MetaFilter

(In Vermont, nonprofits apparently do need a "corporation" (Corp), "incorporated" (Inc), "company" (Co), or "limited" (Ltd) somewhere in the name, as per this VT Secretary of State page.)
posted to MetaTalk by nobody at 1:09 PM on November 1, 2023

The new organization needs to meet and maintain tax-exempt educational nonprofit criteria, and how it goes about that is reflected in the mission statement.

501(c)(3) Organizations: What Qualifies as “Educational”? via Congressional Research Service:

There is no statutory definition of the term “educational” in the IRC [Internal Revenue Code]. Rather, the term is defined by a Treasury regulation. It defines “educational” to encompass... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Iris Gambol at 8:56 AM on October 31, 2023

I expect this MeTa to be the start, not the end, of working out these items.
posted to MetaTalk by NotLost at 7:30 AM on October 31, 2023

[This thread has been open for roughly 3 days and it now has 9 mod notes and twice as many flags as it has comments, so let me address a few things.

- I know this is a hard situation and I hope you can understand that this is a tragic historical event that is unfolding as we speak.

- Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and personal attacks have no place in MetaFilter. Period.

- MetaFilter strives to be a community where everyone... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by loup at 12:42 PM on October 31, 2023

[One deleted. Let’s not derail this thread by questioning a person’s sexual abuse allegations.]
posted to MetaFilter by travelingthyme at 1:32 PM on October 28, 2023

This post really resonated with me as I feel like Metafilter made me grow up a lot too.

I am so glad I did not join in 2001 when I first came across Metafilter, because one of the things I gleaned from AskMe was the power of psychotherapy. The USA focus of the site, often an annoyance to many at times, was useful in demystifying or de-stigmatising therapy as a source of personal empowerment, something that many other cultures, even white colonised countries like my own... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by honey-barbara at 9:04 PM on October 26, 2023

hello i guess this is where some of the old metafilter crew would show up if they did

i'm not dead. i even have kids now. crazy huh
posted to MetaFilter by fishfucker at 6:47 AM on October 26, 2023

Was definitely NOT expecting to hear Al Stewart’s Roads to Moscow in this show. For any reason. What the hell.
posted to FanFare by kitten kaboodle at 5:45 PM on October 27, 2023

As I was watching the scene after the credits I thought, we are witnessing a cultural shift. Reimagining all these old stories and time periods with a queer cast of characters, full of feelings well articulated (not that everyone isn’t messy - they just talk about it!), and forgiveness, and nontoxic masculinity in abundance. It seemed like a one-note joke at the start - what if pirates are secretly emotionally intelligent and silly, and they just need a good leader to bring it out in them? But... [more]
posted to FanFare by Isingthebodyelectric at 7:30 PM on October 25, 2023

These past two together were simultaneously hard to watch and a joy to watch. I don't know how they do it, but they've sure done a thing.

The clocks were... I mean it's the most famous thing about seafaring that pendulum-style clocks can't work on a ship. I'm glad that they had another use (however little sense it made, it was still funny).
posted to FanFare by Acari at 5:14 PM on October 20, 2023

So this is where Doug Henshall is hanging out. Weather’s probably better.
posted to FanFare by TWinbrook8 at 7:07 PM on September 7, 2023

We watched the pilot of this and it wasn't bad, but through that first episode at least it falls much more squarely in the A mom is caught up in a mystery! camp than the Dangerous badass activated at last! camp. I tuned in hoping for the latter. My spouse was tuning in for the former. She was very pleased. I wasn't mad.

