6 FAQ tagged with link


How can I check if something has been posted before, to avoid double posting?

The New Post form will automatically check for you. Just enter the URL and click "Preview."

For better searching, leave off everything but the domain name -- no "http," no "www" and no directory or html suffix information. This makes it more likely the search will catch a double.
You can also plug a URL into the Search box on any page, or search in Google by pasting the URL into Google along with this string: site:www.metafilter.com
(tags: ) January 25, 2013 - permalink - back to questions

How do I make a link? Can I use HTML in my posts?

There are two ways to make a link: type it in, or use the automated buttons.

To type it in: If you know how to use HTML, you can use an abbreviated list of HTML tags in your posts, including a, b, blockquote, center, em, i, li, ol, pre, small, strike, strong, sub, sup, and ul. You can just type them into the compose/comment box.

To add italics, for example, you would type: <em>italicized phrase</em>
which shows as: italicized phrase

To add a link to example.com you would type: <a href="http://example.com">here is a link to example.com</a>
which shows as: here is a link to example.com

UBB code does not work in MetaFilter. Not all HTML is allowed. If you stick to simple text formatting (b, strong, i, em, a) and lists (ul/li/ol) you'll be ok. Things like tables, embedded video code, javascript, images, and inline styles will be stripped out. 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 that look like they're being posted by others.

Using the buttons: 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. To make a link using the button, you highlight the word or phrase you want to be the link text (like the phrase "here is a link to example.com" above), click the link button, and type or paste the URL into the box that appears.

Here's a short video showing how to use the buttons to insert HTML.
(tags: ) March 6, 2006 - permalink - back to questions

What is double posting? Is there a statute of limitations on double posting?

A double post is when someone posts something to the front page of MetaFilter (or sometimes MetaTalk) that has been there before.

There is no hard and fast rule on when a post is not a double anymore. For an identical URL and a site that hasn't changed in content "a few years" is a good guideline. For a site with the same URL and new content, indicating the previous post in your new post is a good idea. If there is a post on a similar topic still on the front page, please post your link into the open thread instead of starting a new post.

With few exceptions, there is no such thing as a doublepost in AskMe although users should generally search prior questions before posting to determine whether a very similar question has already been asked and answered.
(tags: ) March 6, 2006 - permalink - back to questions

If my post has more than one link, or the link isn't first, do I need to use the URL box?

The "URL" and "Link title" fields are there for your convenience. If you have a one link post you can just fill them in and go. If you want to make a post with a few links, or without the beginning text as your link, you can skip those boxes (but don't skip the title box) and just write the HTML for the links in the post yourself.
(tags: ) January 11, 2007 - permalink - back to questions

There is a problem with a comment or post. What should I do?

You can flag problems for moderators to look at, or use the contact form if the problem isn't self-explanatory.
(tags: ) December 19, 2012 - permalink - back to questions

How do I include a picture or photo with my AskMe question?

AskMetafilter does not host images, so there is no way to upload a picture directly to AskMe. Instead, you must upload your picture to another site and then link to it from AskMe. You can post the image on your own website, or use one of the many free image hosting services that will allow you to upload an image - such as Flickr, imgur, etc. Once you upload your image, copy its URL and link to it from your AskMe question.
(tags: ) February 15, 2013 - permalink - back to questions