Gone but not forgotten November 24, 2015 11:11 AM Subscribe
Was your lovely FPP about 17th Century buttons cruelly overlooked? Was your round-up of music videos by your favourite obscure band sadly ignored? Please wipe away your tears and share the posts you've made that you cherished, but which didn't have the impact you hoped for, that didn't get the love they frankly deserved.
You know how it goes: you lovingly craft your beautiful FPP, honing a snappy title and pithy phrases and carefully curating links. When it's all sparkly and perfect you hit the post button and await the thanks and admiration of your fellow MeFites for bringing their attention to this most interesting/funny/thought-provoking of subjects, looking forward to a lively discussion amongst like-minded souls. And then... silence. Maybe a favourite or two, maybe a comment, maybe nothing at all. And slowly your beloved post slips quietly down the front page, soon to disappear forever, closed, unloved and unmourned. But no more! Resurrect your lost treasures and give them one more chance to shine. It's what they would have wanted.
You know how it goes: you lovingly craft your beautiful FPP, honing a snappy title and pithy phrases and carefully curating links. When it's all sparkly and perfect you hit the post button and await the thanks and admiration of your fellow MeFites for bringing their attention to this most interesting/funny/thought-provoking of subjects, looking forward to a lively discussion amongst like-minded souls. And then... silence. Maybe a favourite or two, maybe a comment, maybe nothing at all. And slowly your beloved post slips quietly down the front page, soon to disappear forever, closed, unloved and unmourned. But no more! Resurrect your lost treasures and give them one more chance to shine. It's what they would have wanted.
It might be that video links sometimes get less love! I sadly rarely have time to watch them, even if th subject is great.
posted by corb at 11:22 AM on November 24, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by corb at 11:22 AM on November 24, 2015 [3 favorites]
I'm super-proud of my fake chocolate milk jingle that I thought would have made more of a splash, but you know, who can ever tell?
posted by grumpybear69 at 11:32 AM on November 24, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by grumpybear69 at 11:32 AM on November 24, 2015 [5 favorites]
I don't think it's that precious, but here's my least commented post. (was this before favs? can't remember)
Mixture of esoteric subject matter and "posted during Katrina".
Actually right around the range of the above post is one of the worst, most "shitlord-era" Metafilter posts I've ever seen, so maybe everyone was just an idiot back then. I feel better now, thanks!
***
Also, I want to say that I really regret posts that I've made that could have been better, not the ones that just lacked a response. You can't win 'em all.
posted by selfnoise at 11:33 AM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
Mixture of esoteric subject matter and "posted during Katrina".
Actually right around the range of the above post is one of the worst, most "shitlord-era" Metafilter posts I've ever seen, so maybe everyone was just an idiot back then. I feel better now, thanks!
***
Also, I want to say that I really regret posts that I've made that could have been better, not the ones that just lacked a response. You can't win 'em all.
posted by selfnoise at 11:33 AM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
This was such a great story, and it did garner a lot of favorites, but just the one comment, and that comment is sorta . . .
posted by chrchr at 11:42 AM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by chrchr at 11:42 AM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
MeFites have been generous with their comments and favorites on my FPPs, and I appreciate that. Railway to Heaven: A Church Crawl Via Tube got two comments. One was from Anitanola, may her memory be for a blessing; I like to think that this post let her explore the world from the comfort of her chair.
posted by MonkeyToes at 11:51 AM on November 24, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by MonkeyToes at 11:51 AM on November 24, 2015 [4 favorites]
I was a little disappointed not to have more discussion around this speech about the tension between participation in and struggle against imperial culture, but that's how it goes, and I'm glad that the people who did see it seem to have liked it.
posted by Errant at 11:59 AM on November 24, 2015
posted by Errant at 11:59 AM on November 24, 2015
I was kind of surprised my Terry Gilliam's Lost Monty Python Holy Grain Animations post got so few comments, after all, it's Monty Freaking Python! But maybe it just left everyone speechless. (And it did get 20 favoritizations)
But my least favoritized posts of recent months was the video of an 8.5 ton excavator putting together a hot dog with much of the comment action there being "yeah, here's another weird food video", and the 40th Anniversary Physical Graffiti Interactive Video, which I only posted because someone my age was supposed to.
Looking back, I've had a pretty good year, with favorites and comments on everything I brought to the Big Blue Table, and maybe my only 'home run' being the Tony Zhou on Chuck Jones post (96 faves).
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:08 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
But my least favoritized posts of recent months was the video of an 8.5 ton excavator putting together a hot dog with much of the comment action there being "yeah, here's another weird food video", and the 40th Anniversary Physical Graffiti Interactive Video, which I only posted because someone my age was supposed to.
Looking back, I've had a pretty good year, with favorites and comments on everything I brought to the Big Blue Table, and maybe my only 'home run' being the Tony Zhou on Chuck Jones post (96 faves).
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:08 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
> I don't think it's that precious, but here's my least commented post. (was this before favs? can't remember)
Hey, that was great, thanks for calling my attention to it! And I favorited it just now, so there.
Mine would be this one about Jerry Jazz Musician (5 comments); I guess I thought there were more jazz fans around these parts.
posted by languagehat at 12:10 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
Hey, that was great, thanks for calling my attention to it! And I favorited it just now, so there.
Mine would be this one about Jerry Jazz Musician (5 comments); I guess I thought there were more jazz fans around these parts.
posted by languagehat at 12:10 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
Trial and error has taught me to basically never share music on MetaFilter, unless it's news about a pre-established and well-known band, or if you package it as "check out this cool new music video/HTML 5 experiment." Though if you do that, at least 70% of the comments will involve people telling you how much they hate the music on that thing you just shared. On the bright side, now I know what gimmicks to use to market my band's next album!
I was particularly sad at my Stars in Battledress post's getting neglected. I was less surprised about this week's post about Sansara, and I semi-regret sharing it in the manner that I did (i.e., share relevant context) instead of trying the other approach I'd formulated (i.e., "Sansara is what Arcade Fire would be if they were as good as the people who like Arcade Fire have convinced themselves that they are"). But I was in a mellow mood.
I was hugely let down by the lack of responses to my humble little post about Homestuck, which only garnered about .025 comments for every page of Homestuck. I think I might flesh it out a bit more and make another post, because it's a tragically-overlooked little webcomic without nearly as many fans as it deserves.
posted by rorgy at 12:17 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
I was particularly sad at my Stars in Battledress post's getting neglected. I was less surprised about this week's post about Sansara, and I semi-regret sharing it in the manner that I did (i.e., share relevant context) instead of trying the other approach I'd formulated (i.e., "Sansara is what Arcade Fire would be if they were as good as the people who like Arcade Fire have convinced themselves that they are"). But I was in a mellow mood.
I was hugely let down by the lack of responses to my humble little post about Homestuck, which only garnered about .025 comments for every page of Homestuck. I think I might flesh it out a bit more and make another post, because it's a tragically-overlooked little webcomic without nearly as many fans as it deserves.
posted by rorgy at 12:17 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
I think the audience for this one was never large, but I also thought the audience would be larger than it turned out to be.
posted by kenko at 12:17 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by kenko at 12:17 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
Homestuck is overlooked?!
posted by kenko at 12:19 PM on November 24, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by kenko at 12:19 PM on November 24, 2015 [3 favorites]
i framed I'm Just a Guy Whose Library Has Gone Dark poorly. Eyebrows McGee did a great job of summing up what the thread was about. i still think it's heart achingly moving and i wish i had done a better job so more people would have watched/read.
as a note, i did receive some back channel feedback that the subject matter is very troubling for some people, so if you're overly bothered by seeing someone who has lost the ability to read, write, or (mostly) speak after a stroke, this isn't the post for you.
posted by nadawi at 12:25 PM on November 24, 2015
as a note, i did receive some back channel feedback that the subject matter is very troubling for some people, so if you're overly bothered by seeing someone who has lost the ability to read, write, or (mostly) speak after a stroke, this isn't the post for you.
posted by nadawi at 12:25 PM on November 24, 2015
Homestuck is overlooked?!
