MetaWhat? MetaWho? MetaHuh? October 8, 2017 7:41 AM Subscribe
I wanted to know what parts of this community do you sometimes forget, neglect, or outright ignore? Maybe it's lack of interest or maybe it's just something you keep forgetting exists? FanFare? Jobs? AskMeFi? Labs? Chat? Podcast? Are you only on the blue? What part of MetaFilter is pushed to the side?
MetaDating. Though it's perhaps not surprising that I keep forgetting to check messages and update my profile (I'm Tarquin HempleWhistle the Third) on there, as it's buried deep in a non-obvious part of the menu structure and is also hardly ever mentioned in discussions.
(And if you are reading this, anonymous aristocracy MeFite, I'm not returning your butler-summoning handbell until you return my teapot. Good day to you, Madam.)
posted by Wordshore at 7:52 AM on October 8, 2017 [7 favorites]
(And if you are reading this, anonymous aristocracy MeFite, I'm not returning your butler-summoning handbell until you return my teapot. Good day to you, Madam.)
posted by Wordshore at 7:52 AM on October 8, 2017 [7 favorites]
I'm mostly reading green, blue and grey. I guess I forget Music and FanFare. But then again, music is my profession (meaning I got enough of that already), and to discuss movies and shows I have my own in-house expert to consult.
Also, MetaTalk: I'm not returning your butler-summoning handbell until you return my teapot
posted by Namlit at 7:57 AM on October 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
Also, MetaTalk: I'm not returning your butler-summoning handbell until you return my teapot
posted by Namlit at 7:57 AM on October 8, 2017 [2 favorites]
I'm pretty much only on the blue, FanFare, Ask and here. Occasionally check Projects. Been meaning to post stuff I don't know where to fit on my projects to Music, but I don't think anyone is interested in it anyway.
posted by lmfsilva at 7:57 AM on October 8, 2017
posted by lmfsilva at 7:57 AM on October 8, 2017
Well I didn't even know about labs!
posted by one4themoment at 7:58 AM on October 8, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by one4themoment at 7:58 AM on October 8, 2017 [6 favorites]
I forget about FanFare until I've just watched a movie or TV that I Have Opinions about and remember that it is there and am pleased. Which reminds me, I need to go check there for the recent Alien movie....
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 8:00 AM on October 8, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 8:00 AM on October 8, 2017 [9 favorites]
I'm mostly on the green, a bit on the blue, and sometimes here. I didn't even know about some of the other things, and this post inspired me to check out the IRL tab and see that there have been meet ups near me, so thanks for the nudge.
[Also, is Metadating a real thing? Embarrassing to ask but I am really that out of it...]
posted by rpfields at 8:01 AM on October 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
[Also, is Metadating a real thing? Embarrassing to ask but I am really that out of it...]
posted by rpfields at 8:01 AM on October 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
Also, is Metadating a real thing? Embarrassing to ask but I am really that out of it...
Nope, on the level of Over My Dead Body because good god I cannot imagine dealing with the fallout. MeFites who date each other via their own communicative gumption is totally a thing, though, so in the sense that mefimail exists I guess it's not nothin.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:04 AM on October 8, 2017 [22 favorites]
Nope, on the level of Over My Dead Body because good god I cannot imagine dealing with the fallout. MeFites who date each other via their own communicative gumption is totally a thing, though, so in the sense that mefimail exists I guess it's not nothin.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:04 AM on October 8, 2017 [22 favorites]
MeFites who date each other via their own communicative gumption is totally a thing
As well as A Thing, iirc.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 8:05 AM on October 8, 2017 [7 favorites]
As well as A Thing, iirc.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 8:05 AM on October 8, 2017 [7 favorites]
Usually I just read the Blue and Fanfare and check Ask and Talk every few days. IRL only when I get an email notification which is only once or twice a year because we Pittsburgh Mefites don't seem to get out much.
posted by octothorpe at 8:06 AM on October 8, 2017
posted by octothorpe at 8:06 AM on October 8, 2017
[Also, is Metadating a real thing? Embarrassing to ask but I am really that out of it...]
MetaDating: Swipe Right for Cortex
posted by Fizz at 8:16 AM on October 8, 2017 [8 favorites]
MetaDating: Swipe Right for Cortex
posted by Fizz at 8:16 AM on October 8, 2017 [8 favorites]
I love the Green (that’s what originally brought me here) and usually check it during my morning web browsing, often on my lunch break, and then again in the evening. No contest—it’s my favorite part of MetaFilter.
I look at posts on the Blue maybe once a day but only dive into a post a couple of times a week. I’ve gotten much more into the Gray since the Saturday night topics started—I love reading those even when I don’t chime in because it usually feels like reading snippets of a lot of really great novels. I just adore the “slice of life” aspect of those threads.
Once in a great while I’ll check FanFare, but I rarely, if ever,visit any of the other areas.
posted by bookmammal at 8:21 AM on October 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
I look at posts on the Blue maybe once a day but only dive into a post a couple of times a week. I’ve gotten much more into the Gray since the Saturday night topics started—I love reading those even when I don’t chime in because it usually feels like reading snippets of a lot of really great novels. I just adore the “slice of life” aspect of those threads.
Once in a great while I’ll check FanFare, but I rarely, if ever,visit any of the other areas.
posted by bookmammal at 8:21 AM on October 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
As a mod it's sort of an un-question since mod needs mean I can't really forget about anywhere. But, for me, Ask is definitely the spot I spend the least of my personal time relative to the amount of site activity it represents. Which is a bummer, because there's always a bunch of good stuff when I do go look, which happens on a monthly-ish cycle prepping for and then talking with Jessamyn on the podcast.
