Could we gamble on this? December 5, 2011 11:37 PM   Subscribe

December best post contest - stats related question.

I'm interested in who's currently on track to win the various categories of the best post contest. Is this something that the infodump could tell me? Could FishBike's substantial powers be brought to bear on such a question?

What I'm thinking is maybe looking at the month of November or maybe even the last 3 months or so to see who has the most posts with the most favorites in each category (i.e. overall, mega-link, single-link, etc.).

Apologies if this belongs in the open best-post thread but given that its going on a week old I was afraid it wouldn't get much seen. Feel free to delete/close if needed.
posted by allkindsoftime to MetaFilter-Related at 11:37 PM (32 comments total)

Is there nothing the mighty infodump cannot do? Infodump recently found my lost dog, and fixed the leak from my washing machine.

I don't think this post is a problem if it's just bandying stats about and being goofy Mefi nerdynerds, but it would be a bad thing if people started promoting their favorites, lobbying etc., and that will close it down. So let's not do that.
posted by taz (staff) at 11:46 PM on December 5, 2011


I think there is nothing Fishbike is not capable of doing. I think of him as the guy who programmed Deep Thought.
posted by arcticseal at 12:35 AM on December 6, 2011


Yeah only joking on the gamble bit, purely curiosity here. Also thought it would be interesting if the same form of analysis could be applied to prior years in light of the results...see how accurate predictions would look.
posted by allkindsoftime at 2:30 AM on December 6, 2011


I liked the Infodump until I found a table that predicted when each MeFite would die, down to the minute.
posted by mccarty.tim at 3:34 AM on December 6, 2011 [4 favorites]


Lifeline (full text) by Robert Anson Heinlein
posted by infini at 3:45 AM on December 6, 2011


When do we do a 'best metatalk of the month' contest?
posted by empath at 5:13 AM on December 6, 2011


I'm interested in who's currently on track to win the various categories of the best post contest

Let it go. Just enjoy the bounty.
posted by mediareport at 5:17 AM on December 6, 2011


should have a best post contest every month, the effect is so pleasant
posted by mediareport at 5:18 AM on December 6, 2011


What I'm thinking is maybe looking at the month of November or maybe even the last 3 months or so to see who has the most posts with the most favorites in each category (i.e. overall, mega-link, single-link, etc.).

Is this something that the infodump could tell me?

Partially, yes. The favorites information is definitely in there. The category information isn't, since the content of posts (including what they link to) is not provided in the infodump. Well, unless by some miracle people have added tags to identify them that way (since tag data is there).

We were recently provided a one-time snapshot of links extracted from comments by cortex, because he is awesome. I wonder if it would be too much to ask for a similar set of files for posts? I imagine the table structure for those is more complicated. But if we could get that, then it could be combined with the next update to the infodump on Saturday and we could get link count and favorite count for each post in November. Or we could do it sooner if we're not fussy about the exact range of post dates we're looking at.

I say "we" because there are a bunch of us who like to do this kind of number-crunching on the infodump, so it's really a matter of who gets to it first.

I think there is nothing Fishbike is not capable of doing. I think of him as the guy who programmed Deep Thought.

I'm still annoyed that they took out the one function I wrote. Making it say "Hey, look at the size of that cat!" and then striking the board violently from underneath is a perfectly fine defensive strategy.
posted by FishBike at 5:48 AM on December 6, 2011


I liked the Infodump until I found a table that predicted when each MeFite would die, down to the minute.

Utter hogwash. Surely, such a thing woulllllllllllllllFDJSaffdOj09ut4p
posted by Ghidorah at 6:16 AM on December 6, 2011 [1 favorite]


Omigod, Ghidorah was murdered by a cat running across the keyboard and then some accomplice pushed the 'post comment' button! ROUND UP THE TEAM
posted by shakespeherian at 6:21 AM on December 6, 2011 [1 favorite]


When you said best post, I thought "Artw's a sure winner" and then I started to snuffle a bit.
posted by KokuRyu at 6:21 AM on December 6, 2011


I'm interested in who's currently on track to win the various categories of the best post contest. Is this something that the infodump could tell me?

