Where'd that comment go?

July 21, 2005 12:57 PM

I could have sworn that somebody posted a link as a response to my question. Now that I have time to actually check it out, though, the link is gone. What gives? Bug? Gratuitous moderation? Anyone know what the link was?
posted by jdroth to Bugs at 12:57 PM (20 comments total)

It was this. I think it was a self-link.
posted by driveler at 12:59 PM on July 21, 2005

Ah. Thanks, driveler.

Yikes. I thought self-links were okay in comments. (I actually thought they were okay everywhere but as a blue FPP.) I do that all the time.

(Hides head in shame.)
posted by jdroth at 1:21 PM on July 21, 2005

driveler writes "It was this. I think it was a self-link."

I think we had this discussion recently. Self-links are perfectly acceptable in the comments (and if they answer the question, there's no reason for them not to be acceptable in AskMe too).
posted by nkyad at 1:27 PM on July 21, 2005

"On Preview" (In memoriam): they are ok in comments, jdroth, nothing to be ashamed of... :)
posted by nkyad at 1:29 PM on July 21, 2005

I don't know what it was, I just got here. Self links are fine in comments.
posted by jessamyn at 1:34 PM on July 21, 2005

It was a self-link that didn't seem to have anything to do with the question aside from "Hey guys! Come read my blog! C'mon!"
posted by mathowie (staff) at 1:37 PM on July 21, 2005

Self-links are ok, but I was weeding out a couple dozen jokes and information-free comments on Ask Mefi. This was one of them (badly coded HTML, no less).
posted by mathowie (staff) at 1:38 PM on July 21, 2005

It was a self-link that didn't seem to have anything to do with the question aside from "Hey guys! Come read my blog! C'mon!"

That's exactly why I flagged it--and I probably wasn't the only one who did so.
posted by LionIndex at 1:41 PM on July 21, 2005

Thanks, Matt. Actually, I kind of like the site and think it's mildly relevant, though. Still, I understand your motivations and appreciate the explanation. Now that I have the link, I'm happy. (Well, I really should break the addiction to MeFi and go outside and ride my bike, which is the reason I asked the question in the first place. I love this comment preview thing. I could just sit here and type for hours, watching the text update below. What a great pony!)
posted by jdroth at 1:42 PM on July 21, 2005

I'm really disappointed that I missed the two responses to the "bowels loosening in the bookstore" thread!
posted by agregoli at 1:55 PM on July 21, 2005

Too bad there isn't a place where these deleted threads could be preserved for posterity. I mean, I understand why there isn't, but yeah, I'd be into knowing what those two people had to say too, agregoli.
posted by elisabeth r at 2:43 PM on July 21, 2005

The two people said to read this thread.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 3:00 PM on July 21, 2005

Awesome, thanks. Now my curiosity is sated.
posted by elisabeth r at 3:32 PM on July 21, 2005

I don't think the "nature deficit disorder" posts in that blog were irrelevant to the discussion in question. Maybe if they had posted direct links to those two posts rather than a general link to the blog (if that was in fact what they did).
posted by nanojath at 6:13 PM on July 21, 2005

Maybe if they had posted direct links to those two posts rather than a general link to the blog (if that was in fact what they did).

Yeah, that's pretty much it. And there was no real indication in the comment about what to look for in the link either (although that might have been eaten up by the bungled link).
posted by LionIndex at 6:29 PM on July 21, 2005

I was unaware of any prohibition to leaving a link in comments. It seemed a simple courtesy to give a link.

If the link was improperly formed I apologize. I merely uses the little blue 'link' button and entered the URL.

Upon reflection, I realized I should have left a permalink for the blog entry I wanted to bring to the questioners query, but even then there are two entires: Part one and part two.

Sorry for the trouble I caused. It is, I must admit, a bit hurtful to be ridiculed for doing a member a favor, and I wonder why someone just didn't tell me what I did wrong, rather than the uncharitable hostility.
posted by NorthCoastCafe at 7:29 PM on July 21, 2005

NorthCoastCafe: I think it might have more to do with the fact that you seem to pimp your site whenever possible and sometimes you really seem to be stretching it stretching it. You could just as well say what you have to say here without the links back to your site. It seems somewhat excessive.

I seem to recall this isn't the first time one of your comments got nixed for similar things, but I could be mistaking you with someone else. If so, my apologies.

Although, for what it's worth, I'm really not reading anything particularly hostile in the comments above.
posted by FlamingBore at 7:46 PM on July 21, 2005

NorthCoastCafe, sorry if it came off harsh, but someone asked specifically about tips on getting away from the computer and your answer was to check out your own site, which didn't seem related when I skimmed your blog. If you have something specific on your site that is pertinent to a discussion, feel free to add it as a comment, but justify why you're doing it. It looks like of like a cheap ploy for traffic and attention if you just throw your URL in comments without context.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:31 PM on July 21, 2005

I realized I should have left a permalink for the blog entry I wanted to bring to the questioners query, but even then there are two entires: Part one and part two.

That little link button you used? You can click it more than once.
posted by grouse at 12:29 AM on July 22, 2005

I wish everyone would give up this pretense that there is always some reasonable justification when comments get deleted, or that it matters why it was done. They just disappear apparently at random, and most times nobody bothers to complain. The reasons why are impossible to discern sometimes, and trying to explain each one is futile when it happens so often. Nothing wrong with that, that's just the way it is. I find it to be a useful reminder of the impermanence of all things.
posted by sfenders at 6:22 AM on July 22, 2005