I think it's mostly that I've gotten so much in the habit over the years of simultaneously managing and being annoyed by the outlier annoying bits that require moderative intervention that I forget to go looking on my own for stuff to just actually enjoy. Which can happen with moderation on all parts of the site, but I think something about the nature of how I gravitate toward stuff on the blue in my leisure time just means I divvy up my spare attention in a lopsided way.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:30 AM on October 8, 2017
I think it's mostly that I've gotten so much in the habit over the years of simultaneously managing and being annoyed by the outlier annoying bits that require moderative intervention that I forget to go looking on my own for stuff to just actually enjoy. Which can happen with moderation on all parts of the site, but I think something about the nature of how I gravitate toward stuff on the blue in my leisure time just means I divvy up my spare attention in a lopsided way.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:30 AM on October 8, 2017
I often forget about Music, Projects, and Jobs. In an attempt to spend less time suckling from the great content teat of my RSS reader, I dropped everything else MF except for Meta and Fanfare from my RSS reader - particularly Ask, which is a huge time-suck. I still check the front page once or twice every day, and occasionally look at Ask, and regularly watch my 'recent activity' page. But shifting it to a pull operation has helped me break away a bit. I often end up on ask because of a popular comment or because someone I know comments there and gets favs so it shows up on the sidebar.
posted by rmd1023 at 8:55 AM on October 8, 2017
posted by rmd1023 at 8:55 AM on October 8, 2017
I skim the blue every day, though I probably only read a few of the links/threads. AskMeFi I check a few times a day, and read the questions that interest me. FanFare I check specifically for movies/TV shows I am interested in discussing -- I basically ignore whatever's currently on the page. I basically never visit Projects, Music, and Jobs. I've listened to the podcast once. I recently set up IRL notifications with the idea that I'll go to any meetups that are close enough for me to walk to. I think I've checked out Chat once. I used to read MeTa much more, but have been not bothering with it for quite some time.
posted by orange swan at 9:07 AM on October 8, 2017
posted by orange swan at 9:07 AM on October 8, 2017
I've glanced at Jobs a few times but never saw anything remotely in my area so haven't kept an eye on it.
Projects and music I've also glanced at, without finding a lot to grab me. I'm sure there is great content in both, just never dug deep enough to engage.
Like Jessamyn, I forget Fanfare is there but enjoy it when there is a particular show or movie I am interested in. I've also used it a few times to take a look at old discussions to see if a show is going to be worth my time or not. I feel like the organization or interface there could be improved; I don't find the current set up an intuitive way to engage with culture.
posted by Dip Flash at 9:18 AM on October 8, 2017
Projects and music I've also glanced at, without finding a lot to grab me. I'm sure there is great content in both, just never dug deep enough to engage.
Like Jessamyn, I forget Fanfare is there but enjoy it when there is a particular show or movie I am interested in. I've also used it a few times to take a look at old discussions to see if a show is going to be worth my time or not. I feel like the organization or interface there could be improved; I don't find the current set up an intuitive way to engage with culture.
posted by Dip Flash at 9:18 AM on October 8, 2017
I never read Music Talk. I don't look at the Podcast site as I don't listen to podcasts (sorry). I rarely read Jobs or Projects, and never Chat.
I almost never look at the pages from links on the upper left-hand bar: FAQ, About, Archives, Mefi Wiki, Tags, Random, Best Of (especially since Best Of is also the sidebar). Does anyone use the Tags pages? Popular is the one exception for me. Also as I write this I notice they're not consistent between subsites, except occasionally they are, which somehow bothers me. There's ...what, 6 different versions? Huh.
posted by Upton O'Good at 9:44 AM on October 8, 2017
I almost never look at the pages from links on the upper left-hand bar: FAQ, About, Archives, Mefi Wiki, Tags, Random, Best Of (especially since Best Of is also the sidebar). Does anyone use the Tags pages? Popular is the one exception for me. Also as I write this I notice they're not consistent between subsites, except occasionally they are, which somehow bothers me. There's ...what, 6 different versions? Huh.
posted by Upton O'Good at 9:44 AM on October 8, 2017
I check the blue every day and read lots of posts, though I seldom comment. Next would be Ask, which is just fascinating with the range of questions folk have. Then MeTa about once a week. And then Fanfare occasionally only because I'm not a big TV series watcher. All the rest—Music, Projects, IRL—are seldom checks. I've never checked Labs—hmmm, I'll give it a go. I don't do Chats. And I don't do Podcasts—I prefer reading to listening. I do check Recent Activity as it's useful for older posts. I also use MeMail to check when my last post was accepted; maybe I should slow down my posting rate.
posted by MovableBookLady at 10:02 AM on October 8, 2017
posted by MovableBookLady at 10:02 AM on October 8, 2017
Ask is what I have in my RSS feeds, but I'll always click over to the blue, and I participate in FanFare for stuff I already know I'm watching, but I only check maybe a couple times a week for other stuff there.
Projects: rarely
Jobs: rarely
Music I always ignore but I'm thinking of participating in it one of these days so it hangs at the periphery of my interest.
IRL: every couple of weeks or so.
Podcast: A few times a year I'll listen. Sorry!