You could certainly model speculatively somehow, but since we don't have quantitative criteria (like Matt said in the post, it's a moderator-gut-based judging system) there's nothing really firm to be done there.

I wonder if it would be too much to ask for a similar set of files for posts?

Yeah, I'd like to get that done as well. Just slightly more complicated to do since the format of posts varies from subsite to subsite. But I"ll think about it.
posted by cortex (staff) at 6:27 AM on December 6, 2011


...so what you're saying is I need to start taking book on the best post winners right now.
posted by griphus at 6:40 AM on December 6, 2011


KokuRyu: "When you said best post, I thought "Artw's a sure winner" and then I started to snuffle a bit."

That's who I'd bet on. Either that or filthy light thief.
posted by zarq at 6:56 AM on December 6, 2011


That's who I'd bet on.

I'd take that bet.
posted by empath at 7:02 AM on December 6, 2011


empath: I'd take that bet.

Spoiler!
posted by gman at 7:05 AM on December 6, 2011


Five gets you ten on ArtW. Pick a trifecta get 20:1.
posted by griphus at 7:14 AM on December 6, 2011


KokuRyu: "When you said best post, I thought "Artw's a sure winner" and then I started to snuffle a bit."

FYI.
posted by zarq at 7:37 AM on December 6, 2011 [1 favorite]


mediareport: should have a best post contest every month, the effect is so pleasant

Then the threshold will be raised, and people will come to expect a constant flow of outstanding posts, crammed full of amazing content, such that it strains the post writers, and overwhelms the readers.

Nay, I say. Once a year is quite enough. Let us slacken off for months at a time, and flourish for a brief window.
posted by filthy light thief at 1:32 PM on December 6, 2011


Ok, I'll settle for another one in June.
posted by mediareport at 5:47 PM on December 6, 2011


should have a best post contest every month, the effect is so pleasant

It is very pleasant. But it's like a MetaFilter holiday. Once a year and I still love it. Once a month and it would lose its awesomeness.
posted by SpacemanStix at 10:39 PM on December 6, 2011


There is a downside though to having this as a 'once a year' event - the good posts have come thick and fast, and I'm sure that I'm not the only person who is regretting the lack of time to actually, you know ... read them all, especially in those first few days of the month.

It might be worth giving some thought to structuring it in a 'best of the year' type format. This would also avoid the situation where people are holding back good stuff so that they can use it in December ...
posted by woodblock100 at 11:05 PM on December 6, 2011


I think we should have a special mods-only "Best Deletion Reason" contest.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 11:16 PM on December 6, 2011 [1 favorite]


Nope, this would only encourage outlandish posts aimed squarely at creating a stylish deletion. Call me crazy, but it'd happen.
posted by arcticseal at 11:58 PM on December 6, 2011


Nope, this would only encourage outlandish posts aimed squarely at creating a stylish deletion.

That would be awesome until someone posted something along the lines of "Faces of goatse."
posted by JHarris at 8:45 AM on December 7, 2011


My intended FPP would be titled Facism, Racism and Sexism in the Gaza Strip, says Palin
posted by infini at 8:50 AM on December 7, 2011


On preview its not even outlandish... sigh
posted by infini at 8:51 AM on December 7, 2011


infini: "My intended FPP would be titled Facism, Racism and Sexism in the Gaza Strip, says Palin"

On preview its not even outlandish... sigh

Never made an FPP out of it, (doubt it would survive,) but I did make a couple of comments about the Orr Report in a previous I/P thread....
posted by zarq at 11:28 AM on December 7, 2011


Now I know how Pandora felt.
posted by arcticseal at 6:06 PM on December 7, 2011


Welcome back, Artw.
posted by zarq at 12:52 PM on December 12, 2011


empath: "When do we do a 'best metatalk of the month' contest"

It would be so self-referential (or "meta") that the prize would be the chance to participate in the contest, and the winning post would be about the contest itself.
posted by DoctorFedora at 2:57 PM on December 15, 2011


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