blue_beetle callout April 21, 2012 7:09 AM Subscribe
blue_beetle gets a call-out - from the OUseful.Info blog.
Man that guy needs to punch up his writing. Is he an educator? Because to some extent it's the same skill. You need to indicate to the reader what they're going to learn if they read on, and each paragraph should be that in microcosm: it should have a focus and that focus should be evident from the first sentence. There's just way too much "now let's talk about [thing]". Don't say you're going to talk about [thing], just actually talk about it. Maybe even demonstrate the problem that [thing'] satisfies first, then bring [thing] into it to satisfy that requirement. This article is oatmeal, it's damn hard to make yourself keep reading.
posted by George_Spiggott at 8:23 AM on April 21, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by George_Spiggott at 8:23 AM on April 21, 2012 [2 favorites]
Previously on MetaTalk,
We're all still products being sold. But now we're pigs.
We $5 noobs are safe, at least
$5 Means We're Not the Product
blue_beetle's comment on reddit
posted by Blasdelb at 9:28 AM on April 21, 2012
We're all still products being sold. But now we're pigs.
We $5 noobs are safe, at least
$5 Means We're Not the Product
blue_beetle's comment on reddit
posted by Blasdelb at 9:28 AM on April 21, 2012
So if we apply that maxim to metafilter we have two groups of 'product' people being sold, right? The content generator members and the advert eyeballs that hit ask.mefi through google.
posted by joost de vries at 9:41 AM on April 21, 2012
posted by joost de vries at 9:41 AM on April 21, 2012
Ok, so no, this observation was not just made a few years ago. it was made in the 70's or 80's about TV.
Sheesh, kids these days think they invented everything.
posted by GuyZero at 10:56 AM on April 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
Sheesh, kids these days think they invented everything.
posted by GuyZero at 10:56 AM on April 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
Did Blue Beetle claim to have invented the sentiment? He or she just expressed it in an especially clear way. That's what makes the quote books. The epigram is an art in and of itself, and this is perfectly epigrammatic. Is is always true, or even generally true? I don't know -- but it's a useful warning, because sometimes it is true, and it's worth asking "Am I the product here?"
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 10:59 AM on April 21, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 10:59 AM on April 21, 2012 [3 favorites]
Yeah, my comment isn't directed at blue_beetle but at the people who think he invented the sentiment. blue_beetle's all good. But yes, it's been expressed just that succinctly before. But the previous MeTa thread probably covers it all more succinctly than I will.
posted by GuyZero at 11:07 AM on April 21, 2012
posted by GuyZero at 11:07 AM on April 21, 2012
If you are not part of the history then you are it's product.
posted by Elmore at 12:20 PM on April 21, 2012
posted by Elmore at 12:20 PM on April 21, 2012
Bunny Ultramod: "Did Blue Beetle claim to have invented the sentiment? He or she just expressed it in an especially clear way. That's what makes the quote books. The epigram is an art in and of itself, and this is perfectly epigrammatic. Is is always true, or even generally true? I don't know -- but it's a useful warning, because sometimes it is true, and it's worth asking "Am I the product here?""
Blue_beetle has already mentioned that it was a pretty common sentiment in the first Meta thread, gracefully and eloquently disclaimed any larger meaning to the sentiment, and more precisely answered your question while detailing future plans.
posted by Blasdelb at 12:41 PM on April 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
Blue_beetle has already mentioned that it was a pretty common sentiment in the first Meta thread, gracefully and eloquently disclaimed any larger meaning to the sentiment, and more precisely answered your question while detailing future plans.
posted by Blasdelb at 12:41 PM on April 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
I touched the hem of blue_beetle's garment, and now my ailing cow is better and giving more milk than ever.
posted by George_Spiggott at 3:18 PM on April 21, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by George_Spiggott at 3:18 PM on April 21, 2012 [3 favorites]
I am selling you.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 3:34 PM on April 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 3:34 PM on April 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
*buys two, just in case*
posted by mediareport at 3:48 PM on April 21, 2012
posted by mediareport at 3:48 PM on April 21, 2012
What's your you warranty? My you stopped working shortly after I purchased it. It's not like me to complain, but I know you, and you probably want to avoid compensating me for my you. Being you and your you failing to live up to my expectations I am disappointed that we have come to this. Yours sincerely, Me.
