I just came up with this beautiful metaphor, and I need to share it. I figure it will make a good first (and probably only) blog post.

If FiMFiction.net was a bookstore, Meta-fiction would be the knick-knacks up front. They're colorful and awfully enticing when you are waiting in line (or waiting for an update). Whatever value the little toys have, in the end they are cheap and forgettable.

FiMFiction is supposed to be about stories; the kind that stick with you for a while. A lot of really good fiction is overlooked because it doesn't have a strange, catchy title or it doesn't come with a crazy cover picture. The moderators want to ensure that the really rich stories aren't overlooked in favor of the knick-knacks up front (i.e.-they don't want Meta-fiction in the feature box).