In much the same way that a huge tongue in one's cheek sometimes goes overlooked.
posted by Wolfdog at 12:29 PM on November 24, 2015 [3 favorites]
In much the same way that a huge tongue in one's cheek sometimes goes overlooked.
posted by Wolfdog at 12:29 PM on November 24, 2015 [3 favorites]
I am very fond of this analysis of Mad Max. It was really late in the thread, though, two months after the post first went up, so it's pretty buried.
Also, it was two years ago now, but I still really, really like Rappin Jake Sisko. I'll never be finished talking about the glory that is Rappin Jake Sisko. I feel like I went the wrong way making an obscure DS9 reference in the title, rather than making super clear what the topic actually was--Rappin Jake Sisko deserves more discussion than he got in that thread.
In general, though, I feel like my contributions get exactly as much (read: as little) recognition as they deserve.
posted by meese at 12:32 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
Also, it was two years ago now, but I still really, really like Rappin Jake Sisko. I'll never be finished talking about the glory that is Rappin Jake Sisko. I feel like I went the wrong way making an obscure DS9 reference in the title, rather than making super clear what the topic actually was--Rappin Jake Sisko deserves more discussion than he got in that thread.
In general, though, I feel like my contributions get exactly as much (read: as little) recognition as they deserve.
posted by meese at 12:32 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
No few of my posts have had obscure subjects, and, consequently, likely got as little attention as they deserved: for example, a post about the UK’s Common Cold Unit (4 comments); one about a new version of John Evelyn’s Sylva, or a Discourse of Forest-Trees, and the Propagation of Timber in His Majesties Dominions (4 comments, 1 of them mine); and a post about the cult novelist Alexander Trocchi (3 comments).
posted by misteraitch at 12:34 PM on November 24, 2015
posted by misteraitch at 12:34 PM on November 24, 2015
Inspired by some of the great pro wrestling discussion I've seen on Metafilter in recent years, I put a decent amount of work into this obit post for a wrestler whose greatest fame was around 30 years ago on a regional level, and wasn't as well known nationally as some of the more high-profile pro wrestlers who passed away this year (Dusty Rhodes and Roddy Piper who had very active FPPs upon their deaths). Thank you, delfin, for preventing it from being a complete swing and miss.
posted by The Gooch at 12:39 PM on November 24, 2015
posted by The Gooch at 12:39 PM on November 24, 2015
I wonder if more people would have checked out this post if I'd just said what I was actually thinking: Holy fucking shit, awesome and enormous vehicle builds bridges as it drives on them.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:59 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:59 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
I'm trying to get better about leaving "hey, I liked this!" style comments, but for me a comment is much more likely to mean that I hated something or have Opinions or just wanted to share a personal anecdote I find funny. I wouldn't usually consider a FPP with few comments to be a failure.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 1:09 PM on November 24, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 1:09 PM on November 24, 2015 [5 favorites]
a comment is much more likely to mean that I hated something or have Opinions
I think many posts are made for the same reasons!
posted by Wolfdog at 1:12 PM on November 24, 2015
I think many posts are made for the same reasons!
posted by Wolfdog at 1:12 PM on November 24, 2015
I harbored a secret hope that this post would spark a raucous live thread full of outrageous real-time comments about appoggiatura and Szymon Nehring's garbage rubato. Like, I really thought that was going to happen.
posted by theodolite at 1:18 PM on November 24, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by theodolite at 1:18 PM on November 24, 2015 [3 favorites]
Someone with time & know-how should see if anyone has more posts with < 10 comments by volume than I do.
posted by shakespeherian at 1:35 PM on November 24, 2015
posted by shakespeherian at 1:35 PM on November 24, 2015
Please wipe away your tears and share the posts you've made that you cherished, but which didn't have the impact you hoped for, that didn't get the love they frankly deserved.
How much time do you have?
posted by zarq at 1:38 PM on November 24, 2015 [7 favorites]
How much time do you have?
posted by zarq at 1:38 PM on November 24, 2015 [7 favorites]
Decidedly overlooked, my roundup of your forgotten posts from 2013, lol.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 1:39 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Potomac Avenue at 1:39 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
I'm usually not surprised when my posts about Dawes or some weird parody article gets ignored. But a post that involves Israel, The Streets, hip hop and Vice? Weird.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 1:45 PM on November 24, 2015
posted by Potomac Avenue at 1:45 PM on November 24, 2015
Dammit Potomac Avenue I searched and searched to find another MeTa about forgotten posts and I couldn't find one! Oh the irony...
posted by billiebee at 1:53 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by billiebee at 1:53 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
Here's the number of posts with fewer than 10 comments, total number of posts, and fraction of posts with fewer than 10 comments, sorted by the latter, limited to the top 25. I omitted the userids because this could be construed negatively.
14 14 1.0000
100 100 1.0000
59 60 0.9833
25 26 0.9615
60 66 0.9091
10 11 0.9091
12 14 0.8571
11 13 0.8462
48 57 0.8421
15 18 0.8333
10 12 0.8333
10 12 0.8333
14 17 0.8235
22 27 0.8148
18 23 0.7826
10 13 0.7692
10 13 0.7692
10 13 0.7692
46 61 0.7541
9 12 0.7500
51 68 0.7500
237 320 0.7406
8 11 0.7273
26 36 0.7222
36 50 0.7200
For reference, your fraction is 0.2364, shakespeherian. You're in a 3 way tie for 843rd place.
posted by jedicus at 1:54 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
14 14 1.0000
100 100 1.0000
59 60 0.9833
25 26 0.9615
60 66 0.9091
10 11 0.9091
12 14 0.8571
11 13 0.8462
48 57 0.8421
15 18 0.8333
10 12 0.8333
10 12 0.8333
14 17 0.8235
22 27 0.8148
18 23 0.7826
10 13 0.7692
10 13 0.7692
10 13 0.7692
46 61 0.7541
9 12 0.7500
51 68 0.7500
237 320 0.7406
8 11 0.7273
26 36 0.7222
36 50 0.7200
For reference, your fraction is 0.2364, shakespeherian. You're in a 3 way tie for 843rd place.
posted by jedicus at 1:54 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
That should really be controlled for the number of MeFi users active at the time the post was made...
posted by jedicus at 1:57 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by jedicus at 1:57 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
Can't believe I missed that Bernhard post, kenko.
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 2:03 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 2:03 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
That's the main reason I haven't sincerely tried figuring that out on my own -- there are like a trillion variables I can't be arsed with.
posted by shakespeherian at 2:03 PM on November 24, 2015
posted by shakespeherian at 2:03 PM on November 24, 2015
I had kinda hoped this would get more than one comment.
