Happy Anniversary

November 18, 2014 12:10 AM

Time flew by, so we must have been having fun. It has been 10 years since the flood of "$5.00 noobs" washed into MetaFilter. Thanks for having us, mathowie.
posted by Cranberry to MetaFilter-Related at 12:10 AM (70 comments total)

Hi.
posted by madajb at 12:29 AM on November 18, 2014

Or as we ol' timers call it 'Eternal November'.

mumblemumblelawnmumble
posted by PenDevil at 12:32 AM on November 18, 2014 [9 favorites]

Hi.
posted by cgc373 at 12:36 AM on November 18, 2014

.
posted by Wolof at 1:16 AM on November 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

Noobs.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 1:22 AM on November 18, 2014 [3 favorites]

does anyone read the posts down here?
posted by jozxyqk at 2:17 AM on November 18, 2014 [2 favorites]

and it's my 5 year anniversary! thanks mathowie!
posted by ellieBOA at 3:43 AM on November 18, 2014

I'm 10 years old today!
posted by the quidnunc kid at 4:11 AM on November 18, 2014 [2 favorites]

Woohoo! We carried a 1!
posted by scruss at 4:40 AM on November 18, 2014 [3 favorites]

10 years old! <3
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 4:49 AM on November 18, 2014 [2 favorites]

:)
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:25 AM on November 18, 2014

Noobs.

Olds.
posted by Room 641-A at 5:26 AM on November 18, 2014 [2 favorites]

Woot! I've wasted exactly one fifth of my life on this earth farting around on Metafilter. I wouldn't trade that time for anything.

I would like my hair back, though. I'm pretty sure that I had a full head of hair when I got here, not sure what happened to it since then.
posted by octothorpe at 5:30 AM on November 18, 2014 [9 favorites]

I waited until December 10 to join. Truthfully, that was probably more because I didn't notice registration was open until then. Can't believe I've been (officially) here for ten years. Best five dollars I've ever spent online.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:13 AM on November 18, 2014

10 years, wow. I had to work up the nerve to join in 2006, but I remember lurking behind a column and trying not to get crushed in the stampede.
posted by arcticseal at 6:45 AM on November 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

I had my nine year anniversay here on November 3rd and was going to say something about how I was almost a year late to the $5 noob party.

I got some terrible news that morning and haven't really been celebrating much since. But I do want to say thanks to all of metafilter. You guys have saved my life more than once, whether you know it or not.
posted by bilabial at 6:45 AM on November 18, 2014 [6 favorites]

With 960 of us joining the community weblog that day, November 18, 2004 was the biggest MeFi signup day in history. I remember being so excited when I clicked "New User" and it actually went somewhere. I would guess 959 others - including MeFi superstars ThePinkSuperhero, octothorpe, UbuRoivas, and zarq - had the same reaction.

Happy Anniversary to the 960.
posted by AgentRocket at 7:28 AM on November 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

10 years after, and we're still "noobs". I'm okay with that.
posted by klarck at 8:02 AM on November 18, 2014

I still remember the day when I pressed my $5 into mathowie's hot, sweaty hand, and made a solemn promise to MetaFilter. And now that 10 years have passed, I think I can safely say that my promise has been kept: for surely me have indeed "love[d] you longtime". Me really have.
posted by the quidnunc kid at 8:10 AM on November 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

It's hard to believe how certain they were that property values would fall if they let the riff-raff in.
posted by double block and bleed at 8:48 AM on November 18, 2014 [2 favorites]

I was wondering where all you people came from!
posted by languagehat at 8:58 AM on November 18, 2014 [3 favorites]

10 years ago, my credit card company had screwed up my account, and I had to wait one more day to register, after waiting for years.
posted by hydropsyche at 10:29 AM on November 18, 2014

It doesn't surprise me that I was one of those first-day signer-uppers, as I was a daily reader for at least three years prior. Happy birthday to all of us with user numbers in the 18000s! As I transition from waiting tables into a life of having a desk job, I look forward to many years of increased participation in MeFi as there is almost nothing else to do all day.

please post more everybody
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 10:54 AM on November 18, 2014 [2 favorites]

Oh, neat. Thanks for the reminder, Cranberry. (Looking at my profile page, I guess it took me a couple days to get around to signing up, from Thursday until Saturday, it seems.)
posted by nobody at 10:58 AM on November 18, 2014

