Frequently Asked Questions
This is a single FAQ from the MetaFilter FAQ.
What is IRL?
IRL is the subsite for organizing meetups and get-togethers with other site members In Real Life (IRL). There is a feature in IRL meetup threads that allows users to link to photos of their meetup. When this option is used, a little icon of a photograph shows up next to the meetup location in the MeTa sidebar.
To see what meetups are coming up, look at the Proposed, Future, or Upcoming tabs, or use the search box to find events by location. Upcoming meetups are listed in the sidebar of MetaTalk as well. You can see past meetups in a similar way. (Historically meetups were organized in Metatalk's meetups category, if you want to look back at some historical meetup threads.)
To propose a meetup, begin with the New Event form linked in the header of IRL. Your meetup will initially appear in the Proposed tab. When a meetup is proposed, people can work out the details in the comments section. When details are finalized, you can switch your meetup over to Confirmed and it will show up as a Future or Upcoming event. IRL threads track "yes" and "maybe" responses from users planning to attend.
If a meetup needs to be cancelled, or just isn't coming together, you can note that with a comment in the thread and contact a mod to close the thread.
To be notified about upcoming meetups in your city, go to your profile page. If you have entered a location for yourself, under "Contact Preferences" you will be able to check a box for IRL notifications.
There are two types of IRL alerts you can choose to receive via Mefi Mail. The first type of alert tells people in a geographic area that there's a new post they might be interested in. Those alerts go out once per day at midnight Pacific time. They alert everyone with a location, distance, and the option to get these set in their profile. The second type of alert tells people who have indicated that they're attending the meetup that something (like the location or time) has changed. Those go out around 15 minutes after the change happens, and they go out to everyone who has indicated either 'Yes' or 'Maybe' that they're attending.
(tags: IRL subsite meetups ) December 10, 2012 - back to questions
To see what meetups are coming up, look at the Proposed, Future, or Upcoming tabs, or use the search box to find events by location. Upcoming meetups are listed in the sidebar of MetaTalk as well. You can see past meetups in a similar way. (Historically meetups were organized in Metatalk's meetups category, if you want to look back at some historical meetup threads.)
To propose a meetup, begin with the New Event form linked in the header of IRL. Your meetup will initially appear in the Proposed tab. When a meetup is proposed, people can work out the details in the comments section. When details are finalized, you can switch your meetup over to Confirmed and it will show up as a Future or Upcoming event. IRL threads track "yes" and "maybe" responses from users planning to attend.
If a meetup needs to be cancelled, or just isn't coming together, you can note that with a comment in the thread and contact a mod to close the thread.
To be notified about upcoming meetups in your city, go to your profile page. If you have entered a location for yourself, under "Contact Preferences" you will be able to check a box for IRL notifications.
There are two types of IRL alerts you can choose to receive via Mefi Mail. The first type of alert tells people in a geographic area that there's a new post they might be interested in. Those alerts go out once per day at midnight Pacific time. They alert everyone with a location, distance, and the option to get these set in their profile. The second type of alert tells people who have indicated that they're attending the meetup that something (like the location or time) has changed. Those go out around 15 minutes after the change happens, and they go out to everyone who has indicated either 'Yes' or 'Maybe' that they're attending.
(tags: IRL subsite meetups ) December 10, 2012 - back to questions