I've never been to Chat.
posted by rhizome at 10:42 AM on October 8, 2017
Projects: rarely
Jobs: rarely
Music I always ignore but I'm thinking of participating in it one of these days so it hangs at the periphery of my interest.
IRL: every couple of weeks or so.
Podcast: A few times a year I'll listen. Sorry!
I've never been to Chat.
posted by rhizome at 10:42 AM on October 8, 2017
I didn’t pay much attention to FanFare until Westworld. But since it ended I haven’t been back. I wish I had the time to devote more attention to Music and Ask. I love Projects.
posted by not_the_water at 10:42 AM on October 8, 2017
posted by not_the_water at 10:42 AM on October 8, 2017
I check the Blue, but less frequently, as it sometimes replicates Digg, which I also check daily. I try to be helpful in the Green occasionally with mixed results, but Talk, Projects and Fanfare get the short end of the surfing stick when it comes to me. I'm TRYING to be more active in Fanfare with ST: Discovery and MST3k, my new love and my long lasting love, respectively.
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 11:26 AM on October 8, 2017
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 11:26 AM on October 8, 2017
I don't bother with Music and FanFare. I just don't care much for consuming media, except for books, sometimes. Movies, music... who has time for that? And I don't watch TV either.
posted by Too-Ticky at 11:46 AM on October 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Too-Ticky at 11:46 AM on October 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
Comments here on FanFare remind me of a thought I've had in the past. I think I would go there more often if I anticipated finding (or being able to post) something like the stickied recommendation threads at the top of r/literature or r/television. Would open recommendation threads like that be welcome on FanFare Talk?
posted by Wobbuffet at 11:58 AM on October 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Wobbuffet at 11:58 AM on October 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
Does anyone use the Tags pages?
I don't use that Popular Tags page, but I still use tags a LOT for finding old questions and I am still regretful this site has never done more with using tags as a discovery mechanism. It would be cool to run some numbers to see what logged-in users actually look at and what they don't. Like, for example, the "full" contacts page. Does anyone use that? Does everyone use that? I am curious.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 12:40 PM on October 8, 2017
I don't use that Popular Tags page, but I still use tags a LOT for finding old questions and I am still regretful this site has never done more with using tags as a discovery mechanism. It would be cool to run some numbers to see what logged-in users actually look at and what they don't. Like, for example, the "full" contacts page. Does anyone use that? Does everyone use that? I am curious.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 12:40 PM on October 8, 2017
I use tags quite a bit, usually to find old articles and subjects related to posts I put together. I like to provide a [Previously on MetaFilter] link in my post if the subject has been discussed extensively on MetaFilter in the past.
posted by Fizz at 12:48 PM on October 8, 2017
posted by Fizz at 12:48 PM on October 8, 2017
FanFare is a subsite where I've spent exactly zero time ... until this meta. Because it suddenly occurred to me, I never got to properly share my loathing of Game of Thrones, 2nd Last episode of Season 7, which was so bad it felt like an April Fool's version of a show that, for all its absurdly complex plot and character and thematic convolutions never really struck me as DUMB ... until that f***ing episode.
Anyway, it's been a delight to skim (and sometimes read), and good to see -- I'm not alone.
So I suspect I'll soon be returning.
posted by philip-random at 1:48 PM on October 8, 2017
Anyway, it's been a delight to skim (and sometimes read), and good to see -- I'm not alone.
So I suspect I'll soon be returning.
posted by philip-random at 1:48 PM on October 8, 2017
For me, the order of most use is Blue, Purple, Green, Gray.
I'd use Fanfare more, but it seems like conversations there are so tied to the original release/air dates or whatever viewing schedule is set up by a group, that coming in later feels awkward or pointless, so I don't engage as much as I might were that not the case.
posted by gusottertrout at 2:10 PM on October 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
I'd use Fanfare more, but it seems like conversations there are so tied to the original release/air dates or whatever viewing schedule is set up by a group, that coming in later feels awkward or pointless, so I don't engage as much as I might were that not the case.
posted by gusottertrout at 2:10 PM on October 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
It’s the green, the blue, the grey and Projects for me, in that order. (I wanted parallelism there, but I’m honestly not sure what to call Projects by color.)
I think that’s the order in which I was introduced to the world of MetaFilter. So it sort of stuck, I guess.
posted by veggieboy at 3:32 PM on October 8, 2017
I think that’s the order in which I was introduced to the world of MetaFilter. So it sort of stuck, I guess.
posted by veggieboy at 3:32 PM on October 8, 2017
I check mefi, meta, and ask all day, every day. I pop into fanfare when looking for discussion about specific show/movies. I check out music and projects a few times a year.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 3:33 PM on October 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 3:33 PM on October 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
AskMe several times a day, and MeTa usually at least once a day. MeFi every few days. IRL only if I get a notification that there's a nearby meetup. I've looked at FanFare in the past but don't think to check it much. It's possible I've never looked at Music, Projects, or Jobs.
posted by lazuli at 3:48 PM on October 8, 2017
posted by lazuli at 3:48 PM on October 8, 2017
There's a FanFare? Never clicked that one. Rarely go to Music, for reasons having nothing to do with the doubtless fine music there.
posted by dws at 3:54 PM on October 8, 2017
posted by dws at 3:54 PM on October 8, 2017
“Lah-abs”?
posted by Going To Maine at 4:17 PM on October 8, 2017
posted by Going To Maine at 4:17 PM on October 8, 2017
I keep forgetting to log in with my Metafilter Gold account.
posted by ardgedee at 6:08 PM on October 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by ardgedee at 6:08 PM on October 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
Until this season of The Good Place, I forgot about FanFare.
