How do I use HTML in my posts? Why don't I see the B, I, Link buttons sometimes in the posting area?
If you know how to use HTML, you can include an abbreviated list of HTML tags in your posts, including a, b, strong, i, em, ul, li and blockquote.
The format for adding italics, for example, is: <em>italicized word</em>
The format for adding a link to example.com is: <a href="http://example.com">example.com</a>
If you use a modern browser, you'll see B/I/link buttons below the compose/comment box that you can use to add basic formatting. UBB code does not work in MetaFilter. There is also a restriction on using html to make the words "posted by" in small size in comments to keep people from making comments looking like they're being posted by others.
Not all HTML is allowed. If you stick to simple text formating (b, strong, i, em, a) and lists (ul/li/ol) you'll be ok. Things like tables, embeded video code, javascript, images, and inline styles will be stripped out.
Here's a short screencast showing how to use the buttons to insert HTML for you:
