Are we supposed to moderate our own posts?

May 13, 2003 6:18 AM

How authoritative is a poster on MetaFilter? [More inside.]
posted by MiguelCardoso to Etiquette/Policy at 6:18 AM (50 comments total)

My own, heavily revised opinion is that once a front page post is made, the poster has no more authority or rights than the most frivolous commenter. This, I think, makes for a more interesting thread - a non-directed accumulation of spontaneously governed comments, following whatever whims take hold.

Attempts at rerailment; cheerleading or even polite appeals to keep on topic kill creativity. In fact, I'd argue that probably the best strategy, barring direct responses to queries, is for the poster not to comment at all in the threads he or she initiates, unless he or she would feel driven to comment if the post had been made by someone else.

Here's a recent example from my latest post. "Let it be" seems about right. Or is this wrong and is "keeping a thread more or less on topic" the poster's responsibility? Is there any issue of ownership? Or curatorship? You tell me.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 6:20 AM on May 13, 2003

No.
posted by riffola at 6:23 AM on May 13, 2003

I set my default font on Metafilter to Arial. I like Arial. It's cleaner and easier to read than all the other fonts out there.
posted by PrinceValium at 6:24 AM on May 13, 2003

You are sharing the thread with the site, it's not for you to dictate what they discuss about, it's not for you to feel like you own that thread. Just because you started it, doesn't mean it's your thread.
posted by riffola at 6:25 AM on May 13, 2003

In fact, I'd argue that probably the best strategy, barring direct responses to queries, is for the poster not to comment at all in the threads he or she initiates

So we won't be hearing any more from you in this thread? Good.
posted by anapestic at 6:29 AM on May 13, 2003

I've been feeling crotchety lately, so I'll go ahead and be the one who mentions y6y6y6's uncanny MiguelCardoso MetaTalk Generator, which I believe came up with this exact post a week ago last Thursday.

/old man voice
posted by yhbc at 6:30 AM on May 13, 2003

Indeed.
posted by johnnyboy at 6:33 AM on May 13, 2003

holy shit! a minuteman pizza just took out my... no wait, wrong thread.
posted by quonsar at 6:33 AM on May 13, 2003

So we won't be hearing any more from you in this thread? Good.

You forgot this bit, anapestic:

barring direct responses to queries

If you don't want me to answer, don't keep asking me questions bringing me up, anapestic! You should know that by now. ;)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 6:34 AM on May 13, 2003

"My own, heavily revised opinion....."

Exactly.

The answer will be different depending on the user, the number of comments, the topic, the first few comments, and any interesting tangents that develop. Or not. Sometimes.

The correct answer is: d) All of the above.

That's always the answer here. But it's fun to pretend that's not the case.
posted by y6y6y6 at 6:54 AM on May 13, 2003

posted by Shadowkeeper at 6:57 AM on May 13, 2003

/me pats Shadowkeeper on the back and says "Good job!"
posted by riffola at 7:07 AM on May 13, 2003

*Shadowkeeper
posted by y6y6y6 at 7:25 AM on May 13, 2003

&Shadowkeeper
posted by quonsar at 7:31 AM on May 13, 2003

Shadowkeeper needs a gold star, Matt.
posted by soyjoy at 7:37 AM on May 13, 2003

Isn't the [More inside.] automatically implied when you post, Miguel?
posted by gramcracker at 7:40 AM on May 13, 2003

Uma's boobs? Finally, a MetaTalk thread that intrigues me. Now, about these boobs . . .
posted by vraxoin at 8:03 AM on May 13, 2003

Who is this "Uma" and would I have to speak Portuguese to understand?
posted by JollyWanker at 8:12 AM on May 13, 2003

Congratulations, Miguel. I knew you could do it.
posted by timeistight at 8:37 AM on May 13, 2003

I for one welcome our new boob-sporting Uma-lords.
posted by tr33hggr at 8:45 AM on May 13, 2003

That's it. I'm outta here.
posted by Frasermoo at 8:53 AM on May 13, 2003

"Nowadays, more and more MetaFilter members seem to enjoy sex with pets. The cultural undercurrent: how important is a good breakfast in day-to-day posting and, indeed, in the running of MetaFilter? To what extent is a lot of internal conflict here attributable to poor potty training? Is web related posting passé? What is your name? What is your favourite colour? Discuss."

I made this. Thanks yhbc!
posted by Witty at 8:54 AM on May 13, 2003

Attempts at rerailment; cheerleading or even polite appeals to keep on topic kill creativity.

how so?
posted by clavdivs at 9:24 AM on May 13, 2003

I think the person who posts the thread should have absolute authority, including power of attorney, over anyone whose gaze happens upon even one letter of the post, and should be allowed to bind together the thumbs of anyone who comments in the thread and lead them around on a bit of string, and the people who posted comments aren't allowed to speak but have to make a noise like a donkey.
posted by mokey at 9:55 AM on May 13, 2003

It makes more sense to me that if the person who posts knows more about the topic than others (which they should, or they have no business posting it), then they should guide the conversation. There is no point in stupid, pointless conversations full of drivel that go nowhere.