I hadn't even realized it got that one until I went after the link just now.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 2:08 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
I hadn't even realized it got that one until I went after the link just now.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 2:08 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
I think my unsuccessful posts were mainly ignored for good reason, so I don't have anything to contribute. I did get a weird nostalgic kick out of looking back on the full list and re-reading comments I'd forgotten, so thanks for the madeleine!
posted by rollick at 2:11 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by rollick at 2:11 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
We should post posts by others that were criminally ignored.
This british documentary about art changed my life forever. Thanks Adamvasco!
posted by Potomac Avenue at 2:22 PM on November 24, 2015 [3 favorites]
This british documentary about art changed my life forever. Thanks Adamvasco!
posted by Potomac Avenue at 2:22 PM on November 24, 2015 [3 favorites]
“Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”
posted by infini at 2:59 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by infini at 2:59 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
This was the one that broke my own heart. I thought he was so amazing, and making the post was the equivalent of that thing where you play music for your friends like "Omg wait til you hear this it's soooo good!" and then watch their faces for their reactions, and they politely listen for a few seconds and then look a bit bored and then just start talking about something else. Crushed, I was. Crushed.
posted by billiebee at 3:12 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by billiebee at 3:12 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
This isn't my post, but I want to nominate Fizz's recent FPP about Primo Levi. It's a very comprehensive post with a great selection of links, and I was disappointed to see that it only had 8 comments as of this moment. (It was posted on 11/2, so there's still time.) Levi's life and works are fascinating on a lot of levels, so I'm grateful to Fizz for taking the time to put that FPP together.
posted by litera scripta manet at 3:19 PM on November 24, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by litera scripta manet at 3:19 PM on November 24, 2015 [6 favorites]
I had one about butter churns...
DAM it!
posted by clavdivs at 3:39 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
DAM it!
posted by clavdivs at 3:39 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
Miko's post on Michael Twitty was sadly under-commented. I found it fascinating, and have continued to read Twitty's blog.
posted by MonkeyToes at 3:40 PM on November 24, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by MonkeyToes at 3:40 PM on November 24, 2015 [4 favorites]
My post about people who are internally displaced (i.e. refugees within their own countries) is my "one that got away". It's a fascinating topic and it was a great site (sadly gone, but preserved by the Internet Archive) full of amazing personal stories, but I didn't do it justice.
posted by Kattullus at 4:06 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Kattullus at 4:06 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
I was hugely let down by the lack of responses to my humble little post about Homestuck
I had to read all of Homestuck before any of the comments in the thread, and by the time I was caught up, the thread was closed.
posted by aubilenon at 4:16 PM on November 24, 2015 [4 favorites]
I had to read all of Homestuck before any of the comments in the thread, and by the time I was caught up, the thread was closed.
posted by aubilenon at 4:16 PM on November 24, 2015 [4 favorites]
I've put together a few obit posts for people who are important to the history of the 20th century mountain west/southwest, but who might not be well known outside of my home region. I tried to put a lot of background information into this obit of Reies Lopez Tijerina, who died last year. I was working on an exhibit about the Chicano movement at the time, so had all this stuff in my head. I hope those who read it wanted to learn more.
posted by heurtebise at 4:27 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by heurtebise at 4:27 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
But a post that involves Israel, The Streets, hip hop and Vice?
I totally forgot about this (and it was only single-link), but I was surprised that my post on the history of drag performance in San Francisco and how it ties into civil rights, trans issues, and the economic peril of the current boom times (you know, MeFi catnip) landed so quietly.
posted by psoas at 4:29 PM on November 24, 2015 [4 favorites]
I totally forgot about this (and it was only single-link), but I was surprised that my post on the history of drag performance in San Francisco and how it ties into civil rights, trans issues, and the economic peril of the current boom times (you know, MeFi catnip) landed so quietly.
posted by psoas at 4:29 PM on November 24, 2015 [4 favorites]
There are a couple just above this threshold that I personally wish people had found, or found more interesting, but this one about UCLA’s Bunche Center for African American Studies release of their 2015 Hollywood Diversity Report: Flipping The Script seemed particularly relevant, along with the linked article from the Hollywood Reporter. Perhaps a year-end review of it would be more interesting to people.
The one time I got cutesy with the framing of a post probably left people totally confused and it sunk, hard. (I assume if people just hated it they wouldn't be shy about making it known.) It was a just a funny little SLYT thing, but I tried to mimic the video's deadpan delivery and it was such a bad idea it doesn't deserve to be linked.
posted by Room 641-A at 4:31 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
The one time I got cutesy with the framing of a post probably left people totally confused and it sunk, hard. (I assume if people just hated it they wouldn't be shy about making it known.) It was a just a funny little SLYT thing, but I tried to mimic the video's deadpan delivery and it was such a bad idea it doesn't deserve to be linked.
posted by Room 641-A at 4:31 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
Oh yeah my worst posts have a ton of comments, when they survived.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 4:35 PM on November 24, 2015
posted by Potomac Avenue at 4:35 PM on November 24, 2015
grumpybear69: I'm super-proud of my fake chocolate milk jingle that I thought would have made more of a splash, but you know, who can ever tell?
HELLO, MILK
Flagged as fantastic.
posted by Room 641-A at 4:40 PM on November 24, 2015
HELLO, MILK
Flagged as fantastic.
posted by Room 641-A at 4:40 PM on November 24, 2015
psoas, I often think of that film. Something about the way it was shot, in addition to the subjects, made it really stick in my mind.
posted by jaguar at 5:00 PM on November 24, 2015
posted by jaguar at 5:00 PM on November 24, 2015
(Oops! I was thinking of a different drag post. Now I'm excited to read your link!)
posted by jaguar at 5:01 PM on November 24, 2015
posted by jaguar at 5:01 PM on November 24, 2015
I *loved* the video I linked in this post about the 90 second Newberry contest. One comment, one favourite.
Sigh.
At least they were from different people?
posted by jacquilynne at 5:06 PM on November 24, 2015
Sigh.
At least they were from different people?
posted by jacquilynne at 5:06 PM on November 24, 2015
I would like to nominate the CGAP Photo Contest post by HuronBob. The photos are gorgeously rendered. There is an option for a lightweight version of the webpage for those with limited internet connection bandwidth. CGAP's goal is promote responsible access to financial products to change people's lives for the better (e.g. microloans). That thread is still open (posted November 1).
(Inspiration for my comment came from litera scripta manet)
posted by cynical pinnacle at 5:08 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
(Inspiration for my comment came from litera scripta manet)
posted by cynical pinnacle at 5:08 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
It's not an ignored FPP that hurts me, it's an answer in AskMe.
posted by unliteral at 5:50 PM on November 24, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by unliteral at 5:50 PM on November 24, 2015 [4 favorites]
If we're nominating posts by other people, these stand out on my favorites list as relatively overlooked gems:
- flapjax at midnite's video instructions on how to get to a music venue in Tokyo were actually pretty great to watch by themselves.
- EndsOfInvention's Space Stories project was hilarious.
- Augenblick's book announcement might benefit from more details, but if someone ever makes an FPP about Adah Isaacs Menken (among other folks in the book) then I suspect you'll instantly want to buy this for any young readers in your life.
- Charity Garfein's FPP on independent baseball actually made me google whether there were any independent league teams nearby to go see, though I'm by no means a sports fan.
- OmieWise's annotated literary journalism syllabus FPP made me think, "Hunh, an annotated syllabus ... That's a genre of thing that had never occurred to me, and the choices on it were surprisingly interesting to think through."
- zarq's FPP on an essay by Jeannie Vanasco stood out for me in retrospect, because I posted her more recent essay, and I thought they were both great.
