2 FAQ tagged with MeFiCoFo
General Information At A Glance
This page is intended for members to have quick access to basic information or links about the site.
SITE OWNER
MetaFilter Community Foundation Board (MCF or MeFiCoFo)
Current Members (Interim Board): Rhaomi, 1Adam12, Gorgik
MetaFilter is a community run site with a rotating board comprised of site members.
Contact: MeFiCoFo AT gmail.com
MODERATORS
General history
Loup (2020)
Management, moderation, payroll, bill pay, and policy.
Taz (October 2011)
Social media and communication
Goodnewsfortheinsane (October 2012)
Miscellaneous clerical and tracking tasks
Travelingthyme (June 2020)
BIPOC Committee work
Brandon Blatcher (2023)
Social media and communication
WEB DEVELOPERS
Frimble (May 2016)
Works on current site (Runs on Cold Fusion)
Kirkaracha (February 2024)
Working on new site (Runs on PHP)
NEW WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT
Tracked under the site tag 'Rebuild'
COMMITTEES
BIPOC Committee
Members: cendawanita, yueliang, Travelingthyme (MeFi staff), Loup (MeFi staff-works with board only as requested)
Moderation Oversight Committee
Newly forming, information to come.
SIMPLE MODERATION LOG (SML)
https://www.metafilter.com/recent-mod-actions.cfm
Displays official mod comments (those with the thin black line around them) and post deletion reasons. Shows the last 50 entries from the previous week.
FEATURE REQUEST FORM FOR NEW WEBSITE
Feature request form. (List of requests)
(tags: moderators board modlog staff MeFiCoFo ) March 8, 2025 - permalink - back to questions
SITE OWNER
MetaFilter Community Foundation Board (MCF or MeFiCoFo)
Current Members (Interim Board): Rhaomi, 1Adam12, Gorgik
MetaFilter is a community run site with a rotating board comprised of site members.
Contact: MeFiCoFo AT gmail.com
MODERATORS
General history
Loup (2020)
Management, moderation, payroll, bill pay, and policy.
Taz (October 2011)
Social media and communication
Goodnewsfortheinsane (October 2012)
Miscellaneous clerical and tracking tasks
Travelingthyme (June 2020)
BIPOC Committee work
Brandon Blatcher (2023)
Social media and communication
WEB DEVELOPERS
Frimble (May 2016)
Works on current site (Runs on Cold Fusion)
Kirkaracha (February 2024)
Working on new site (Runs on PHP)
NEW WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT
Tracked under the site tag 'Rebuild'
COMMITTEES
BIPOC Committee
Members: cendawanita, yueliang, Travelingthyme (MeFi staff), Loup (MeFi staff-works with board only as requested)
Moderation Oversight Committee
Newly forming, information to come.
SIMPLE MODERATION LOG (SML)
https://www.metafilter.com/recent-mod-actions.cfm
Displays official mod comments (those with the thin black line around them) and post deletion reasons. Shows the last 50 entries from the previous week.
FEATURE REQUEST FORM FOR NEW WEBSITE
Feature request form. (List of requests)
(tags: moderators board modlog staff MeFiCoFo ) March 8, 2025 - permalink - back to questions
What is the history of MetaFilter's transition to a community run site?
This document is a centralized location of information about the transition of MetaFilter from a single ownership to being a community run site with a governing board.
What was this transition?
MetaFilter formerly operated as a private Vermont-based LLC owned by former moderator Jessamyn West. She donated her interest in the LLC to a Delaware-based non-stock corporation named the MetaFilter Community Foundation (MFC, or MeFiCoFo). The site itself is still known as “MetaFilter.”
No, seriously what does that even mean?
The site used to be owned by Jessamyn. Now it’s owned by the MetaFilter Community Foundation, currently run by a board of volunteers from the community.
Who’s currently on the board?
There are currently three members on the Interim Board: 1adam12, Rhaomi and Gorgik, who volunteered from the original group that began planning this process. Here’s how the board is described in their own words: “It’s the first board of the Foundation. Our goals are to get the organization/legal/ structural things set up for the full board to take over.” You can contact the board directly at MeFiCoFo@gmail.com.
Why did this happen?
For most of its history, the site operated under a single owner/decisionmaker, which was prone to burnout and bottlenecks. A first attempt at reform under a volunteer Steering Committee in 2022 ran into restrictions on volunteerism under the for-profit LLC. Jessamyn decided to pursue a transition to a different structure that would be better suited to community governance. There’s a series of posts on MetaTalk that show all the posts and information as it happened, under the tag MeFiNonProfit; just start from the bottom.
What can I, as a member of MetaFilter to assist the site?
Is there a particular aspect of MetaFilter that you have ideas about or want to be involved in? Great! Go ahead and create a MetaTalk post describing your ideas and see if there are others that want to work with you on those ideas! Some examples: beta-testing or contributing code to the MetaFilter redesign, helping with fundraising projects, rethinking the outreach and nboarding process for new members, forming or joining various advisory groups. You’re also encouraged to reach out to staff and board members for questions, participate in community threads and meetings, contribute funding for site operations, and of course share your interests and insights in posts and comments across the site!
(tags: transition MeFiCoFo ) March 20, 2025 - permalink - back to questions
What was this transition?
MetaFilter formerly operated as a private Vermont-based LLC owned by former moderator Jessamyn West. She donated her interest in the LLC to a Delaware-based non-stock corporation named the MetaFilter Community Foundation (MFC, or MeFiCoFo). The site itself is still known as “MetaFilter.”
No, seriously what does that even mean?
The site used to be owned by Jessamyn. Now it’s owned by the MetaFilter Community Foundation, currently run by a board of volunteers from the community.
Who’s currently on the board?
There are currently three members on the Interim Board: 1adam12, Rhaomi and Gorgik, who volunteered from the original group that began planning this process. Here’s how the board is described in their own words: “It’s the first board of the Foundation. Our goals are to get the organization/legal/ structural things set up for the full board to take over.” You can contact the board directly at MeFiCoFo@gmail.com.
Why did this happen?
For most of its history, the site operated under a single owner/decisionmaker, which was prone to burnout and bottlenecks. A first attempt at reform under a volunteer Steering Committee in 2022 ran into restrictions on volunteerism under the for-profit LLC. Jessamyn decided to pursue a transition to a different structure that would be better suited to community governance. There’s a series of posts on MetaTalk that show all the posts and information as it happened, under the tag MeFiNonProfit; just start from the bottom.
What can I, as a member of MetaFilter to assist the site?
Is there a particular aspect of MetaFilter that you have ideas about or want to be involved in? Great! Go ahead and create a MetaTalk post describing your ideas and see if there are others that want to work with you on those ideas! Some examples: beta-testing or contributing code to the MetaFilter redesign, helping with fundraising projects, rethinking the outreach and nboarding process for new members, forming or joining various advisory groups. You’re also encouraged to reach out to staff and board members for questions, participate in community threads and meetings, contribute funding for site operations, and of course share your interests and insights in posts and comments across the site!
(tags: transition MeFiCoFo ) March 20, 2025 - permalink - back to questions