a very unclear and contradictory message

January 24, 2005 3:50 PM

This post was deleted for the following reason: plugging his own/friends site. Now wait a second: his or his friend's? The solution offered to not self-linking here has always been to have a friend post it for you. I think this sends a very unclear and contradictory message.
posted by rushmc to Etiquette/Policy at 3:50 PM (22 comments total)

Well he did do the logo...
posted by smackfu at 3:57 PM on January 24, 2005

Stinky grey zone.
posted by cortex at 4:21 PM on January 24, 2005

This recently happened in Fall 2004, where a user posted a site he was doing consultant work for. I believe it was oissubke, but i'm too apathetic to search for more relevant links. I think this was his first offence, but he kept doing it! I'm not sure if he was banned for the second offense, nor have I noticed him on Metafilter for a while.

Anyway, I think the ambiguous rules surface because if you are going to shamelessly plug your friend's site, it should at least kick ass. As opposed to this example of a mediocre, prosaic website. I mean, I could just as easily fpp my grandmother's knitting weblog, but I don't, because who the fuck cares about old people knitting?
posted by naxosaxur at 4:24 PM on January 24, 2005

he made up the idea for the site and helped design it, while his friend put it into a wiki format. If you want to argue whether he or is friend owns the site, feel free, but it definitely seemed like a ploy to help his project along.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 4:26 PM on January 24, 2005

There may be a slightly grey area as far as plugging your friend's sites, but Naxos is right on: the closer the site is connected to the poster (as well as the more commercial it is), the more unbelievably awesome it has to be to clear the Bar Of Bannniation.

I should think.
posted by chicobangs at 4:31 PM on January 24, 2005

I mean, I could just as easily fpp my grandmother's knitting weblog, but I don't, because who the fuck cares about old people knitting?


I think a flash game of old people knitting would be mighty entertaining.
posted by liam at 4:33 PM on January 24, 2005

...and seeing that mathowie has been moderating his various websites and tinkering with code longer than i've been out of pampers...i'd say that his primary instinct is unblemished and accurate.
posted by naxosaxur at 4:35 PM on January 24, 2005

The six year olds are logged in!
posted by eustacescrubb at 4:41 PM on January 24, 2005

The solution offered to not self-linking here has always been to have a friend post it for you.

I think the idea is that you find a friend not involved in the project — although truth be told, I've always heard it more in terms of "ask another Metafilter user to post it", the implication being you find someone who you might not know so well who will think it is cool enough to post on its own merits.
posted by mendel at 4:46 PM on January 24, 2005

Naxos, you overachiever, you.

You don't wanna know about the rashes I got going on in my stinky grey zone right now.
posted by chicobangs at 4:52 PM on January 24, 2005

I think a flash game of old people knitting would be mighty entertaining.

New from Nintendo: cardigan:The Revenge!
posted by jonmc at 4:54 PM on January 24, 2005

btw, I didn't ban anyone over this, just removed the promotional post.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 4:56 PM on January 24, 2005

seven-and-three-quarters, thanks...
posted by naxosaxur at 4:56 PM on January 24, 2005

From Kartooner when I chatted with him privately: " If I lose the account because I was helping out a friend, then fine by me. I've got enough to worry about let alone a MeFi account. "

Kartooner is a good guy from what I have gathered. But even if my best friend was plugging a site that he claimed he designed, created (which is what I got from Kartooner a few weeks back) and then posted it here on Mefi, then I'd do the same.

Plug n Pay...Rules is rules.
posted by Hands of Manos at 5:55 PM on January 24, 2005

to clarify -- Kartooner contacted me a while back very proud of this site and to the best of my memory, he claimed full responsiblity for designing it and creating it (and wanted me to post a recipe to it). I don't have the chat log, but it'd never crossed my mind if I didn't see his name and that link together in a FPP.
posted by Hands of Manos at 5:58 PM on January 24, 2005

naxosaur said: ...and seeing that mathowie has been moderating his various websites and tinkering with code longer than i've been out of pampers...i'd say that his primary instinct is unblemished and accurate.


Since #1's user page implies he started using the web circa 1995, either naxosaur's mighty young, or...well, the alternative is much more unpleasant.
posted by cosmonik at 6:09 PM on January 24, 2005

And lastly, check this out:

incoherentramblings!
1/1/05
Wikipes Now Online - Recipe Database

A project I’ve been working on in conjunction with Erik at Kartooner.com is now available for public consumption. The site, Wikipes, is a community-contributed recipe database. In other words, we allow anyone to contribute new recipes. Our feeling is that this will create a more diverse collection of unique and delicious recipes and in the long run you’ll be able to choose from a vast archive of drinks, appetizers, main dishes, desserts; the possibilities are endless!

Visit Wikipes now and become a part of a new community -
posted by Hands of Manos at 6:09 PM on January 24, 2005

he made up the idea for the site and helped design it, while his friend put it into a wiki format. If you want to argue whether he or is friend owns the site, feel free, but it definitely seemed like a ploy to help his project along.

It may well qualify as a self-link, given his apparent level of involvement...I'll happily leave it up to you and to those who care to investigate and/or rule on that. My point is simply that it's probably opening the door to trouble down the road to imply that it's forbidden to post a link to a friend's site, rather than just to one's own. No sense creating avoidable new troubles when enough present themselves spontaneously all the time!
posted by rushmc at 9:09 PM on January 24, 2005

i want to see the CC plug on the front page come down then.
posted by keswick at 9:13 PM on January 24, 2005

Isn't that an ad?
posted by smackfu at 9:37 PM on January 24, 2005

I've always heard it more in terms of "ask another Metafilter user to post it", the implication being you find someone who you might not know so well who will think it is cool enough to post on its own merits.

Exactly.
posted by languagehat at 8:19 AM on January 25, 2005

"I just read about Ashlee in us weekly. Those guys at the football game were total jerks." -- mandyc19"

Same thing happened here with wikipes
posted by Hands of Manos at 11:41 AM on January 25, 2005