- Johnny Wallflower's FPP about a video memorial to a dog named Denali was very moving.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 6:06 PM on November 24, 2015 [7 favorites]
- flapjax at midnite's video instructions on how to get to a music venue in Tokyo were actually pretty great to watch by themselves.
- EndsOfInvention's Space Stories project was hilarious.
- Augenblick's book announcement might benefit from more details, but if someone ever makes an FPP about Adah Isaacs Menken (among other folks in the book) then I suspect you'll instantly want to buy this for any young readers in your life.
- Charity Garfein's FPP on independent baseball actually made me google whether there were any independent league teams nearby to go see, though I'm by no means a sports fan.
- OmieWise's annotated literary journalism syllabus FPP made me think, "Hunh, an annotated syllabus ... That's a genre of thing that had never occurred to me, and the choices on it were surprisingly interesting to think through."
- zarq's FPP on an essay by Jeannie Vanasco stood out for me in retrospect, because I posted her more recent essay, and I thought they were both great.
- Johnny Wallflower's FPP about a video memorial to a dog named Denali was very moving.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 6:06 PM on November 24, 2015 [7 favorites]
I read the Primo Levi post links, wept and read some more related things and thought about things that day for a while in depth because of that post, but didn't comment, only favourited the post as a nod to Fizz to say thanks. A post might have few comments, but still get a lot of meaning.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 6:11 PM on November 24, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 6:11 PM on November 24, 2015 [4 favorites]
Blame me. I've ignored 99% of FPPs this year.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 6:41 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Joseph Gurl at 6:41 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
BANGERS + SMASH got some comments but precious little love, which continues to perplex me. Who doesn't love junk cars hauling trailers crashing into each other while pretending to race?
posted by philip-random at 6:44 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by philip-random at 6:44 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
My post about The Hardly Boys was maybe a little coy. I should have stressed right up front that it was a movie with dogs solving mysteries while dressed as people.
posted by Iridic at 6:57 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Iridic at 6:57 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
This post, on Karima Bennoune's efforts to highlight the complexities of Muslim & ex-Muslim work against fundamentalism, only had a couple comments. However, it did get 20 favorites. While I would liked to have seen more discussion, I do appreciate that at least 20 people took note of the material.
posted by audi alteram partem at 7:15 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by audi alteram partem at 7:15 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
My post about the 60s/70s filmmaker Ivan Tors was one of my favorites to research. It didn't bomb, but it was nowhere near as universally nostalgic as I'd hoped, and it took days to put together. Just a few pity favs.
posted by Toekneesan at 7:17 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Toekneesan at 7:17 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
blahblahblah's Reddit n-gram post says "I await more insights in the discussion..."
I also await more insights in the discussion! The n-gram search is seriously fun to play around with, the results are easy to share, and Reddit is full of weird and terrible trends to document! And outdated memes! You can show that ermahgerd trails "gersberms" and "berks" like in this Mefi post, and that's pretty cool.
posted by knuckle tattoos at 8:40 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
I also await more insights in the discussion! The n-gram search is seriously fun to play around with, the results are easy to share, and Reddit is full of weird and terrible trends to document! And outdated memes! You can show that ermahgerd trails "gersberms" and "berks" like in this Mefi post, and that's pretty cool.
posted by knuckle tattoos at 8:40 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
My post on music libraries got seven times as many favs as comments from people not me. Tant pis, and I'll try not to dwell on the pityfav.
posted by holgate at 8:42 PM on November 24, 2015
posted by holgate at 8:42 PM on November 24, 2015
Mine have all been big hits.
posted by John Cohen at 9:32 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by John Cohen at 9:32 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
Quite a number of the posts mentioned here are ones that stand out in my memory, though I think I commented on only a few. I definitely don't think that the number of comments is a reflection of a post's quality. I was slightly surprised that my post the other day on salmon restoration received so few comments. Maybe the article was too long, maybe it was posted at just the wrong moment, who knows?
There are specific kinds of posts that are guaranteed to get lots of comments and attention, though not necessarily the most interesting discussions (nor with the kinds of great source material of some of the posts being linked here): "Sarah Palin: Feminist Icon"; "Study Links College Loans To Millenials' Irresponsible Hooking Up"; "Beloved Star Wars Character Dies." Those can be fun, but I mostly enjoy reading the more fringe and surprising posts instead.
posted by Dip Flash at 9:34 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
There are specific kinds of posts that are guaranteed to get lots of comments and attention, though not necessarily the most interesting discussions (nor with the kinds of great source material of some of the posts being linked here): "Sarah Palin: Feminist Icon"; "Study Links College Loans To Millenials' Irresponsible Hooking Up"; "Beloved Star Wars Character Dies." Those can be fun, but I mostly enjoy reading the more fringe and surprising posts instead.
posted by Dip Flash at 9:34 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
People were less enthused by a bunch of covers of “Boom Boom Boom Boom” than I expected. (Or not, really.)
posted by Going To Maine at 9:37 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Going To Maine at 9:37 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
Going to Maine, that is because I had not yet signed up for this site.
posted by teponaztli at 10:24 PM on November 24, 2015
posted by teponaztli at 10:24 PM on November 24, 2015
I think corb might be onto something with the video (and audio) links getting fewer comments -- worst received post was about goofy math songs, which seemed right up MetaFilter's alley, but it fell so flat that it might as well have been 2D. Maybe people file them away to watch/listen later and then don't? I'm pretty sure I do that often enough. That's right; I'm part of the problem. Sigh.
posted by GenjiandProust at 1:01 AM on November 25, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 1:01 AM on November 25, 2015 [4 favorites]
Protip: never post about one of your favorite bands on your birthday to Metafilter. It won't end well. I'm not going to link it, though this post on old b-movie websites still surprises me, and it surprises me how a similar post on the Flop House group got even less fans, since I spent my childhood into that stuff.
I also crafted an esoteric little puzzle around Alan Moore and UK culture, but it got deleted.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 2:22 AM on November 25, 2015
I also crafted an esoteric little puzzle around Alan Moore and UK culture, but it got deleted.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 2:22 AM on November 25, 2015
languagehat: Hey, that was great, thanks for calling my attention to it! And I favorited it just now, so there.
I favorited it too! Also, looking at the Wikipedia section on the legendary Virgil, I came across this delightful bit of etymology: "Virgil's legacy in medieval Wales was such that the Welsh version of his name, Fferyllt or Pheryllt, became a generic term for magic-worker, and survives in the modern Welsh word for pharmacist, fferyllydd."
posted by Kattullus at 2:56 AM on November 25, 2015 [4 favorites]
I favorited it too! Also, looking at the Wikipedia section on the legendary Virgil, I came across this delightful bit of etymology: "Virgil's legacy in medieval Wales was such that the Welsh version of his name, Fferyllt or Pheryllt, became a generic term for magic-worker, and survives in the modern Welsh word for pharmacist, fferyllydd."
posted by Kattullus at 2:56 AM on November 25, 2015 [4 favorites]
Posts that I thought would get more love: the state of trans women in Malaysia, life as a fake beauty queen, barriers of communication with accessibility, ASL music videos, a photoshoot of these two models whose skin colors are direct opposites of each other, art & code.
This FPP got a decent amount of comments, but most of them were hung up on "is perfume art?" rather than "how can we incorporate scent in art?".
posted by divabat at 3:06 AM on November 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
This FPP got a decent amount of comments, but most of them were hung up on "is perfume art?" rather than "how can we incorporate scent in art?".
posted by divabat at 3:06 AM on November 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
I had figured more people would have known who John Graves was.