The fight scenes were... fine? I could not help but compare them unfavorably to A History of... [more]
posted to FanFare by DirtyOldTown at 6:39 AM on September 7, 2023

Fine, I am back. So what is the bar for Canadians to post an article here? Do we have to assume that we have to explain that the CBC is our national broadcaster, and that the link in the article to the full-hour show and the three authors of the piece and the discussion of all the evidence and the links at the bottom to journalist practices and all that is incomprehensible to Americans who want to get their two cents in?
posted to MetaFilter by warriorqueen at 8:03 AM on October 28, 2023

funny you mention chappelle. bigots and the bigot-adjacent make much hay out of the fact that he claimed to have been friends with a trans woman, which is why he's allowed to talk shit about us.

apparently that wasn't quite true, the whole "i have a tranny friend" bit, but there's no new yorker article on that.

he did get booed recently for saying something positive about the palestinians though, so maybe one's a-comin' soon.
posted to MetaFilter by i used to be someone else at 2:27 PM on October 27, 2023

Regardless, she was adopted by a Native family, so she belongs to them and they claim her. This is troubling to do these deep dives into Native women's ancestry and become "Pretendian hunters"
posted to MetaFilter by AnyUsernameWillDo at 4:27 PM on October 27, 2023

I will get started setting up our logistical infrastructure.

CONTACT INFO – Will jessamyn and everyone who has volunteered for the transition board please memail me your e-mail address, so I can e-mail you all at once?

TELECONFERENCING – Do any board members have a teleconferencing account with which they would be willing to host meetings?

BRANDON BLATCHER’S OFFER -- I agree that there is no problem with labor laws,... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by NotLost at 9:42 PM on October 25, 2023

Totally cool if people prefer that current employees, or me in particular, not be part of this, there will be no hard feelings either way!

Not a preference per se, but a caution - when you provide support to two organizations that are forming a relationship (and/or are employed by one of them), no matter how well-aligned the two organizations are in their goals, there will come a point when their interests do not fully align, and you would do much... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by solotoro at 12:10 PM on October 25, 2023

I think it would be 100% OK for Brandon to be part of this informal group. I do not think there is any FLSA problem because: (1) Brandon's job at MeFI isn't asking him/telling him to be part of the informal group; (2) the informal group is not affiliated with any entity and is not employing anyone or conducting any business - it's just people talking, at this stage.

I also do not think that serving as one of ~9 people on an informal group of people makes for any... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Mid at 1:00 PM on October 25, 2023

Hello there.
posted to MetaFilter by ColdChef at 10:30 AM on October 24, 2023

I don't think I'm a username anyone recognizes anymore (but maybe I am). Count me as another person that pretty much grew up here. My Metafilter membership spans - and, indeed, exceeds - the entire lifetime of my college-bound child. I once wrote this about Metafilter -- "I feel like I'll always have a home here. A community, where it's ok to be a nerdy shy girl who wants to talk about Big Things." and to a great extent that's still true.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 8:22 PM on October 23, 2023

does anyone read the posts down here?
posted to MetaFilter by Nelson at 5:45 PM on October 23, 2023

Many of us in Vermont are waiting for an invitation to join.
posted to MetaFilter by MtDewd at 5:02 PM on October 23, 2023

Coming up 20 years. I was old then in comparative terms. There are some fascinating and knowlegeable people still here. Sadly many have moved on. I love the links in political + current affairs threads to in depth analysis which I otherwise would not find on my own. I'm frequently surprised in a way that Metafilter is still here and I hope that the new impetus to reform as a non profit shows success. I post less that previously. Frequently my Art post got few comments so I wonder if anybody is... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco at 12:47 PM on October 23, 2023

"Friend of Jessamyn" is a great phrase.
posted to MetaFilter by JHarris at 10:07 AM on October 23, 2023

These people have volunteered for the transition board:
* box, https://metatalk.metafilter.com/26371/MeFi-Business-Legal-Update-Follow-Up#1422125
* Frayed Knot, https://metatalk.metafilter.com/26371/MeFi-Business-Legal-Update-Follow-Up#1422065
* JHarris, former SC member, https://metatalk.metafilter.com/26371/MeFi-Business-Legal-Update-Follow-Up#1422036
* Kybard. https://metatalk.metafilter.... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by NotLost at 6:40 AM on October 25, 2023

Hey, I'm happy to help out. Member since '02 - love his little corner of the web and want to see it thrive.