I'd pop in there from time to time and see a bunch of posts with 1 or 0 comments and bounce. I'm always on Ask, sometimes on MetaFilter, and swing by MeTa every few days. And that's it. I have mixed feelings about Projects.
posted by kimberussell at 6:31 PM on October 8, 2017
I'd pop in there from time to time and see a bunch of posts with 1 or 0 comments and bounce. I'm always on Ask, sometimes on MetaFilter, and swing by MeTa every few days. And that's it. I have mixed feelings about Projects.
posted by kimberussell at 6:31 PM on October 8, 2017
The last time I looked at Fanfare was the evening after I came home from seeing Boyhood at the theater, what, 3 years ago? I have a huge TV but it appears to only work for basketball & college football. I haven’t watched a tv show since West Wing & Gilmore Girls were in first run, & I just have no clue what the hell everyone is on about. I do take in all the Marvel movies because I have a teenage son, so it’s kinda required, but I don’t have much to say about them, I guess. They’re good clean fun. I like the guy, whatshisname who plays Tony Stark? Fits the role well. ( I read the comics in the 60’s & 70’s) Ant Man was hilarious.
I am a year behind on Harper’s & my to-be-read pile takes up an entire shelf... I don’t know where the time goes, but it’s just not there for entertainment media. Sad! Low energy!
posted by Devils Rancher at 6:43 PM on October 8, 2017
I am a year behind on Harper’s & my to-be-read pile takes up an entire shelf... I don’t know where the time goes, but it’s just not there for entertainment media. Sad! Low energy!
posted by Devils Rancher at 6:43 PM on October 8, 2017
Grammar.
posted by clavdivs at 7:17 PM on October 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by clavdivs at 7:17 PM on October 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
The Front Page, FanFare and MetaTalk are part of my (yes, I'm still using a) RSS reader, but I dropped AskMe because it was just TOO busy (which I also did to BoingBoing, The AVClub and a certain MeFite's semi-private tumblr). Sometimes you can just get too much good advice...
posted by oneswellfoop at 7:26 PM on October 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by oneswellfoop at 7:26 PM on October 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
I look at Ask before work and late at night. I bounce thru Meta once or twice in the evening especially on the weekends. I read MeFi every night off and on, but while I'm at work I keep one of the long political threads open and read in quick bites all day long. My computer is old and sloww so I often have to wait for Photoshop grinding along when I save large documents which is often since our server is wayward and may crash my station at any moment. On a 300mb-1gb doc it can take 45sec to 5 minutes to save which gives me lots of time to check my professional white wall o' text on my second monitor.
I check out the rest of the sites about once a month especially while listening to the podcast. The only place I have never gone is Chat because I am an abysmally slow typer and it's painful to keep up with conversation. It's like I'm replying from Pluto and there's a loooong delay.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 8:17 PM on October 8, 2017
I check out the rest of the sites about once a month especially while listening to the podcast. The only place I have never gone is Chat because I am an abysmally slow typer and it's painful to keep up with conversation. It's like I'm replying from Pluto and there's a loooong delay.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 8:17 PM on October 8, 2017
Music, which is a shame because basically I've enjoyed/loved/at least felt it was worth my time basically every song I've ever heard from there.
Until this season of The Good Place, I forgot about FanFare.
The Fanfare threads for The Good Place are a joy and I love that, at least based on my old comments getting favorites, more than a couple folks have been visiting them after having watched Season One recently.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:27 PM on October 8, 2017
Until this season of The Good Place, I forgot about FanFare.
The Fanfare threads for The Good Place are a joy and I love that, at least based on my old comments getting favorites, more than a couple folks have been visiting them after having watched Season One recently.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:27 PM on October 8, 2017
Chat is Best of the Web™ and all of you are missing out. Come hang out with the coolest h*ckin group of people and also evilspork, and enjoy our steady stream of cute animals and the occasional weird shit.
For those that read this and then decide to correct your ways, please don't just pop in and then leave after 5 seconds. Hang out for a few hours, if not days. Sometimes things are slow, but it can pick up.
posted by Freelance Demiurge at 8:33 PM on October 8, 2017
For those that read this and then decide to correct your ways, please don't just pop in and then leave after 5 seconds. Hang out for a few hours, if not days. Sometimes things are slow, but it can pick up.
posted by Freelance Demiurge at 8:33 PM on October 8, 2017
I've got everything in my RSS feed, so I see all the posts. That said, my clickthrough rate for Ask and (especially) FanFare is low-ish.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:37 PM on October 8, 2017
posted by Chrysostom at 9:37 PM on October 8, 2017
I'm all about the Blue and the Green. I look at both at least once a day. I don't look at Music, and though I watch a fair amount of TV, we don't have cable and there's never anything I watch discussed on FanFare (and even though I watch it, I'm not that invested in much that I watch anyway). I recently discovered MetaTalk, and I drop in once every couple weeks.
posted by lhauser at 9:41 PM on October 8, 2017
posted by lhauser at 9:41 PM on October 8, 2017
An honest question: does Jobs actually work? When I'm lazy and I've read all of MeFi, I will sometimes click through everything in the top menu, rather than get out of my chair. The Jobs subsite seems like a combination of dead and random. Am I misreading it? Was it intended for some purpose but didn't pan out? Did that woman in Houston find someone to rehome her cranky dog?
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 12:29 AM on October 9, 2017
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 12:29 AM on October 9, 2017
Increasingly on Green, backing off on Blue - mainly pop on to see if anything vital happening globally (as NZ news is a bit behind reality), and browsing a lot in Projects (some amazing things in there - genetics, python, horticultural illustration, urban photography... But prj feels a bit difficult to approach. All the same I'm surprised to see many projects with no comments).
Never go to FanFare or Music as film/tv never appealed much and music/podcast not really my thing either. I just logged into chat but what do you do with it??
posted by unearthed at 2:20 AM on October 9, 2017
Never go to FanFare or Music as film/tv never appealed much and music/podcast not really my thing either. I just logged into chat but what do you do with it??
posted by unearthed at 2:20 AM on October 9, 2017
I never look at music. Honestly, I don't listen to music anyway, so it would kind of be lost in me. I always look at the blue and the gray, I scan fanfare probably daily, but can't keep up with TV, so really just use it as a discovery mechanism for movies or TV shows. I originally joined here because of ask, but I don't really read there anymore. I find that it raises my blood pressure to start worrying about other people's problems when I have enough of my own to worry about. Oh and I looooove projects. It is a place where I regularly find amazing stuff that would be impossible to be exposed to elsewhere (am I the only one who read dortmunder's book? It was aweeeesome).
I also really don't use jobs or irl because I am on the wrong side of the world, generally, and I have a schedule that doesn't really allow me to meet people with any regularity even if people were posting Songdo meetup (they aren't).
posted by Literaryhero at 2:47 AM on October 9, 2017
I also really don't use jobs or irl because I am on the wrong side of the world, generally, and I have a schedule that doesn't really allow me to meet people with any regularity even if people were posting Songdo meetup (they aren't).
posted by Literaryhero at 2:47 AM on October 9, 2017
While Ask was my gateway to metafilter, I find I'm spending less time there and more on the blue. However, it's the grey that I read the most- something about a community hashing out how to discuss effectively and in good ways, and also kicking back with nonsense, snark and community fun- is really compelling. I recognise that fanfare has the potential to totally sink my productivity as I get 'must read it all' urges, but I've been dipping in there with the new Star Trek DISCOVERY (yay!) and it's so nice to read sensible critiques of media.
When I listen to the podcast I hear about music, jobs and projects, which I never check out on my own.
posted by freethefeet at 2:54 AM on October 9, 2017 [3 favorites]
When I listen to the podcast I hear about music, jobs and projects, which I never check out on my own.
posted by freethefeet at 2:54 AM on October 9, 2017 [3 favorites]
But now I'm suddenly curious about the order that people visit Metafilter.
MetaFilter and then posts/comments I have made to see if a discussion is happening that I want to continue having (and also vanity). Then MetaTalk. And then occasionally FanFare though that depends on whether or not I've been consuming certain kinds of medi and am in the mood to chat about it.
posted by Fizz at 6:04 AM on October 9, 2017
MetaFilter and then posts/comments I have made to see if a discussion is happening that I want to continue having (and also vanity). Then MetaTalk. And then occasionally FanFare though that depends on whether or not I've been consuming certain kinds of medi and am in the mood to chat about it.
posted by Fizz at 6:04 AM on October 9, 2017
I don't have anything to contribute to Mefi Music, so I think the only two times I've looked was from a reference on the grey (a response comment to this song, and a passing reference to this gem of a Japanese jingle).
I have peeked into Projects a couple times, but keep forgetting about it. (I may have a project myself in a year's time....)
I posted an "I'm available" ad in Jobs once, in 2010. Nothing happened. Then I tried to update it in 2014 when I was again unemployed, and discovered I couldn't. I made a request that people be allowed to update their "seeking work" postings, and don't know if anything came of it, and I finally got a job anyway so whatevs.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:00 AM on October 9, 2017
I have peeked into Projects a couple times, but keep forgetting about it. (I may have a project myself in a year's time....)
I posted an "I'm available" ad in Jobs once, in 2010. Nothing happened. Then I tried to update it in 2014 when I was again unemployed, and discovered I couldn't. I made a request that people be allowed to update their "seeking work" postings, and don't know if anything came of it, and I finally got a job anyway so whatevs.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:00 AM on October 9, 2017
I'm going to say "MetaTalk" to compensate for the selection bias of this being on MetaTalk. I really do tend to neglect it. I mostly read the blue and Ask, and if I need to kill some (more) time I go to FanFare or Projects.
posted by easternblot at 7:04 AM on October 9, 2017
posted by easternblot at 7:04 AM on October 9, 2017
Suspect I spend around 50% of my time here on MetaTalk, around 40% on the blue, and the other 10% randomly.
Projects usually gets neglected which isn't good, and it's usually a tweet or FB post that reminds me to go and check out a specific entry on there, like just now. FanFare I'll go into only if I've seen something that specifically sticks in my head, like the new Blade Runner film.
IRL hardly ever as I still haven't been to a meetup for a variety of reasons; the podcast option never as I always listen to them as soon as spotted on MetaTalk; Best Of MetaFilter option never as I pick that off The Twitter. Jobs probably once a year (checks again) and things I could and would do are extremely unlikely to appear on there (though I could, on reflection, see myself advertising things on there on the future as 'jobs' is a very wide interpretation).
Does anyone use the Tags pages?