It was the only obit post I've done & was pretty carefully crafted. He was an amazing writer.
posted by Devils Rancher at 3:12 AM on November 25, 2015
It was the only obit post I've done & was pretty carefully crafted. He was an amazing writer.
posted by Devils Rancher at 3:12 AM on November 25, 2015
My post about The Tone Generation only garnered four (very lovely) comments, even though it links to an absolutely fucking staggering radio series surveying the early years of electronic music, including hours of stuff you cant hear anywhere else online. The links in the post are all dead, but you can still listen to the series.
Also, nowhere near as good, but fun and sweet: Credible Likeable Superstar Role Model, about a wee girl who designed a feminist pop star. (I arsed this one up by making it look like the pop star was real in the body of the post and saving the interesting bit for the 'more inside'.)
posted by jack_mo at 3:54 AM on November 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
Also, nowhere near as good, but fun and sweet: Credible Likeable Superstar Role Model, about a wee girl who designed a feminist pop star. (I arsed this one up by making it look like the pop star was real in the body of the post and saving the interesting bit for the 'more inside'.)
posted by jack_mo at 3:54 AM on November 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
I had figured more people would have known who John Graves was.
I was coincidentally in Texas shortly after this and bought a stack of criminally under-priced first editions at the most charming used book store, and then read them in a kind of literary-fugue state-marathon, so I'd say you're doing the lord's work, son.
posted by ersatzkat at 4:34 AM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
I was coincidentally in Texas shortly after this and bought a stack of criminally under-priced first editions at the most charming used book store, and then read them in a kind of literary-fugue state-marathon, so I'd say you're doing the lord's work, son.
posted by ersatzkat at 4:34 AM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
Name this store? I may schedule a pilgrimage. The Half Price on North Lamar has a rare book room that I can't go in until I win the lottery - it is my kryptonite. Many years back, I did find a signed first edition of Günter Grass' Anesthesia that I couldn't pass up.
posted by Devils Rancher at 5:09 AM on November 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Devils Rancher at 5:09 AM on November 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
Bookmarked that Mersenne Prime song for the next time I teach number theory!
posted by yarntheory at 5:17 AM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by yarntheory at 5:17 AM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
A post I really wanted a lot more people to love was the one I did about Vancouver band North Atlantic Explorers, but only because I really really love them. But shout outs to the folks in that thread who did like them and discovered their music. I should pass that thread along to their lead singer as I suspect he might be pleased that I did that.
posted by Kitteh at 7:00 AM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Kitteh at 7:00 AM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
Man, I was (and am) really proud of this post on Omar Ibn Said, who wrote the only known surviving slave narrative in Arabic. I also thought Sarah Kendzior's article on Ferguson was pretty incredible.
posted by ChuraChura at 7:16 AM on November 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by ChuraChura at 7:16 AM on November 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
i posted one here about how declawing cats reduces greenhouse emissions,while increasing the power of the patriarchy and makes mcdonalds taste better than north carolinan barbecue but only if you eat the vegetarian menu with a compostable fork while humming rational opposition (to the melody of a beyonce track in an autotuned high-pitched squeee) to mainstream democratic presidential candidates
posted by lalochezia at 7:33 AM on November 25, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by lalochezia at 7:33 AM on November 25, 2015 [4 favorites]
Not clicking that but nice try.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 7:39 AM on November 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Potomac Avenue at 7:39 AM on November 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
i posted one here about how declawing cats reduces greenhouse emissions,while increasing the power of the patriarchy and makes mcdonalds taste better than north carolinan barbecue but only if you eat the vegetarian menu with a compostable fork while humming rational opposition (to the melody of a beyonce track in an autotuned high-pitched squeee) to mainstream democratic presidential candidates
Probably everyone realized that commenting there would just be a form of cultural appropriation.
posted by Wolfdog at 7:47 AM on November 25, 2015 [4 favorites]
Probably everyone realized that commenting there would just be a form of cultural appropriation.
posted by Wolfdog at 7:47 AM on November 25, 2015 [4 favorites]
I think corb might be onto something with the video (and audio) links getting fewer comments
I agree. Another one of my less heavily commented upon FPP's consisted of a single link to an hour-plus long podcast. In hindsight, the barrier to entry was way too high, so that one is on me.
posted by The Gooch at 7:58 AM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
I agree. Another one of my less heavily commented upon FPP's consisted of a single link to an hour-plus long podcast. In hindsight, the barrier to entry was way too high, so that one is on me.
posted by The Gooch at 7:58 AM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
corb: It might be that video links sometimes get less love! I sadly rarely have time to watch them, even if the subject is great.
Interestingly enough, back in 2011 artw polled MetaTalk and asked: "I seem to post a lot of FPPs that revolve around podcast or other audio content these days, and It's gotten me curious... how often do you stop and listen to the content in links of that kind? Is it more or less likely than the chances you would watch a video?"
The consensus was that most people skipped podcasts and other audio-only links, and some skipped videos. That may have changed, but it seems unlikely. If you're concerned that people will skip your post about a fantastic podcast or video series, or won't RTFA (I guess WatchTFV?) before commenting, then perhaps that's worth considering when setting expectations.
Some of my own megaposts have included a lot of links to videos. Of those, the ones that seemed to do best were about tv shows and movies that some folks had a passing familiarity with already. If you make a post about say, the Alien Nation tv show, there are folks here who remember watching it when it first aired and can talk about it.
posted by zarq at 8:15 AM on November 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
Interestingly enough, back in 2011 artw polled MetaTalk and asked: "I seem to post a lot of FPPs that revolve around podcast or other audio content these days, and It's gotten me curious... how often do you stop and listen to the content in links of that kind? Is it more or less likely than the chances you would watch a video?"
The consensus was that most people skipped podcasts and other audio-only links, and some skipped videos. That may have changed, but it seems unlikely. If you're concerned that people will skip your post about a fantastic podcast or video series, or won't RTFA (I guess WatchTFV?) before commenting, then perhaps that's worth considering when setting expectations.
Some of my own megaposts have included a lot of links to videos. Of those, the ones that seemed to do best were about tv shows and movies that some folks had a passing familiarity with already. If you make a post about say, the Alien Nation tv show, there are folks here who remember watching it when it first aired and can talk about it.
posted by zarq at 8:15 AM on November 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
Oh hey, the edit window now says "Fix Typos." Smart!
posted by zarq at 8:16 AM on November 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by zarq at 8:16 AM on November 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
> Man, I was (and am) really proud of this post on Omar Ibn Said, who wrote the only known surviving slave narrative in Arabic.
Heh. I thought "Hey, that sounds really interesting, and I think I have that narrative in Arabic!"... and then I clicked through and found that I had left one of the few comments.
posted by languagehat at 8:40 AM on November 25, 2015 [5 favorites]
Heh. I thought "Hey, that sounds really interesting, and I think I have that narrative in Arabic!"... and then I clicked through and found that I had left one of the few comments.
posted by languagehat at 8:40 AM on November 25, 2015 [5 favorites]
Name this store? I may schedule a pilgrimage. The Half Price on North Lamar has a rare book room that I can't go in until I win the lottery - it is my kryptonite. Many years back, I did find a signed first edition of Günter Grass' Anesthesia that I couldn't pass up.
