Tavern on the Meta

It kinda dropped off a lot for a bit at the tail end of Joel's CEOship, when the company kinda wavered between indifferent to hostile to the broader community, and SE Careers was the golden child

Mithical

@JourneymanGeek I don't know what you're talking about...

Journeyman Geek

@Mithical I don't think people here Mith anything

Mithical

>.<

Journeyman Geek

10:14 AM

Lets say, hypothetically one of us got hired, and kept quiet

how long would it take for someone to figure out?

Mithical

Ten minutes?

Journeyman Geek

..... that's exactly what I was thinking :D

and how many times did people work out someone left with no official post nor social media interections?

(lots)

Mithical

I think the topic of my latest meta post flew under the radar for several years, though, so sometimes it does take a while.

Journeyman Geek

@Mithical ah stuff like that

Meta Andrew T.

and then, there was a script that periodically running queries SE API for Staff label... (but now inactive already)

Journeyman Geek

10:17 AM

@Mithical and the time someone scraped the staff list to work out who got fired during one of the retrenchments...

Mithical

That was '17, no?

When we lost Pops and Oded

Journeyman Geek

yup

SE's userbase tends to care. And also be a little obsessive.

DialFrost

10:44 AM

I haven't been here long enough to know anybody :(

Journeyman Geek

I've been through most of SE's history :D

and well if things don't go horribly wrong, there'll be more of it

and time enough

DialFrost

12:35 PM

Somehow I'm spending more time on meta then ELL

:/

Journeyman Geek

1:06 PM

@DialFrost that's generally a bad sign

2

Feeds

stackoverflow.blog/2022/07/22/the-overflow-135

DialFrost

@JourneymanGeek partially because my phone isnt cooperating with me :P

@JourneymanGeek why though?

Journeyman Geek

@DialFrost well - meta really is a adjunct to using the sites proper

while I do have more rep on meta than SU - I'm also active in quite a few other sites/communities

a meta focus kinda means you're missing out on the rest of it

DialFrost

@JourneymanGeek you have a lot more rep :P

Journeyman Geek

@DialFrost not really

DialFrost

1:13 PM

@JourneymanGeek my phone is acting up, meta works fine, others don't, haven't figured out why

Journeyman Geek

abour 6k difference between the two

and meta is higher yield for rep for me

DialFrost

Wait nvrm ur stacked on super user

@JourneymanGeek quite big for me lol

Journeyman Geek

@DialFrost 13 years :D

DialFrost

More than my highest rep account:/

Journeyman Geek

and there's a point when if you don't rush, stuff just clicks and it gets easier

DialFrost

1:15 PM

Mere 5.8k unfortunate

@JourneymanGeek hmm?

Journeyman Geek

there's literally a point on my 2 100k sites when rep increases go whoooosh

DialFrost

Why's your super user rep leveling out? :P

Journeyman Geek

tbh? Don't have time to do cool things

DialFrost

Unfortunately I have 313 answers on ELL, and only 5k rep

Others have 100 answers with 6k rep

Prob a sign my answers aren't very good?

Journeyman Geek

well - that's one of the things you need to figure out

what makes an effective answer/question for a site for the way you write

DialFrost

1:19 PM

@JourneymanGeek after a few months I got nothin

All I see is interesting=rep

Journeyman Geek

hah

years

DialFrost

@JourneymanGeek wat??

Journeyman Geek

Years. Periods generally consisting of a fixed number of months, roughly 365 days if you follow a solar calendar

Thats a cheeky way of saying don't rush

DialFrost

Hmm

Journeyman Geek

Don't worry about rep

have fun

DialFrost

1:22 PM

Trying too :P

Journeyman Geek

or in my case occationally 'fun' since I'm a moderator

DialFrost

But I cant get into any sites

Except meta

@JourneymanGeek heh

I actually kinda gave up coding (not really sure why I just slowly stopped)

Mithical

@DialFrost It can signal a burgeoning addiction to the SE system, resulting in a life-consuming obsession with the site, taking more and more of your time until you have no other life left.

;)

DialFrost

@Mithical hmm, the SE system is abit addicting ngl

Journeyman Geek

@Mithical that assumes you had a life to start with

Tinkeringbell

1:28 PM

@JourneymanGeek Don't worry about rep. But the 'have fun' often backfires, so I'd say that's bad advice. These sites are serious business :)

DialFrost

@JourneymanGeek ahem

@Tinkeringbell hmm so what do you think? :P

Journeyman Geek

@Tinkeringbell ehh being OCD over SE stuff is pretty bad too

Tinkeringbell

Rep is just an internet number. Like your account ID. Don't focus on it. If you want to be useful, focus on adding good quality contributions to these sites, not on the imaginary internet points those contributions earn you.