I search across tags pretty much all the time when looking for stuff on the blue. Neither the precision or recall are top notch because of the informal way tags are used/not used/abused/amused on MetaFilter, but it works some of the time. Perhaps it is regrettable that young Matthew wasn't locked inside a cupboard when MetaFilter was fresh and new until he agreed to implement and enforce a tag-oriented taxonomy for all posts (ongoing and retrospective), but that's probably just the militant librarian in me.
posted by Wordshore at 7:29 AM on October 9, 2017
Projects usually gets neglected which isn't good, and it's usually a tweet or FB post that reminds me to go and check out a specific entry on there, like just now. FanFare I'll go into only if I've seen something that specifically sticks in my head, like the new Blade Runner film.
IRL hardly ever as I still haven't been to a meetup for a variety of reasons; the podcast option never as I always listen to them as soon as spotted on MetaTalk; Best Of MetaFilter option never as I pick that off The Twitter. Jobs probably once a year (checks again) and things I could and would do are extremely unlikely to appear on there (though I could, on reflection, see myself advertising things on there on the future as 'jobs' is a very wide interpretation).
Does anyone use the Tags pages?
I search across tags pretty much all the time when looking for stuff on the blue. Neither the precision or recall are top notch because of the informal way tags are used/not used/abused/amused on MetaFilter, but it works some of the time. Perhaps it is regrettable that young Matthew wasn't locked inside a cupboard when MetaFilter was fresh and new until he agreed to implement and enforce a tag-oriented taxonomy for all posts (ongoing and retrospective), but that's probably just the militant librarian in me.
posted by Wordshore at 7:29 AM on October 9, 2017
An honest question: does Jobs actually work?
A little, anyway! I know people have successfully hired people via it, for big and small stuff. I don't know what the hit rate is like or how well the "I'm Available" stuff has played into that. Mostly it's not something we ever measured; there wasn't really a success metric for it, it was just a thing that Matt figured would be worth adding at the time and we've kept up.
Part of the ghostland feel of it is that when folks successfully fill a listing, it disappears. So you look at Jobs and see only the stuff that's still out there, either because the poster didn't find a bite for it here, or they did but didn't followup by formally closing the listing.
But the other part of it, and I think this in retrospect is kinda of an inevitable issue with the subsite and could have been an argument for making it more of a sub-subsite or something, is that filling jobs is a pretty low-frequency thing for most people, compared to the other stuff we have subsites for. Like, how often does the average person need to go through the process of hiring someone, vs. how often the average person has a question about basically anything? Or sees something neat on the web to want to share? Or has a thought or question or worry or happy feeling about the site itself? Etc. Even posting something to Projects or Music is a smaller deal in general than trying to fill a job opening.
So Jobs is bound to be low-frequency and seem kinda dead compared to other parts of the site. Which is kind of a bummer of a perception issue, but it's not one with an obvious fix to me. We could try and rework how its front page works or try to restructure the subsite to have a broader mission, but doing that stuff just to fight the perception issue rather than because those things specifically want doing in their own right would be a questionable use of limited resources, so at this point it just sort of...stays as is.
I made a request that people be allowed to update their "seeking work" postings
I remember that! I know it made it onto a TODO list; I don't know that it ever made it back off of one, but over the longer haul it definitely seems like a thing to do when we get a chance.
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:40 AM on October 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
A little, anyway! I know people have successfully hired people via it, for big and small stuff. I don't know what the hit rate is like or how well the "I'm Available" stuff has played into that. Mostly it's not something we ever measured; there wasn't really a success metric for it, it was just a thing that Matt figured would be worth adding at the time and we've kept up.
Part of the ghostland feel of it is that when folks successfully fill a listing, it disappears. So you look at Jobs and see only the stuff that's still out there, either because the poster didn't find a bite for it here, or they did but didn't followup by formally closing the listing.
But the other part of it, and I think this in retrospect is kinda of an inevitable issue with the subsite and could have been an argument for making it more of a sub-subsite or something, is that filling jobs is a pretty low-frequency thing for most people, compared to the other stuff we have subsites for. Like, how often does the average person need to go through the process of hiring someone, vs. how often the average person has a question about basically anything? Or sees something neat on the web to want to share? Or has a thought or question or worry or happy feeling about the site itself? Etc. Even posting something to Projects or Music is a smaller deal in general than trying to fill a job opening.
So Jobs is bound to be low-frequency and seem kinda dead compared to other parts of the site. Which is kind of a bummer of a perception issue, but it's not one with an obvious fix to me. We could try and rework how its front page works or try to restructure the subsite to have a broader mission, but doing that stuff just to fight the perception issue rather than because those things specifically want doing in their own right would be a questionable use of limited resources, so at this point it just sort of...stays as is.
I made a request that people be allowed to update their "seeking work" postings
I remember that! I know it made it onto a TODO list; I don't know that it ever made it back off of one, but over the longer haul it definitely seems like a thing to do when we get a chance.
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:40 AM on October 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
To: all the people in this thread who have commented some variant on "Music, but I've been meaning to check it out/post this stuff I have/go see what the heck it is"
Subject: You are cordially invited
Join us, lovely mefites, join us. Music may be somewhat of a dilapidated old bar with a few gnarled old regulars (hello) and not much passing traffic, and a bit dusty and quiet most of the time. But like all the best dive bars you might stop in one day and hear The Next Big Thing. Or at least, your next major earworm.