I've done lots of Board work and board governance work, including currently founding Chair of the Flickr Foundation and board member of VotingWorks, a technology non-profit building open source voting machines. I was Secretary to the Board of the Mozilla Foundation from 2010-2013, and I've done lots of other board work since, including member of the Creative... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by mrmcsurly at 11:53 AM on October 24, 2023

I've been a member since 2006 and a lurker since 2001 or so. I'm also an attorney who works on issues related to corporate governance, although not specifically not-for-profit entities. With two kids and one more on the way I don't have endless free time, but I can volunteer for either menu option 1 or 2, if my participation would be useful.
posted to MetaTalk by 1adam12 at 8:34 AM on October 24, 2023

The post about volunteers has been, um, posted on the main page, AskMe, and FanFare.
posted to MetaTalk by Brandon Blatcher at 5:50 AM on October 24, 2023

That is not community driven; that is ED driven.

No, I don't trust an unknown person who designs their own power structure. I would like to know before we have an ED how much the ED answers to the board and how much the board answers to the members.

cosigning/echoing these sentiments

Those with experience in such things, can you explain what kind of nonprofits these were... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Kybard at 6:41 AM on October 23, 2023

ED develops (in consultation with the community) a 'roadmap' of what a more permanent board will look like and the non-profit's governance structure.

Another strong disagree here. This is the job of the Board, full stop. Said structure should then be ratified by the Membership (i.e. our community) in some way. Then the Board then finds an ED who fits well in the structure defined.

But I do agree with those who think this is... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Frayed Knot at 7:35 AM on October 23, 2023

I've been thinking about what to say here. Lately I've been frustrated with Metafilter. It seems so dysfunctional these days. I am hoping it can be saved, and I appreciate the work Jessamyn and others are doing to save it. I get mad at all the fighting and all the negativity. Someone wants a car with slightly more clearance and they are reminded three times that BIG CARS KILL BABIES. You can't discuss The Blues Brothers, the most fun movie ever made, without someone reminding you that John... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by bondcliff at 8:50 AM on October 23, 2023

“Lowest common denominator” isn’t even the full truth. I actually mean white, American, left-wing, and upper-middle class. Anything outside that frame can end poorly. In one infamous thread, an Asian user asked for help deciding what percentage of their salary to give to their parents. White users rushed in to call this absurd and declare that adults didn’t owe their parents anything. Prolific Asian users disabled their accounts out of frustration, never to come back. Similar... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by rajbot at 8:12 PM on October 22, 2023

I love many small things about MeFi, as well as the big ways that it made me more thoughtful and kind and humble. I'm not perfect, but I'm not nearly as bad as I used to be.

I never made it to therapy, but the way people here have shared life lessons has shown me many valuable things for free -- and sometimes I have even been smart enough to take the lesson.

One of my favorite things is the array of jokes and allusions and identities in so many... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by wenestvedt at 7:30 PM on October 22, 2023

I miss Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The, silent without note since Feb 2019.
posted to MetaFilter by ovvl at 5:14 PM on October 22, 2023

I'd like to volunteer for front- and backend coding.

• Over 20 years web development experience
• Experience with MetaFilter codebase
• Here since 2001

posted to MetaTalk by kirkaracha at 1:47 PM on October 22, 2023

Just dropping a note that if you don’t read MetaTalk and like me never really see the banner, you might not know MetaFilter is looking for inaugural board members.
posted to MetaFilter by warriorqueen at 3:43 AM on October 22, 2023

We have these volunteers so far:
* corb, possibly some time-limited tasks, well versed in nonprofits;
* Frayed Knot, initial board, bylaws, ED search, deep experience with one nonprofit;
* jessamyn, advising;
* JHarris, strong in writing and ideas, previous SC member;
* kybard, initial board, project management;
* NotLost, a few options;
* rebent, initial board, paperwork, project management;
*... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by NotLost at 6:20 AM on October 22, 2023

Thank you for doing this work and getting the ball rolling on planning for transition, jessamyn. Like many, I'm not in a position to step up for a service/leadership role, as I already have (too many) other such roles, and I'm grateful for those who can.