DialFrost

I mean someone having 130k on one site is quite OCD :P

Journeyman Geek

@DialFrost over a decade

Tinkeringbell

1:29 PM

It's not.

Some users get 90k or something like that just for 1 post.

DialFrost

@Tinkeringbell I've been trying to get some old stuff started on ELL :P

Journeyman Geek

@DialFrost I really like this community and have been working with them for a decade

DialFrost

@JourneymanGeek still that's over 10k rep a year

Journeyman Geek

which isn't hard

DialFrost

Which IMO is grinding :P

Journeyman Geek

1:30 PM

uh

Do you see how much I post?

Tinkeringbell

No. There is no 'grinding' on SE.

DialFrost

Uhh

@Tinkeringbell depends on your definition of grinding

Journeyman Geek

So here's the thing

Tinkeringbell

Don't go attempting that, it'll end badly for both you (frustration), other community members (frustration) and the site in general (declining quality)

Journeyman Geek

I've worked closely with multiple communities in my spheres of interest - security, serverfault, SU...

DialFrost

1:31 PM

@Tinkeringbell attempting what?

Tinkeringbell

To 'grind' SE

Journeyman Geek

and sometimes there's stuff that needs saying.

DialFrost

Oh, I don't:P

Journeyman Geek

Meta is a means to that end

Mithical

@Tinkeringbell There are exceptions, but you have to really know what you're doing.

DialFrost

1:32 PM

I honestly not sure why I'm here, I just found this site and started posting (unfortunately I'm not very good at anything)

Tinkeringbell

Yeah, just like billionaires are 'exceptions'. You're not one, you never will be, is a safe assumption.

Journeyman Geek

No one is at first

someone complained about my spelling my first month

... actually that hasn't stopped

Tinkeringbell

@DialFrost See, you're already 'complaining' a bit about not being 'good' at things, and soon others will tire of seeing you post or complain after posting...

That's not good.

Mithical

@JourneymanGeek I was gonna say. I still do that :D

DialFrost

@JourneymanGeek heh

Journeyman Geek

1:33 PM

@Mithical I know :D

DialFrost

@Tinkeringbell I'm confused abit here

Tinkeringbell

@DialFrost It's not the first message I recall seeing from you about how you're not 'successful'. That's not a useful attitude to have.

DialFrost

I'm mostly here because I don't really have anything else to pursue when I'm free

@Tinkeringbell oh :(

Tinkeringbell

Don't compare yourself to others, don't think about being 'successful' or 'grinding' or 'needing to get more reputation'.

Post good quality, useful posts, and the rest will happen, but they shouldn't be the reason you're (wanting to be) here.

Shadow The Kid Wizard

1:53 PM

@Tinkeringbell sadly some, especially on SO, are doing exactly this. (Answering only to get the reputation.)

Tinkeringbell

Yep. And also asking, and it's a really, really, really bad practice.

Shadow The Kid Wizard

@Tinkeringbell I see it as excuse, or shield, of sorts.

But, there's also thin line between this and just being humble or even realistic.

Tinkeringbell

Well, sure. Lots of people have excuses for why they do stuff. I learned that doesn't mean I automatically have to use those same excuses as reasons to find what they do acceptable ;)

Shadow The Kid Wizard

hmm now let's see that old ping...

@Luuklag hmm? Fun of what?

I make fun of too many things so don't know which you refer to. :D

making fun of @M.A.R.'s teapot

SPArcheon

@ShadowTheKidWizard Well, to play devil advocate, getting even one upvote once in a blue moon on the post you spent an hour to write on SharePoint could maybe motivate you to write the self-answer you found out after no one throw you a single bone (but one felt the urge to post a reply that starts with "I know this does not answer to the question but..." )

Journeyman Geek

1:58 PM

I think itt would be the ambiguity of which ryan it was

Meta Andrew T.

@SPArcheon ...what about getting 1 downvote instead?

Shadow The Kid Wizard

@JourneymanGeek nah, I make fun only of the case e.g. if it would be ryan

Journeyman Geek

@SPArcheon I use SE for self documentation a lot

rYan?

Shadow The Kid Wizard

@JourneymanGeek third brother

Journeyman Geek

nyan

Shadow The Kid Wizard

1:59 PM

@DialFrost 15.5

@SPArcheon that's very different case.

Upvotes are crucial, but when they become the single goal for posting, that's bad.

@JourneymanGeek cat

Journeyman Geek

@ShadowTheKidWizard well - maybe its my experience as a 2x 100ker but ehh, rep on its goal is meaningless

Shadow The Kid Wizard

@MetaAndrewT. most would just delete and run away in tears. :P

Journeyman Geek

past say 20k, what's the point?