I mean you might say, wouldn't it be nice if someone did a podcast to help keep stuff like that in the spotlight. yeah! why doesn't someone do that? who was supposed to be doing it, again? *quietly disappears out of a back door to go and do the next music podcast*
posted by greenish at 8:00 AM on October 9, 2017 [2 favorites]
Subject: You are cordially invited
Join us, lovely mefites, join us. Music may be somewhat of a dilapidated old bar with a few gnarled old regulars (hello) and not much passing traffic, and a bit dusty and quiet most of the time. But like all the best dive bars you might stop in one day and hear The Next Big Thing. Or at least, your next major earworm.
I mean you might say, wouldn't it be nice if someone did a podcast to help keep stuff like that in the spotlight. yeah! why doesn't someone do that? who was supposed to be doing it, again? *quietly disappears out of a back door to go and do the next music podcast*
posted by greenish at 8:00 AM on October 9, 2017 [2 favorites]
Part of the ghostland feel of it is that when folks successfully fill a listing, it disappears
That's a UI thing that could be rejiggered. Maybe just make them dim so that people can see it working? I know I was pleased to get my "Need this stupid transcription done sort of quicklike" job filled quickly and efficiently (by ur wife!).
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 8:58 AM on October 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
That's a UI thing that could be rejiggered. Maybe just make them dim so that people can see it working? I know I was pleased to get my "Need this stupid transcription done sort of quicklike" job filled quickly and efficiently (by ur wife!).
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 8:58 AM on October 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm mostly on the Blue. Used to be on Music just as much; now it's not nearly enough. Gotta change that. I feel like I listen to music when I'm in a creative music-making mood and since I've been in a super music-rut for months and months, I don't really feel like listening either.
I usually check out Metatalk every time I check out the Blue. I'll look at Fanfare for big shows like Game of Thrones or Walking Dead (until I stopped watching it after that shitty premiere a few seasons ago) or to check out if some Netflix show I don't know anything about is any good.
AskMetafilter I check on occasion, but it if I'm feeling down and there are lots of questions with people in scary situations I can't handle it.
I've contacted 2 different people who posted in Jobs. The first person was really nice and responded right away that the position was already filled; the second person never responded to my email which kind of bugged me. Both jobs were in a category in which I am listed as "available," so it seems like that feature isn't really working for me.
IRL, Podcasts, and Projects I'll check on occasion. Chat I tried a few times, wasn't my thing.
Labs I knew nothing about until this very Metatalk post. Huh!
posted by chococat at 9:54 AM on October 9, 2017
I usually check out Metatalk every time I check out the Blue. I'll look at Fanfare for big shows like Game of Thrones or Walking Dead (until I stopped watching it after that shitty premiere a few seasons ago) or to check out if some Netflix show I don't know anything about is any good.
AskMetafilter I check on occasion, but it if I'm feeling down and there are lots of questions with people in scary situations I can't handle it.
I've contacted 2 different people who posted in Jobs. The first person was really nice and responded right away that the position was already filled; the second person never responded to my email which kind of bugged me. Both jobs were in a category in which I am listed as "available," so it seems like that feature isn't really working for me.
IRL, Podcasts, and Projects I'll check on occasion. Chat I tried a few times, wasn't my thing.
Labs I knew nothing about until this very Metatalk post. Huh!
posted by chococat at 9:54 AM on October 9, 2017
Yeah, I guess even if it's working, Jobs looks like a wasteland? Seconded that the interface doesn't really make sense to me, I'd like it if jobs that have been taken were dimmed. I hardly ever go there, because I never find things that I can do or that are near me, but last week I saw Jobs pop up in my contacts recent activity sidebar, and I thought- that's funny, I know somebody who is posting a job? And lo and behold, it was a little transcription project for Jessamyn that could be done from ANYWHERE. Honestly, I waited a day before I responded, because I thought, hey, there's got to be someone out there who feels like jobs never come up in their part of the world who might want to snap this up and make a few bucks, but when it didn't vanish, I applied.
The nice thing is, the post was clear that it was only about 15 minutes of audio, so I felt confident I could complete it in a timely fashion. I've spent hours transcribing Jessamyn on the Mefi Podcast, so I already have ideas about how to transcribe all her delightful expressive noises.
posted by Secretariat at 12:22 PM on October 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
The nice thing is, the post was clear that it was only about 15 minutes of audio, so I felt confident I could complete it in a timely fashion. I've spent hours transcribing Jessamyn on the Mefi Podcast, so I already have ideas about how to transcribe all her delightful expressive noises.
posted by Secretariat at 12:22 PM on October 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
I visit the Green most frequently, nearly every day. I visit the Blue three or four times a week, and pop on over to FanFare and MetaTalk whenever I am particularly bored (so once a week or so). Sooner for the latter two if there's something going on that I want to talk about, check out, or try and figure out what the heck is going on. The rest, I pretty much ignore.
posted by PearlRose at 1:58 PM on October 9, 2017
posted by PearlRose at 1:58 PM on October 9, 2017
Blue (roughly daily at least), green (sometimes), and IRL/brown in brief bursts. This may be my first time on MetaTalk. And it is completely stupid that I'm not spending time on Music, because I get my best music leads on the Blue (Holger Czukay and Earthbound posts, I'm looking at you).
posted by gusandrews at 3:27 PM on October 9, 2017
posted by gusandrews at 3:27 PM on October 9, 2017
Green daily, blue and gray a few times a week. I visit MetaTalk a lot more than I used to because I like the Saturday night questions a lot.
I am always only vaguely aware that there's parts of the site beyond the Big Three above. I've recently gotten into podcasts about five years behind the rest of the world, but haven't checked out the MeFi one yet because 80+ minutes is wayyyyyy too long for me.
