MetaFilter FAQ

Short answer: profiles are mostly visible to the public, but non-indexed (that is, not "visible" to search engines like Google). Your Full Name, Picture, Webpage, and Blurb are visible to the public, and by default the profile-page listings of your comments and posts and contacts are too.

Among the user-editable parts of the profile page (where you choose what information to enter), the visible-to-the-public items are those under "Personal Info":

• Full Name
  
• Picture
  
• Homepage URL
  
• and Blurb about you
  
• and optionally, Social Apps
  

The visible-to-members-only items are:

• Email (required; private by default, but you can choose to make it visible to members)
  
• Location
  
• Geographic Coordinates (members-only by default, but you can choose to make them private)
  
• Occupation
  
• Gender
  
• Relationship Status
  
• Birthday
  
• IM
  
• Social Apps (you can choose whether to make Social Apps visible to the public or members-only; older accounts default to 'public', new accounts default to 'members only')
  

The members-only fields have a dark background on the Preferences page to make it easier to remember which they are. Except for Email, all the user-editable fields are optional, so for maximum privacy you can simply leave them blank. For email, you must include a working email for moderators to reach you at, but it's only displayed on your profile page if you choose.

Among the site-generated parts of the profile page, everything is visible to the public by default:

• Join date
  
• Funding message (unless you choose to hide it)
  
• Listings of your Contributions (posts and comments)
  
• Favorites
  
• Social connections (contacts)
  
• Tags
  

With the "Minimal Profile" option, members can hide the profile-page listings of Contributions, Favorites, Social connections, Funding Message and Tags from logged-out readers. To do this, check the "Minimal profile for non-members?" option under "Contact / Privacy Preferences". Note: this doesn't hide your actual posts and comments themselves - those remain visible to anyone on the internet. It only hides the listings on your profile page, and only hides them from non-members.

To illustrate the difference between Standard and Minimal options, here's a standard MetaFilter profile page, as seen by a non-member (or logged-out user):



Here's the same profile, again as seen by a non-member (or logged-out user), but now with the "Minimal profile" option checked:



Regardless of what's visible to human readers, Metafilter profile pages are set to be "non-indexed", which means reputable search engines will not make their contents searchable. For this reason, please don't bring profile information over to the main part of the site, where it can be indexed by Google; doing so is potentially a bannable offense. This MeTa comment discusses a little more about the ins and outs about what you should and shouldn't do with information you get from people's profile pages.
(tags: profile privacy members non-members minimal ) December 15, 2010 - permalink - back to questions

MeFi Card Club
Contact: Sparky Buttons
Premise: Request cards from other MeFites for a special occasion or some time basis that you decide.
Dates: user decided

Getting Stuff Done
Contact: paduasoy (or just join the threads over on the IRL subsite)
Premise: Supporting each other to achieve our goals
Dates: New thread at the start of each month, lasts all month

Thursday Night Riffing
Contact: JHarris (metafilter_mst3kclub)
Premise: Group watch of MST's marathon
Dates: Every Thursday at 9pm ET.
Link: https://cytu.be/r/metafilter_mst3kclub

Valentine Card Exchange
Contact: Sunpower
Premise: trade cards for Valentine's
Dates: Signups begin in January of the year

Turkey Day
Contact: JHarris (metafilter_mst3kclub)
Premise: Puts the official MST3k stream in a video sharing room for ease of viewing
Dates: December 23-25

Annual Mystery Science Club Xmas Marathon
Contact: JHarris (metafilter_mst3kclub)
Premise: Group watch of MST's marathon
Dates: December 23-25
Link: https://cytu.be/r/metafilter_mst3kclub

The Metafilter Gift Swap aka Secret Beans
Contact: RhysPenbras and okayokayigive
Premise: swap gifts for the holidays
Dates: November-December of the year, sign ups begin in October

MeFi Holiday Card Exchange
Contact: needlegirl
Premise: exchange holiday cards
Dates: November-December of the year

If you'd like to add something, please contact the mods and include the link to the FAQ entry (what-are-the-member-run-clubs-activities-events) in your message!
(tags: club activites events members ) March 20, 2025 - permalink - back to questions

Members may use the site’s messaging system, known as MeFi Mail, detailed in this FAQ. MeFi Mail is an optional feature of the site. Users may ask other people to stop contacting them and may use MeFi Mail’s blocking feature. Unwanted communications in MeFi Mail–persisting in communications after a user has asked you to stop–constitutes harassment.

Please note that sharing any private user-to-user communications without permission is potentially a bannable offense.
(tags: members moderators mods admins communication ) June 18, 2024 - permalink - back to questions