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I am just gonna say that I think Metafilter is a much healthier place than HN.

rootusrootus 7y ago
It would be helpful if you can explain why. What makes for a healthy online community in your definition and how does Metafilter meet that?
- jackcosgrove 7y ago
  Metafilter now requires a nominal fee to participate, which cuts down on trolls and sockpuppets. It also limits you to one topic post per day, which cuts down on spam. Quality and quantity seem to be inversely related in social media.
exlurker 7y ago
Agreed. I think it's a combination of maturity in the participants (the symbolic $5 helps here), and also tough but fair moderating really helps.
dnissley 7y ago
It used to be, but the culture wars drove me away from it years ago. I think I checked out after this discussion: https://www.metafilter.com/145707/Privilege-doesnt-mean-you-dont-suffer https://www.metafilter.com/145707/Privilege-doesnt-mean-you-...
- at_a_remove 7y ago
  Agreed. It's very much a culture of internalized "progressive stack" commenting. Plus, all of the things Metafilter "doesn't do well" (a list which grows), the departure of the old guard (if they were not run out of town), and so forth.
- egypturnash 7y ago
  This is one of the reasons I think it is healthier. A post about the problems of not being a white middle class male no longer has to have its comments devolve into people attempting to explain why this particular kind of person has a right to exist, or what it is like to be one.
verylittlemeat 7y ago
Metafilter is like any community. You'll enjoy it if you buy into most of the group think. Even hacker news has that guy who does great satire of how out of touch this place can be. I favor hacker news over metafilter specifically because this place is less of a community of familiars. On metafilter the spirit of ingroup/outgroup behavior and the bullying that comes with that is intense. I barely even contribute there but the amount of nasty, mean spirited and passive aggressive interaction there is depressing. Lots of people like the idea of metafilter until they actually try to contribute in good faith and see the result.

It would be helpful if you can explain why. What makes for a healthy online community in your definition and how does Metafilter meet that?

jackcosgrove 7y ago
Metafilter now requires a nominal fee to participate, which cuts down on trolls and sockpuppets. It also limits you to one topic post per day, which cuts down on spam. Quality and quantity seem to be inversely related in social media.

exlurker 7y ago

Agreed. I think it's a combination of maturity in the participants (the symbolic $5 helps here), and also tough but fair moderating really helps.

dnissley 7y ago

It used to be, but the culture wars drove me away from it years ago. I think I checked out after this discussion: https://www.metafilter.com/145707/Privilege-doesnt-mean-you-dont-suffer https://www.metafilter.com/145707/Privilege-doesnt-mean-you-...

at_a_remove 7y ago
Agreed. It's very much a culture of internalized "progressive stack" commenting. Plus, all of the things Metafilter "doesn't do well" (a list which grows), the departure of the old guard (if they were not run out of town), and so forth.
egypturnash 7y ago
This is one of the reasons I think it is healthier. A post about the problems of not being a white middle class male no longer has to have its comments devolve into people attempting to explain why this particular kind of person has a right to exist, or what it is like to be one.

verylittlemeat 7y ago

Metafilter is like any community. You'll enjoy it if you buy into most of the group think. Even hacker news has that guy who does great satire of how out of touch this place can be. I favor hacker news over metafilter specifically because this place is less of a community of familiars. On metafilter the spirit of ingroup/outgroup behavior and the bullying that comes with that is intense. I barely even contribute there but the amount of nasty, mean spirited and passive aggressive interaction there is depressing. Lots of people like the idea of metafilter until they actually try to contribute in good faith and see the result.