*looks around*

*runs*
posted by j.edwards at 10:13 AM on May 13, 2003

".....but there is also the cruel fact to be recognized that killing is the precondition of all living whatsoever: life lives on life, eats life..."---Joseph Campbell
posted by JohnR at 10:35 AM on May 13, 2003

Attempts at rerailment

Wouldn't that be re-railment?
posted by adampsyche at 11:00 AM on May 13, 2003

1:48 a.m.

by the pool Miguel offers his best cubano to clavdivs. Clav rises, grins then ambles towards the band leader, he whispers in his ear, miguel looks over to the pool and up from its depths pops quonsar in a rubber tuxedo (dry chinos and a "LOVE ME" t-shirt underneath), the band starts up.
(dancing ensues)
Miguel then asks the band leader to play.
(dancing ensues)

Quonsar then requests a song

WARNING: LAST LINK CONTAINS POPUP'S

all three calmly look into the pool.

(crane shot to the balcony....)
posted by clavdivs at 12:24 PM on May 13, 2003

That was funny and beautiful, clavdivs - john ashbery's forte but yours too. If I may be forgiven a little sentimentality, I do sometimes find it sad that we'll probably never meet, dammit.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 12:37 PM on May 13, 2003

never say never my brother.
posted by clavdivs at 1:08 PM on May 13, 2003

Yes, perhaps the two of you will share a cubicle in heaven. Or elsewhere.
posted by anapestic at 1:56 PM on May 13, 2003

probably the best strategy, barring direct responses to queries, is for the poster not to comment at all in the threads he or she initiates, unless he or she would feel driven to comment if the post had been made by someone else.

that's crazytalk. most of the MeFiFolk here know the difference between gently helping a conversation stay on-topic [or answering questions raised in a thread] and hounding, relentless, cheerleading, pep rally moderating. But then, I thought you meant something else by "authoritative" which is the only reason I clicked-through to see what "more inside" meant. There is no best strategy ... there's good and bad examples of both ... though if you're willing to extend this example to MeTa [and to yourself] I'm all for it.

Basically, what Shadowkeeper said. The one and only time I will come out in favor of in-line graphics here. Good show.
posted by jessamyn at 1:58 PM on May 13, 2003

You could learn a lot from that Shadowkeeper fellow.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 2:54 PM on May 13, 2003

Cool! Gold star! Congrats, shadowkeeper! Hmmmm.... mebbe this calls for some kind of inspired certificate...
posted by soyjoy at 6:44 PM on May 13, 2003

Champagne Room's in the back, make yourself at home. Drugs are in the pantry. Stay away from the Oreos though, I hear they're full of that transfat shit.
posted by Stan Chin at 9:05 PM on May 13, 2003

Is it raining outside or has everyone here just been grounded?
posted by i_cola at 9:54 AM on May 14, 2003

No, no slaughterfest here, disappointed cola guy. Dintcha know centennial MeTa posters are reprieved for life? Please move along. No star for you. ;)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 10:04 AM on May 14, 2003

Hey hey! Here's an idea, how about you write a comment asking how I got that gold star?
Okay Stan Chin, I'll ask. But only because I don't know.
posted by ginz at 11:39 AM on May 14, 2003

Psssst ginz: everyone who thoroughly mocks me in a convincing, graphic fashion, to the twisted amusement of all, gets a gold star. In the same way, if I ever post a thread to MeTa again - and go over the 100 number - I just feel it in my bones I'm going to get a black one.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 11:57 AM on May 14, 2003

The new MeTa:

posted by eyeballkid at 1:08 PM on May 14, 2003

black is beautiful
posted by ginz at 1:09 PM on May 14, 2003

Yes, perhaps the two of you will share a cubicle in heaven. Or elsewhere.

as clav and migs sashay gayly into the sunset, one final bubble escapes the sodden lungs of quonsar who lies, dead, unnoticed and unmissed, at the bottom of the pool.
posted by quonsar at 2:51 PM on May 14, 2003

* Dragging quonsar out ot the pool by his venomous, swollen tongue, scarred and extended by decades of loving, cunning linguism, clav and migs proceed to pump the chloride out of his tobacco-sodden lungs. Migs volunteers to apply the kiss of life, as clav fades away into the horizon, pleading allergies and alleging poison-extracting cobra duty. But, as his lips hasten to fasten on the quonzaruxo's full red ruby lips, the very begorrah of life takes hold of the moribund poet and - lo! - he plunges back into the pool, to his own death, rather than face the high-octane breath of the well-meaning Portagee interloper.*
posted by MiguelCardoso at 3:08 PM on May 14, 2003

(see what happens during crane shots, one loses perspective)

...crane shot up to balcony, qounsar is standing by the rail, he turns and says to an unknown female sitting at a desk.

Quonsar: "The Dopplegangerkillerbot (3.2L) is a failure.... pack it up where off to Vladivostok"

(camera pans back to balcony, clavdivs can be heard to say to miguel)

Clav: "...I told you it was a bot....look at that power pack...."

craneshot up to balcony, a shadowed figure grins, inhales lightly on a cigarillo....
posted by clavdivs at 4:02 PM on May 14, 2003

Egad, monkey slash fiction. I fear for my dinner.
posted by thirteen at 4:42 PM on May 14, 2003

This is completely off-topic, but how did Shadowkeeper get that gold star?
posted by eddydamascene at 4:58 PM on May 14, 2003

Et tu damascenus
posted by MiguelCardoso at 6:01 PM on May 14, 2003

i think the vocative form of damascene would probably be damascene. beware the ides of may!
posted by eddydamascene at 11:48 PM on May 14, 2003

Didn't Stan quit??
posted by johnny7 at 3:06 AM on May 15, 2003

Hey Stan, do you know kung ... oh, never mind. Just realised that I don't own a dog ...
posted by walrus at 5:09 AM on May 15, 2003