Does the MetaFilter Pregnancy / Parenting FB group count as part of the site? I am on there a ton.
posted by anderjen at 4:04 PM on October 9, 2017
I am always only vaguely aware that there's parts of the site beyond the Big Three above. I've recently gotten into podcasts about five years behind the rest of the world, but haven't checked out the MeFi one yet because 80+ minutes is wayyyyyy too long for me.
Does the MetaFilter Pregnancy / Parenting FB group count as part of the site? I am on there a ton.
posted by anderjen at 4:04 PM on October 9, 2017
Green several times a day, grey a few times a week, blue less often than both (I know this will sound weird, but there is just too much good stuff and potential for rabbit-holing for me to go there very often, as I spend far too much time reading about random stuff on the internet as it is). Everywhere else is almost never.
posted by Chairboy at 4:30 PM on October 9, 2017
posted by Chairboy at 4:30 PM on October 9, 2017
I just discovered FanFare. I've been a little out of touch I guess. Only occasionally checking in on the Green, but I think I'm going to be going to the Purple from now on. Hi everybody!
posted by Koko at 5:03 PM on October 9, 2017
posted by Koko at 5:03 PM on October 9, 2017
I spend my time on the blue, green, and (to a lesser extent) the grey. I pop in elsewhere now and then. I read the blue and the green several times a day.
posted by vrakatar at 5:29 PM on October 9, 2017
posted by vrakatar at 5:29 PM on October 9, 2017
MetaWhat? MetaWho? MetaHuh?
MetaHee! MetaHoo! MetaHo! MetaHaha!
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 7:05 PM on October 9, 2017 [13 favorites]
MetaHee! MetaHoo! MetaHo! MetaHaha!
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 7:05 PM on October 9, 2017 [13 favorites]
I have Ask bookmarked, since that’s how I first ran across Metafilter (looking for a very warm coat), and that’s where I go first. I tend to go to Recent Activity next, and then to the Blue. I'll sometimes stay off the Green for a day or so if there’s a question there that freaks me out for some reason and I want to wait until it’s bumped to the next page (e.g. a question about a breakup when I’ve just gone through a bad breakup).* I usually kind of forget about MeTa five days out of the week and then I’ll suddenly say, “Hey, let’s see if there’s a new MeTa!” That’s what happened just now, in fact.
I check FanFare now and again, but I don't really watch all the super popular stuff like GoT so FanFare tends to have relatively few things that interest me. I really loved the discussion of Get Out, though. Also it’s firewalled at work, although none of the rest of the site is. Go figure.
*This is why I really wish Metafilter had a “ignore thread” or “forget thread” feature, but anyway.
posted by holborne at 7:32 PM on October 9, 2017
I check FanFare now and again, but I don't really watch all the super popular stuff like GoT so FanFare tends to have relatively few things that interest me. I really loved the discussion of Get Out, though. Also it’s firewalled at work, although none of the rest of the site is. Go figure.
*This is why I really wish Metafilter had a “ignore thread” or “forget thread” feature, but anyway.
posted by holborne at 7:32 PM on October 9, 2017
Jobs worked well for me, in that same 'need to hire someone to do a one-time audio transcription' way that Secretariat and Jessamyn mentioned. I wasn't offering, you know, "A Job" in the sense of an ongoing career or regular work, but when I did have this lengthy file that needed transcribing within a week, Jobs was the first place I thought to go to post a "Help Wanted". They did a great job and I paid them gladly for their excellent work.
posted by theatro at 8:23 AM on October 10, 2017
posted by theatro at 8:23 AM on October 10, 2017
Sorry, these days, it's virtually everything outside of the POTUS megathreads. I'll try to participate more elsewhere, though I only skim Music and Projects at the best of times and have never been much for Jobs or AskMe. (I'd completely forgotten about Labs.)
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:38 AM on October 10, 2017
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:38 AM on October 10, 2017
Mefi Magazine
posted by the man of twists and turns at 1:02 PM on October 10, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by the man of twists and turns at 1:02 PM on October 10, 2017 [6 favorites]
I used to use gray and blue, but now most of my (more limited) MeFi time is spent trying (and failing) to keep up with the trumpster fire.
posted by double block and bleed at 12:22 PM on October 12, 2017
posted by double block and bleed at 12:22 PM on October 12, 2017
Mostly the blue, sometimes here. (Duh.)
Occasionally I skim Ask - and there's been many a time I thought I should ask something there. But early on, there were some posts by others that made me feel it all got too "TMI"-for-me, so I shied away.
I also get worried when someone posts: "I have a fever and blood coming out of my eyes and when I cough I sound like a demon. But I don't want to go to the ER." And then they don't post again for three days.
With my background/ interest in all things creative, I should check out Music & Projects, but havent really yet.
I had forgotten about Fanfare for awhile but then got into it again.
posted by NorthernLite at 9:45 PM on October 12, 2017
Occasionally I skim Ask - and there's been many a time I thought I should ask something there. But early on, there were some posts by others that made me feel it all got too "TMI"-for-me, so I shied away.
I also get worried when someone posts: "I have a fever and blood coming out of my eyes and when I cough I sound like a demon. But I don't want to go to the ER." And then they don't post again for three days.
With my background/ interest in all things creative, I should check out Music & Projects, but havent really yet.
I had forgotten about Fanfare for awhile but then got into it again.
posted by NorthernLite at 9:45 PM on October 12, 2017
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posted by Fizz at 7:44 AM on October 8, 2017