This one, in Denton, TX. I also bought a first edition 3-volume "Complete Letters of Vincent van Gogh" that was in *pristine* condition for like, 50 bucks. I was lucky that trip home to be bumped to first class on AA, which gave me a higher baggage weight allowance!
posted by ersatzkat at 8:48 AM on November 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
This one, in Denton, TX. I also bought a first edition 3-volume "Complete Letters of Vincent van Gogh" that was in *pristine* condition for like, 50 bucks. I was lucky that trip home to be bumped to first class on AA, which gave me a higher baggage weight allowance!
posted by ersatzkat at 8:48 AM on November 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
This post, going through the archives of people talking about what fashion means to them, got torpedoed right out of the gate and never recovered and I'm still, four years later, a little annoyed by that.
posted by The Whelk at 8:58 AM on November 25, 2015 [9 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 8:58 AM on November 25, 2015 [9 favorites]
ugh, wow yuck, The Whelk, that's just everyone arguing with one clod who just should have had their early comments about "Clothes are wrapping hahaha" deleted or curtailed at some point. What was with all that hahaha anyway? Boo.
Thanks for calling out that cool post though!
posted by sweetkid at 9:13 AM on November 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
Thanks for calling out that cool post though!
posted by sweetkid at 9:13 AM on November 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
My what-was-this-story-I-read question from 2008 hasn't been answered yet!
posted by headnsouth at 9:20 AM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by headnsouth at 9:20 AM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
My post about Irish indie rock was so lovingly created, and so unnoticed. I had high hopes that it would be as well received as my Scottish indie rock post. One of the bands I mentioned linked to the post on their Facebook account, though, so that brightened my day.
posted by banjo_and_the_pork at 9:27 AM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by banjo_and_the_pork at 9:27 AM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
Name this store?
recycled is amazing. carve out a day or two to really get through it. then if you like thrift stores, spend another day across the street at the two antique malls. make sure to walk down to beth marie's for an ice cream cone.
if you're the type to pilgrimage for cool used/out of print book stores, might i also suggest dickson st. bookshop in fayetteville, ar.
posted by nadawi at 9:31 AM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
recycled is amazing. carve out a day or two to really get through it. then if you like thrift stores, spend another day across the street at the two antique malls. make sure to walk down to beth marie's for an ice cream cone.
if you're the type to pilgrimage for cool used/out of print book stores, might i also suggest dickson st. bookshop in fayetteville, ar.
posted by nadawi at 9:31 AM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
This one, in Denton, TX.
Nice! Denton also has a county courthouse that really needs photographing. Road trip! (I love 281 up through Stephenville -- it's actually a very nice drive, & I could stop at Joe T. Garcia's in Ft. Worth for dinner.
posted by Devils Rancher at 10:24 AM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
Nice! Denton also has a county courthouse that really needs photographing. Road trip! (I love 281 up through Stephenville -- it's actually a very nice drive, & I could stop at Joe T. Garcia's in Ft. Worth for dinner.
posted by Devils Rancher at 10:24 AM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
To save anyone else immediately looking for banjo_and_the_pork's Scottish Indie post, it's here. No Urusei Yatsura love in-thread, but otherwise great!
posted by comealongpole at 10:31 AM on November 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by comealongpole at 10:31 AM on November 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
the denton courthouse also has a tiny little museum in it which i enjoyed.
posted by nadawi at 10:38 AM on November 25, 2015
posted by nadawi at 10:38 AM on November 25, 2015
comealongpole, I had completely forgotten about Urusei Yatsura until like a month ago, when I remembered how often I played Slain by Elf on my college radio show! So great!
posted by banjo_and_the_pork at 10:40 AM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by banjo_and_the_pork at 10:40 AM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
No one liked this one very much.
Your lone comment on that post was funny, at least.
posted by zarq at 11:01 AM on November 25, 2015 [7 favorites]
Your lone comment on that post was funny, at least.
posted by zarq at 11:01 AM on November 25, 2015 [7 favorites]
I was a bit disappointed that this post didn't attract more comments. Unfortunately, it was a bit too mystery meat-ish, and the initial, now-deleted comment(s) were unhappy about that. Plus, at 120 paragraphs it's a long read.
One of the more consistent trends in my posts is links to essays, articles and stories that I think are intelligently and creatively written. Each paragraph in that 5000-word autobiography is made up of five sentences -- one of each of the five basic sentence types: fragment, simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex. They are never used in the same order. In addition to being a compelling read, it's a deft creative exercise that surprisingly, maintains a comfortable rhythm.
posted by zarq at 11:27 AM on November 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
One of the more consistent trends in my posts is links to essays, articles and stories that I think are intelligently and creatively written. Each paragraph in that 5000-word autobiography is made up of five sentences -- one of each of the five basic sentence types: fragment, simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex. They are never used in the same order. In addition to being a compelling read, it's a deft creative exercise that surprisingly, maintains a comfortable rhythm.
posted by zarq at 11:27 AM on November 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
I'm kinda surprised lharmon's recent post about beautiful Lego Star Wars photos was overlooked. The pictures were great, the creativity in the settings and storytelling was wonderful, and some of the captions were priceless. Seriously, the one I quoted about the one-armed Chewie? That's genius worth promoting. Are we in Star Wars overload? Lego backlash? Had enough of inventive photography? Definitely worth a look.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 12:36 PM on November 25, 2015
posted by GhostintheMachine at 12:36 PM on November 25, 2015
I had hoped for more for this post about Chinese Lianhuanhua; I think I got too excited about the Star Wars "adaptation" into the form that I had somehow stumbled upon and I wanted to get the post up quick. I probably could have fleshed the post out with more about the form and history, and maybe found some other examples; and it looks like link rot is setting in a bit now too.
Sigh. Our history in this future is fleeting and temporary.
posted by nubs at 1:16 PM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
Sigh. Our history in this future is fleeting and temporary.
posted by nubs at 1:16 PM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
I didn't think this was an awesome FPP but I did think that, given the number of authors on MeFi, it would have solicited more tales of contemporary agony.
I was disappointed by the volume of agony.
posted by DarlingBri at 1:51 PM on November 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
I was disappointed by the volume of agony.
posted by DarlingBri at 1:51 PM on November 25, 2015 [2 favorites]
> ugh, wow yuck, The Whelk, that's just everyone arguing with one clod who just should have had their early comments about "Clothes are wrapping hahaha" deleted or curtailed at some point. What was with all that hahaha anyway? Boo.
Not only that, but all those jerky comments are virtually the entirety of said clod's participation on the site. Boo indeed.
posted by languagehat at 1:54 PM on November 25, 2015
Not only that, but all those jerky comments are virtually the entirety of said clod's participation on the site. Boo indeed.
posted by languagehat at 1:54 PM on November 25, 2015
More magic-wielding pharmacists!
posted by clavdivs at 2:16 PM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by clavdivs at 2:16 PM on November 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
I once posted this about what I called (classical) 'pianists' hidden identities,' and it was all over after very few comments...
posted by Namlit at 3:10 PM on November 25, 2015
posted by Namlit at 3:10 PM on November 25, 2015
I just hope people here will keep posting their favorite bands. Even though there's often not many comments and half of them are variations on "your favorite band sucks". I've discovered a ton of great music via posts and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
posted by honestcoyote at 10:24 PM on November 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by honestcoyote at 10:24 PM on November 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
It's funny, looking at this survey of unloved children, painfully obvious to me that "international" posts tend to generate far less interest - even though I think they are often some of the best quality on the site. I only made two posts this year, I wish my first had gotten a little more interest. The barrier to entry was not high, and the content fascinating and easily digestible, but so it goes with international, especially non-english, especially developing-country-centric posts, I have found.