posted by Elmore at 4:00 PM on April 21, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by Elmore at 4:00 PM on April 21, 2012 [3 favorites]
Also, this better get resolved faster than when I bought my thou off Martin Buber.
posted by Elmore at 4:10 PM on April 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Elmore at 4:10 PM on April 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
As soon as I saw this post, I knew it would have been a perfect candidate for deadhorse.com.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 7:11 PM on April 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 7:11 PM on April 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
I am selling you.
100% prime Australian beef. Roll up! Roll up!
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 7:48 PM on April 21, 2012
100% prime Australian beef. Roll up! Roll up!
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 7:48 PM on April 21, 2012
I am selling you.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:34 PM on April 21 [+] [!]
That explains those four men that burst into our apartment, ignored the rest of my family, told me that the internet sent them, and proceeded to chloroform me. I woke up four hours later packed on ice with one less kidney.
posted by Nanukthedog at 9:09 PM on April 21, 2012
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:34 PM on April 21 [+] [!]
That explains those four men that burst into our apartment, ignored the rest of my family, told me that the internet sent them, and proceeded to chloroform me. I woke up four hours later packed on ice with one less kidney.
posted by Nanukthedog at 9:09 PM on April 21, 2012
Nah, they sell us the way you sell anything on the 'net: by making copies. This is why you were recently replaced at your job by an identical clone of yourself that only owned discontinued Metafilter t-shirts and will work for beans.
posted by NoraReed at 9:45 PM on April 21, 2012
posted by NoraReed at 9:45 PM on April 21, 2012
If you are not paying for parking, you are the parking.
No one ever quotes me.
posted by special-k at 11:58 PM on April 21, 2012 [2 favorites]
No one ever quotes me.
posted by special-k at 11:58 PM on April 21, 2012 [2 favorites]
I wonder why.
posted by XhaustedProphet at 2:32 AM on April 22, 2012
posted by XhaustedProphet at 2:32 AM on April 22, 2012
No one ever quotes me.
That's because it's: If you are not paying for parking, you are the car.
posted by Elmore at 11:15 AM on April 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
That's because it's: If you are not paying for parking, you are the car.
posted by Elmore at 11:15 AM on April 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
Aw, look, someone quoted you!
posted by maryr at 1:44 PM on April 22, 2012 [6 favorites]
posted by maryr at 1:44 PM on April 22, 2012 [6 favorites]
If you are not doing evil, you're not evil; but some things are evil.
posted by unliteral at 6:12 PM on April 22, 2012
posted by unliteral at 6:12 PM on April 22, 2012
If you are not paying for parking, you are the parking.
How about if you are not paying for parking, you are almost certainly paying too much for parking.
The reasoning being that if a proper economic price for parking spaces isn't explicitly set and that price extracted at point of use, then it is concealed in other projects at the expense of other value we should expect from those projects, extracted from us via taxation in the form of overbuilding of roads for curbside parking, lost in degraded property values due to parking overspill into neighborhoods... but you get the idea. Pay for it up front or pay much more in insidious ways.
posted by George_Spiggott at 9:25 PM on April 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
How about if you are not paying for parking, you are almost certainly paying too much for parking.
The reasoning being that if a proper economic price for parking spaces isn't explicitly set and that price extracted at point of use, then it is concealed in other projects at the expense of other value we should expect from those projects, extracted from us via taxation in the form of overbuilding of roads for curbside parking, lost in degraded property values due to parking overspill into neighborhoods... but you get the idea. Pay for it up front or pay much more in insidious ways.
posted by George_Spiggott at 9:25 PM on April 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
Of course in some cases, you're actually being upsold a product (i.e. something with a 'fremium' model - like flickr)
posted by delmoi at 4:38 AM on April 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by delmoi at 4:38 AM on April 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
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posted by AugustWest at 7:27 AM on April 21, 2012