Even better than an advice column binge: how to search for most favorited/commented AskMes in a particular category

May 19, 2012 3:58 PM

Is there a way to look at popular AskMe questions in a particular category, either in the recent past or over time? The infodumpster almost does this, but not quite.

I have a hankering for reading through some interesting human relations questions, so I'm trying to find a way to look at the most favorited ones or most commented ones over a particular time period or overall. Is there an existing way to do this?

posted by ocherdraco to MetaFilter-Related at 3:58 PM (16 comments total)

It's calculable from the core infodump files if someone wanted to try and put together a script for that, but there's no specific way to get this with the actual site interface, no.
posted by cortex (staff) at 4:05 PM on May 19, 2012

Okay. That is beyond my ken, so I've put in a request with the lighthouse what runs the infodumpster.
posted by ocherdraco at 4:10 PM on May 19, 2012

Speaking of the infodumpster,

"Data is current as of 29 January 2012."
posted by Blasdelb at 4:43 PM on May 19, 2012 [3 favorites]

Try using the tags option under the Posts section. Here's one for the most favorited Askme that is tagged with 'relationships'.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:45 PM on May 19, 2012 [2 favorites]

It should be "Data are current…"
posted by John Cohen at 4:48 PM on May 19, 2012 [2 favorites]

"The datum is current."
posted by griphus at 5:08 PM on May 19, 2012

Those there datas is currents.
posted by ODiV at 5:13 PM on May 19, 2012

If I were standing in front of y'all with a device with a big red button that you guys knew was hooked up to the nuclear arsenal of a major power and I told y'all that that the world are going to end if I got any more agitated, you'd made sure it'd happen wouldn't you.
posted by Blasdelb at 5:31 PM on May 19, 2012 [1 favorite]

This would be where I point out that you're not wearing any pants.
posted by arcticseal at 5:36 PM on May 19, 2012

Out-of-dateness is my fault, not Lighthouse's.
posted by cortex (staff) at 5:42 PM on May 19, 2012

"Out-of-dateness is my fault, not Lighthouse's."

Oh shit...

Combustible Edison Lighthouse, if you happen to see a clown with a crazy eye carrying a microscope and a mesh bag filled with wine corks that has a habit of whistling the tune from The Bridge on the River Kwai, a pet roach, and a bazooka that looks fake but isn't; RUN!

She might catch you anyway...
posted by Blasdelb at 8:17 PM on May 19, 2012 [1 favorite]

Thanks, Brandon. That'll do for now.
posted by ocherdraco at 9:43 PM on May 19, 2012

Good suggestion, I'll add it in the "near future" and follow up here.
posted by Combustible Edison Lighthouse at 7:07 PM on May 20, 2012

I added this. The first dropdown list now includes categories as well as sites. If you select a category, the results will be constrained to that category. For instance, here are the most favorited posts in the Ask MetaFilter category human relations in 2011.
posted by Combustible Edison Lighthouse at 6:57 PM on May 29, 2012 [2 favorites]

Woohoo!
posted by ocherdraco at 6:54 AM on May 30, 2012

I just noticed the Infodumpster has been updated - so thanks, cortex!
posted by flex at 9:53 AM on June 17, 2012