As to grants, I also think that might be worth pursuing down the road. MetaFilter is truly a sea of contrasts, in terms of the perspectives members share about the site, depending on where they're coming from. From my... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by cupcakeninja at 5:30 AM on October 20, 2023

I am willing to join an initial board and help with project management and paperwork.
posted to MetaTalk by rebent at 8:40 AM on October 19, 2023

1982, ⭐⭐⭐⭐, IPO, left to advise the govt

i struggled with nipples, generally told governments to fuck off, and always went 110% to the mat for my moderation team. moderation speed was a constant challenge because doing the right thing is hard
posted to MetaFilter by glonous keming at 6:00 PM on October 18, 2023

I would suggest a 7 person board, with 4 person quorum. I absolutely can't help at the moment with continuous ongoing work, but would possibly be willing to help with discrete time-limited stuff. I've sat on a number of non-profit boards and executive boards, as well as on executive director hiring committees. I have written and revised bylaws. Much as I despise it I am obscenely familiar with Robert's Rules. I am definitely not a lawyer and definitely not your lawyer but am somewhat familiar... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by corb at 12:11 PM on October 18, 2023

I think a lot of the mainstream news these days about COVID is fairly reassuring. People have higher immunity, symptoms are much lighter, etc. Example. It's certainly possible to find much more doom and gloom positioned stories, but a lot of the news that's out there suggests that someone in your position is actually at pretty low risk of terrible things happening to you even if you get COVID. Perhaps if you read some of those stories you would find it calms some of your anxiety?... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by jacquilynne at 7:07 AM on October 18, 2023

1941 on my first try. I will be adding this to my resume, citing this statistic in every MeTa comment, etc
posted to MetaFilter by Tom Hanks Cannot Be Trusted at 10:48 PM on October 17, 2023

740-ish and I blame a moment of madness at year 5 when I managed not to spend any of my budget on improvements by mistake.

Would have gotten away with slow moderation if only I’d been able to add a crouton garden……
posted to MetaFilter by inflatablekiwi at 6:42 PM on October 17, 2023

Just about 4 episodes in, and this season has above and beyond redeemed itself. I'm loving the flash forwards to the kids - her daughter's affectations are the perfect imitation of Midge (kudos to the actor!).

I'm glad that we finally see acknowledgement that Midge isn't a great person, and definitely has flaws as a mother (but she's doing the best she can do at life). All of the parents are driving me crazy. oy! They're so much - they feel like... [more]
posted to FanFare by hydra77 at 8:06 AM on October 18, 2023

I'm no Jessamyn, but given that I'm not, I'm pretty pleased with my 1894 point four star outcome.
posted to MetaFilter by aubilenon at 4:51 PM on October 17, 2023

Thanks for the post. I'm the current president of my local Audubon society. We try to note the accessibility levels of our walks, and this will certainly help us communicate better and plan our walks with more accessibility in mind. It will also help us advocate for accessibility in park planning, maintenance, and renovation efforts. We try to get our opinions heard by the county park commission that owns a lot important bird habitat when it comes to managing the parks to benefit birds. We... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mollweide at 3:37 PM on October 17, 2023

Please note, in case I somehow didn't overqualify that comment enough, that I really hope it doesn't come to that. I just think that Metafilter is a lot more than its site software.

To weigh in on the switchover to being a non-profit, I've said it and before and I say it again, it's nice that we're doing it right, but also telling that Reddit is working on an freaking IPO, while having a gigantic volunteer workforce. I dearly hope that whatever law... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by JHarris at 7:48 AM on October 11, 2023

I have long suspected that the mods are, at this point, in a state of perpetual burnout. Even if the site is somehow a bit less contentious than it had been in the past, I doubt their capacity to deal with cranky commenters is anywhere near where it used to be. The world since 2016 can’t be rolled back, after all.

Anything not explicitly rule-violating can be deferred, because it’s not actively on fire. If there are no fires at any given moment, that’s an opportunity... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by learning from frequent failure at 7:26 PM on October 16, 2023

Stumbled upon this while looking for a used car.

This meatfilter thing seems like it can embiggen the smallest person or emsmallen the biggest one, if those are their wishes - not for me to judge - so am in favour of whatever flavour.

For what it's worth, which isn't much.
posted to MetaTalk by UbuRoivas at 6:08 AM on October 16, 2023