I don't exclude myself from this criticism. My mefite resolution for the new year is to make an effort to read more of the international (excluding American) posts, and engage with them.
posted by smoke at 12:10 AM on November 26, 2015 [10 favorites]
I don't exclude myself from this criticism. My mefite resolution for the new year is to make an effort to read more of the international (excluding American) posts, and engage with them.
posted by smoke at 12:10 AM on November 26, 2015 [10 favorites]
I just hope people here will keep posting their favorite bands. Even though there's often not many comments and half of them are variations on "your favorite band sucks". I've discovered a ton of great music via posts and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
I just want to emphasize this. Most of the interesting new music I have found in the last few years has been from here, and I really appreciate the music posts.
It's funny, looking at this survey of unloved children, painfully obvious to me that "international" posts tend to generate far less interest - even though I think they are often some of the best quality on the site.
I agree with this also, and I am sure I could do better to consistently read, support, and engage with these posts.
posted by Dip Flash at 12:28 AM on November 26, 2015 [4 favorites]
I just want to emphasize this. Most of the interesting new music I have found in the last few years has been from here, and I really appreciate the music posts.
It's funny, looking at this survey of unloved children, painfully obvious to me that "international" posts tend to generate far less interest - even though I think they are often some of the best quality on the site.
I agree with this also, and I am sure I could do better to consistently read, support, and engage with these posts.
posted by Dip Flash at 12:28 AM on November 26, 2015 [4 favorites]
(Dip Flash and Smoke, you two are probably the most consistent commenters on anything I post about Africa - your engagement is very much appreciated!)
posted by ChuraChura at 5:26 AM on November 26, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by ChuraChura at 5:26 AM on November 26, 2015 [6 favorites]
Five comments may seem like not record-breakingly few, but you should understand that this post about goofy math parody songs got comments from literally no one but people I was already talking to about the post content earlier that same day.
posted by cortex (staff) at 2:05 PM on November 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by cortex (staff) at 2:05 PM on November 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
I just favorited this thread to read all the links as soon as I have time and only then realized the irony.
posted by hat_eater at 2:14 PM on November 26, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by hat_eater at 2:14 PM on November 26, 2015 [7 favorites]
I often just post things for myself, because I find them interesting. And I think to myself: "Maybe someone will fav and bookmark these links for later, and maybe they'll gain some small measure of joy that I received!"
And often, that's enough. The comments and discussion are just bonus. :)
posted by Fizz at 3:56 PM on November 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
And often, that's enough. The comments and discussion are just bonus. :)
posted by Fizz at 3:56 PM on November 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
I definitely try to look at all the international posts but rarely comment on them because I feel like I'd be getting all American about it unless I just wrote "neat" or something.
I guess I don't see number of comments as that useful of a metric to know if something's over looked or ignored.
posted by sweetkid at 4:14 PM on November 26, 2015
I guess I don't see number of comments as that useful of a metric to know if something's over looked or ignored.
posted by sweetkid at 4:14 PM on November 26, 2015
I finally made it to the thread The Whelk posted, and... wow. Just wow.
posted by meese at 4:35 PM on November 26, 2015
posted by meese at 4:35 PM on November 26, 2015
I'm still really disappointed that this post got so much attention on the menstruating marathon runner and so little on the taboo status of menstruation and the huge effects it has on women's health and lives. I picked an example from the western world to try to capture interest and, well, it captured that interest a little too well. I suppose otherwise it would have just been another post about the developing world that would have been ignored because yeah, what else can you expect it's the third world and the resounding, echoing silence of we don't think we can do anything about it so we'll just pretend it's not there. Give us a bleeding marathon runner, that's something we can really get outraged or defensive about!
Yes okay, I'm a little cynical today. I blame the stupid seasonal event many of you are enjoying.
Meanwhile, other people's recent posts that I think got less attention than they should have:
A letter to Hild by dhruva got a lot of favourites but not much discussion, despite being a fascinating article.
Deoridhe's post about stealth masculinities and trans identities (which is really much more complex than I've made it sound) was fabulous. I didn't feel comfortable commenting but thought it was great.
Also I want to thank people who post about webcomics, indie online games and pretty much any creative women's endeavours—even if it's as obituaries. Even more so if they come from outside the US. I learn so much and often seek out the creators' other works, often forgetting to come back and say thanks for the referral. It's really awesome stuff.
posted by Athanassiel at 5:49 PM on November 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
Yes okay, I'm a little cynical today. I blame the stupid seasonal event many of you are enjoying.
Meanwhile, other people's recent posts that I think got less attention than they should have:
A letter to Hild by dhruva got a lot of favourites but not much discussion, despite being a fascinating article.
Deoridhe's post about stealth masculinities and trans identities (which is really much more complex than I've made it sound) was fabulous. I didn't feel comfortable commenting but thought it was great.
Also I want to thank people who post about webcomics, indie online games and pretty much any creative women's endeavours—even if it's as obituaries. Even more so if they come from outside the US. I learn so much and often seek out the creators' other works, often forgetting to come back and say thanks for the referral. It's really awesome stuff.
posted by Athanassiel at 5:49 PM on November 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
I just want to emphasize this. Most of the interesting new music I have found in the last few years has been from here, and I really appreciate the music posts.
Yes!
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 6:10 PM on November 26, 2015
Yes!
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 6:10 PM on November 26, 2015
I feel that this deserved a best answer, or at least a few more favorites, seeing as how it was one of the few that answered the question. I rarely answer questions on AskMe unless I'm pretty sure I know the right answer, and this was a right answer.
posted by Daily Alice at 7:19 PM on November 26, 2015
posted by Daily Alice at 7:19 PM on November 26, 2015
I thought more people would be amused by a bunch of wacky, barely running art-project cars endurance-racing in the 24 Hours of Lemons post I made awhile back. The backwards truck chassis and the self-powered pop-out camper were quite chuckle-worthy rolling down the track. But the comments were from at least one or two folks who'd actually done the race, which was appreciated.
posted by Existential Dread at 9:40 PM on November 28, 2015
posted by Existential Dread at 9:40 PM on November 28, 2015
ugh, wow yuck, The Whelk, that's just everyone arguing with one clod who just should have had their early comments about "Clothes are wrapping hahaha" deleted or curtailed at some point. What was with all that hahaha anyway? Boo.
For real. Even the first comment is textbook "is this something I would need a TV to etc" material. But that other dude with his spocking about his strictly utilitarian approach to clothes was pretty crappy. Shame, too. That was a good post.
This was such a great story, and it did garner a lot of favorites, but just the one comment and that comment is sorta ...
HOLY SHIT WOW. What a horrible comment. I'm honestly surprised no one challenged it.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 8:29 AM on November 29, 2015
For real. Even the first comment is textbook "is this something I would need a TV to etc" material. But that other dude with his spocking about his strictly utilitarian approach to clothes was pretty crappy. Shame, too. That was a good post.
This was such a great story, and it did garner a lot of favorites, but just the one comment and that comment is sorta ...
HOLY SHIT WOW. What a horrible comment. I'm honestly surprised no one challenged it.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 8:29 AM on November 29, 2015
In the sense of acting like everyone is being "highly illogical" and your hot take is the calm, reasonable position not influenced by emotion in the discussion. Not the hilarious defacing of legal tender.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 11:22 AM on November 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 11:22 AM on November 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
But that other dude with his spocking about his strictly utilitarian approach to clothes was pretty crappy.