Spevacus

Swag

Journeyman Geek

@Spevacus well when its a thing

Spevacus

2:02 PM

:)

Shadow The Kid Wizard

@JourneymanGeek isn't there something for 100k anymore?

SPArcheon

:925925 Should be... something something Revelation 3:14-22?

> I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!

Journeyman Geek

@ShadowTheKidWizard there wasn't for a while, and I think they paused it for a bit

Meta Andrew T.

@Spevacus become a mod instead ;)

Journeyman Geek

@SPArcheon youtube.com/watch?v=kTHNpusq654 so this?

@MetaAndrewT. bad advice :D

Shadow The Kid Wizard

2:05 PM

@JourneymanGeek bit which is like couple of years by now? ;)

Journeyman Geek

@ShadowTheKidWizard oh again

SPArcheon

@JourneymanGeek I just know that specific passage from "knowledge osmosis", having heard it from others. But... I would avoid the comparison in any religion-centered chatroom

Journeyman Geek

414

Q: Swag is coming back! (temporarily paused)

Update May 2022 I know everyone (myself included) has been excited by the return of swag. I just wanted to give y'all a heads up that we're currently revamping our swag options and shipping process, so we have to put a temporary pause on sending swag out. As soon as updates are in place, I'll let...

they started then stopped again

Shadow The Kid Wizard

:/

Journeyman Geek

@SPArcheon \o/

Spevacus

2:08 PM

@MetaAndrewT. The sites I frequent are pretty well-maintained by the existing teams. Besides, diamonds are pointy and have sharp edges. Sprouting one feels like it would be painful.

Journeyman Geek

I'm debating a third diamond

since I don't think I'll be getting all of them anytime soon

Spevacus

Over on Pets, yeah?

Journeyman Geek

yup

I skipped the last round cause I was hoping the CM application would work out

SPArcheon

@JourneymanGeek they know perfectly the only item everyone would want. It was told them multiple times. They endure on their vain attempt to entice us with (used?) socks, and even as a pony I am not interested (I am not Minty).

Journeyman Geek

@SPArcheon lol

I've never actually worn my socks

SPArcheon

2:11 PM

Journeyman Geek

actually - I'm not gonna disagree

SPArcheon

88

A: New swag for Stack Overflow's 10th birthday: wear-ables or desk-ables?

Plush unicorns! People on meta have asked for the Stackicorn in the past, have even expressed willingness to pay for it if only you'd make them. Bonus: in the future you might be able to print different "shirts" (say, for different sites) or add other decorations.

Journeyman Geek

and if the opportunity arises, I'd back it up :D

SPArcheon

Pretty sure that there is a post of mine somewhere that pre-date this but... too lazy to search now

Tinkeringbell

I dunno. Socks and shirts and mugs and watches... all useful. But what are you going to do with a plush?!

All it will do is gather dust.

Spevacus

2:13 PM

Instead of rubber duck problem solving, maybe it's stuffed unicorn debugging?

Tinkeringbell

Eh, you really need neither, that's just capitalism telling you to spend money on 'extra' stuff.

You can just explain your problem to your keyboard like you do to a rubber duck, they have the same level of intelligence and awareness XD

Spevacus

Yeah but my keyboard doesn't have eyes and an imagined sense of companionship with me. I suppose those little stick-on googly eyes could suffice.

Tinkeringbell

Why does it need eyes? And don't you have anything else you could anthropomorphize then, like a coffee stain that looks like Jesus or something? XD

SPArcheon

Journeyman Geek

Maybe a weighted companion cube

@Tinkeringbell the mind is a wierd thing

Tinkeringbell

2:17 PM

Oh definitely. Not saying it isn't, but I truly don't see the difference between a rubber duck or my 'm' key.

SPArcheon

@JourneymanGeek also available as a plush.

Tinkeringbell

Ah, more dust!

Journeyman Geek

@SPArcheon hanging over a incinerator...

the code compiles or you doom it. You monster

SPArcheon

@Tinkeringbell let me think for a second....

oh, I know...

Journeyman Geek

@Tinkeringbell I liked the nalgenes

and one of the mugs gets a lot of use

SPArcheon

2:20 PM

I kinda remember a very partial parrot once saying she liked a similar crochet doll :P

those collect dust too :P

Tinkeringbell

I know. I haven't crocheted anything for about a year now.

Except stuff to give away to gather dust :P

@JourneymanGeek Same here, the nalgene and mug get a lot of use, the shirt too (pyjama :P). But some of the stickers are gathering dust (if I haven't already thrown them out while moving).

SPArcheon

2:39 PM

.... parrot is in grumpy cat mode it seems...

Yet we have to try and get a smile for once.

@Tinkeringbell Found the perfect idea for you then