "well, I guess it's time you dropped your drawers so I can wave at you".

*waves at the hands under the puppets*

Does this thread remind anyone else of Alexyss Tylor?
posted by and hosted from Uranus at 6:58 PM on December 12, 2007

Um, when I update threads on MeFi, am I supposed to update this thread too?
posted by homunculus at 9:47 PM on December 12, 2007

Thanks for the follow ups!
posted by Artw at 11:52 PM on December 12, 2007

... and I'm pretty sure he sings "in which we live in."

I can pretty much go either way, and I wouldn't be surprised if Paul could, too. Let's remember that this was in the same general period as this eternal classic:

Someone's knocking at the do-or
Somebody ringin' a bell
Someone's knocking at the do-or
Somebody ringin' a bell
Do me a favor
Open the door
And let 'em in...

-- [Sir] Paul "I'm the bestest hack there is, I is" McCartney

It's a Bond song, after all. They're not supposed to be profound. Or even make sense, for that matter. ("And he strikes / Like thunder-baaaaaallllll!")
posted by lodurr at 6:26 AM on December 13, 2007

I agree with languagehat, macrone. As unfathomable as it is, I think he really does go with the redundant line rather than the sensible one.

Nothing Paul ever did was as bad as John's cover of "Stand By Me," btw.

Sorry for getting around the posting limits by posting an uninformative comment in an aging thread.
posted by ibmcginty at 5:20 PM on December 13, 2007

Really, you don't like John's "Stand By Me"?

I kind of like it (and I'm not a John fan), so I'm biased, but how could you rate that higher than "Mull of Kintyre"?
posted by lodurr at 6:50 AM on December 14, 2007

John's "Stand By Me" is the moral equivalent of Michael McDonald's "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" (or, if you like, Elton John's "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"). It's a completely superfluous Vegasification of a classic. You'd have thought that John would have been beyond that by that point.
posted by ibmcginty at 2:01 PM on December 16, 2007

This thread has gotten boring.

*removes from activity*
posted by homunculus at 4:54 PM on December 16, 2007 [1 favorite]

homunculus won't see this!
posted by lodurr at 3:44 AM on December 17, 2007

This is the only thread I haven't removed from my recent activity.
posted by srboisvert at 11:45 AM on December 22, 2007

This is the only fish I haven't removed from my pants.
posted by wendell at 12:11 PM on December 22, 2007

Are we done here?
posted by cgc373 at 3:30 PM on January 4, 2008

*calls out cgc373*
posted by cortex (staff) at 3:44 PM on January 4, 2008

Recent activity from homunculus
posted by grouse at 3:52 PM on January 4, 2008

It must be a catfish. You know, a bottom-feeder.
posted by wendell at 4:03 PM on January 4, 2008

Done? Why we have eight more days of this longboat scrap of wood.
posted by caddis at 7:30 PM on January 4, 2008

Hey, I got an extra scrap of wood here, for anybody needs one!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:31 PM on January 4, 2008

Extra Scrap of Wood would be a fine name for movie about a group of lumberjacks who're questioning their sexuality. It would clean up at Sundance.
posted by Kattullus at 8:17 PM on January 4, 2008

What the mother fuck, mother fucker.
posted by chunking express at 8:29 PM on January 4, 2008

Don't put the other fish in your pants. You don't want them to fight.
posted by ook at 9:30 PM on January 4, 2008

Hey! Is this the....





























bottom, yet?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:41 PM on January 4, 2008

well, we are scraping something here.
posted by wendell at 11:32 PM on January 4, 2008

A barrel of laughs as usual, wendell.
posted by carsonb at 2:20 AM on January 5, 2008

MetaFilter: Scraping the bottom of a barrel of laughs.
posted by wendell at 12:15 PM on January 5, 2008

We really should ask homunculus to provide the final comment... it's the only thing that's fitting.
posted by Kattullus at 11:21 PM on January 6, 2008

You know someone would sniper-in at the last minute to make sure he didn't get the final word.
posted by lodurr at 8:14 AM on January 7, 2008

Sniper in? What're you talking about?

*sound of single, precision gunshot*
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:18 AM on January 7, 2008

Disappointing followup
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 2:34 PM on January 7, 2008