Huh, I assumed that TraumaT identifies as female. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's the impression I got from lines like "I wear clothes that are comfortable and also are not too flashy or revealing" and "I dress modest."
(I may be reading into it too much--I've recently read a bit about "modesty" clothing for women and girls in fundamentalist communities)
posted by Joseph Gurl at 6:16 PM on November 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
Huh, I assumed that TraumaT identifies as female. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's the impression I got from lines like "I wear clothes that are comfortable and also are not too flashy or revealing" and "I dress modest."
(I may be reading into it too much--I've recently read a bit about "modesty" clothing for women and girls in fundamentalist communities)
posted by Joseph Gurl at 6:16 PM on November 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
Yeah I have no idea, either. Well, r/dude/person.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 4:52 AM on November 30, 2015
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 4:52 AM on November 30, 2015
Oh, boy. I've had FPPs that either didn't get much attention, or got a lot of the wrong sort of attention. Although in fairness, those FPPs did teach me a lot.
* Apparently I'm one of only a handful of MeFites who like classic gospel music. Special thanks to flapjax at midnite for his encouraging and appreciative memails to me after I made those posts.
* One of my early FPPs--my post about the first child ever diagnosed with autism --certainly got comments. Unfortunately, thanks to the first comment, the discussion immediately devolved into a skirmish about the medicating and over-diagnosing of children. I am forever grateful to Scientist and others who read the linked article and tried to elevate the tone of the discussion.
* Another early FPP I made ended up being a lesson for me about the problems that can result in unintentionally burying the lead. When I posted "Then I See His Penis Out!" A YouTube cellphone video is making the rounds today of a woman fearlessly confronting a flasher on a New York City subway car, I innocently thought it would inspire a discussion about sexual harassment in public spaces, especially given that the second link in the post was to an article about how flashers were using the incident to coach other flashers.
Instead, someone brought up the subway's emergency stop cord. After that, a good hunk of the thread was devote to talking about what the emergency stop cord was for, when one should and should not pull the emergency stop cord, how proper emergency stop cord use is different from city to city, alternative emergency stop cord technology, and on and on and on and on and on and on. You know the stereotype of how, when a woman is raped, some people will ask "What was she wearing?" In that thread, it felt more like "A woman was dick-flashed on the subway? Did she pull the emergency stop cord? Please don't tell me she pulled the emergency stop cord! OH GOD THE STOP CORD!!!"
In fairness, several people posted about the sexual harassment they'd experience in public places, how glad they were to see this woman take action and receive public support, and how disturbing it was to learn that flashers and others are now using the internet to teach others how to harass women. I'm so grateful to them for their contributions to that thread, despite the intense analysis of the emergency stop cord and its role in public transportation policy. #StillBitter
I do feel if I had composed the FPP differently, it might have fostered another discussion. Looking at it now, I think I should have lead with something along the lines of "Harassment 101: You, too, can learn how to flash, grope, and otherwise harass women while avoiding arrest! Just join these online communities" with a link to the Salon article, and then followed up with the Youtube link: "This video shows a flasher getting publicly busted, but some harassers are using it as an instructional tool for other so-called 'exhibitionists'" (or something similar).
Still...every time I have reason to even think about subways, I cannot help think of those fucking emergency stop cords. God knows what I'll do to one if I ever find myself on a subway.
posted by magstheaxe at 8:37 AM on December 1, 2015 [12 favorites]
* Apparently I'm one of only a handful of MeFites who like classic gospel music. Special thanks to flapjax at midnite for his encouraging and appreciative memails to me after I made those posts.
* One of my early FPPs--my post about the first child ever diagnosed with autism --certainly got comments. Unfortunately, thanks to the first comment, the discussion immediately devolved into a skirmish about the medicating and over-diagnosing of children. I am forever grateful to Scientist and others who read the linked article and tried to elevate the tone of the discussion.
* Another early FPP I made ended up being a lesson for me about the problems that can result in unintentionally burying the lead. When I posted "Then I See His Penis Out!" A YouTube cellphone video is making the rounds today of a woman fearlessly confronting a flasher on a New York City subway car, I innocently thought it would inspire a discussion about sexual harassment in public spaces, especially given that the second link in the post was to an article about how flashers were using the incident to coach other flashers.
Instead, someone brought up the subway's emergency stop cord. After that, a good hunk of the thread was devote to talking about what the emergency stop cord was for, when one should and should not pull the emergency stop cord, how proper emergency stop cord use is different from city to city, alternative emergency stop cord technology, and on and on and on and on and on and on. You know the stereotype of how, when a woman is raped, some people will ask "What was she wearing?" In that thread, it felt more like "A woman was dick-flashed on the subway? Did she pull the emergency stop cord? Please don't tell me she pulled the emergency stop cord! OH GOD THE STOP CORD!!!"
In fairness, several people posted about the sexual harassment they'd experience in public places, how glad they were to see this woman take action and receive public support, and how disturbing it was to learn that flashers and others are now using the internet to teach others how to harass women. I'm so grateful to them for their contributions to that thread, despite the intense analysis of the emergency stop cord and its role in public transportation policy. #StillBitter
I do feel if I had composed the FPP differently, it might have fostered another discussion. Looking at it now, I think I should have lead with something along the lines of "Harassment 101: You, too, can learn how to flash, grope, and otherwise harass women while avoiding arrest! Just join these online communities" with a link to the Salon article, and then followed up with the Youtube link: "This video shows a flasher getting publicly busted, but some harassers are using it as an instructional tool for other so-called 'exhibitionists'" (or something similar).
Still...every time I have reason to even think about subways, I cannot help think of those fucking emergency stop cords. God knows what I'll do to one if I ever find myself on a subway.
posted by magstheaxe at 8:37 AM on December 1, 2015 [12 favorites]
Wow, magstheaxe. That flasher thread was a trip back in time, and not an enjoyable one (except insofar as it refreshed my memory re: voices of reason like emjaybee and rtha). The Harassment 101 discussion is still one that needs to happen.
posted by virago at 10:41 AM on December 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by virago at 10:41 AM on December 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Instead, someone brought up the subway's emergency stop cord.
Aaaaaaahhhhhhh I remember this! That thread was a nightmare. Ditto the ensuing MeTa.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 10:03 AM on December 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Aaaaaaahhhhhhh I remember this! That thread was a nightmare. Ditto the ensuing MeTa.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 10:03 AM on December 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Well, my latest labor of love just landed with a dull thump.
posted by Mchelly at 2:58 PM on December 3, 2015
posted by Mchelly at 2:58 PM on December 3, 2015
my latest labor of love
Which is not only a pleasing one, but also now contains a wonderfully eponysterical comment.
posted by MonkeyToes at 3:22 PM on December 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Which is not only a pleasing one, but also now contains a wonderfully eponysterical comment.
posted by MonkeyToes at 3:22 PM on December 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
It's only been up for a little bit though? We're not going to get hundreds of comments in hours on a hat post v say current events
posted by sweetkid at 3:39 PM on December 3, 2015
posted by sweetkid at 3:39 PM on December 3, 2015
await the thanks and admiration of your fellow MeFites
Vanity of vanities.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 12:37 PM on December 4, 2015 [2 favorites]
Vanity of vanities.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 12:37 PM on December 4, 2015 [2 favorites]
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posted by Wolfdog at 11:20 AM on November 24, 2015