You'd think after 10 years, DMathowie would let us level up from "noob" to -- shit, at least to "demi-noob". But it turns out that the favourite-to-experience point exchange-rate has been rigged from the start of our adventure, and we'll never reach the lofty heights of a 10th level "oldster". Well I say it's time to tear down the screen that separates us from our overlord -- time roll the dice of our OWN fate. And, whether you're playing as a Meta-User, a Comment-Cleric, an Ask-assin, a Project-Paladin, a FanFelf or even a HalfIRLing, you deserve better than mathowie's unbending regime of "critical hit-after-critical hit" to your posts and comments. I firmly believe that if we pool our skills and abilities in a single "party", we can make the saving throw against mathowie's tyranny and bring peace to this land. So vote #1 quidnunc kid for chief Troll, because that "Lawfully Goody" stuff is NOT working out for us.
posted by the quidnunc kid at 11:02 AM on November 18, 2014 [6 favorites]

10 years after, and we're still "noobs". I'm okay with that.

I've been here since 2001 and I still sometimes have no idea what in the hell you people are talking about.
posted by ryanshepard at 11:04 AM on November 18, 2014 [4 favorites]

But it turns out that the favourite-to-experience point exchange-rate has been rigged from the start of our adventure

So ungrateful! In 2004 the exchange rate was effectively infinity XP per favorite!
posted by nobody at 11:18 AM on November 18, 2014

Arg. Missed it by 2 days.
posted by craven_morhead at 12:59 PM on November 18, 2014

The speed of new signup falloff is interesting. I'm March 17, 2005 and user number 23322. We have a jump from 17570 to craven_morhead's 19260 in just two days. Anyone ever graph the signup speed?
posted by phearlez at 1:28 PM on November 18, 2014

This thread has, for what it's worth, my blessing.
posted by Meatbomb at 1:39 PM on November 18, 2014 [2 favorites]

Ahahaha I'm in the 200k's and I get lumped in the same group as 10 year vets
posted by halifix at 1:40 PM on November 18, 2014

Perhaps not the speed though I suppose you could divide by twenty-four.

http://metatalk.metafilter.com/23506/Happy-Anniversary#1177796
posted by vapidave at 2:22 PM on November 18, 2014

This is the annual thread where I thank the early and ardent supporters of opening up the doors. There was stavrosthewonderchicken and languagehat and many others who advocated for an increased number of users and I'm pretty sure that, coupled with the five dollar cover struck the right balance.
posted by vapidave at 2:37 PM on November 18, 2014 [3 favorites]

You're welcome.
posted by Lynsey at 2:53 PM on November 18, 2014 [4 favorites]

It's been ten years already?!
posted by sarcasticah at 3:11 PM on November 18, 2014

Ten years tomorrow and I'm still here. Thank you, MetaFilter!
posted by MonkeyToes at 3:40 PM on November 18, 2014 [2 favorites]

phearlz, the numbers are assigned before the account is paid for, so it can be hard to tell from user numbers alone how many people actually signed up.
posted by ocherdraco at 4:41 PM on November 18, 2014

Hello? Hello? Are you still here?

I really didn't need the reminder that I'm 0.1 century older.
posted by key_of_z at 5:03 PM on November 18, 2014

I like you guys.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 5:25 PM on November 18, 2014 [8 favorites]

Is it just me, or is it time to raise the price of admission?
posted by cjorgensen at 5:40 PM on November 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

Me too, 5 dolla 10-yr-old noob. Best site on the web.
posted by mono blanco at 6:06 PM on November 18, 2014

Yes I'm grateful that the signups were opened again back then.... I didn't have a credit card and a friend re-upped/gifted me.

I joined Metafilter in 1999: came from Memefilter. I was user 167. Went off to live in Southwest Mexico for several years, came back to find there was some kind of glitch along the line, my membership was gone and couldn't be recovered, and signups were closed. That was very disappointing. I was thrilled when the roles were reopened and I could sign in again. Sign in to mostly lurk, but there you are.
posted by reflecked at 6:46 PM on November 18, 2014

Still here after all these years, nearly 1/3 of my life :)
posted by mai at 6:52 PM on November 18, 2014

Ten years?

I should really go outside...
posted by pompomtom at 7:04 PM on November 18, 2014

You kids are growing up. Get off my damned lawn.
posted by jonmc at 7:51 PM on November 18, 2014

I'd been reading Metafilter for so long and was so eager to join, but it turned out I had nothing to say.

(I'm still a week away from my 'wasted 10 years on Metafilter' badge.)
posted by betweenthebars at 8:09 PM on November 18, 2014

Best club I ever joined. So glad you all would have me as a member.
posted by hydrophonic at 9:36 PM on November 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

According to this calculator, it should be $6.30 noobs now.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 10:14 PM on November 18, 2014 [3 favorites]

Happy anniversary, cabal! <3

Seriously 10 years ago I had never heard of Metafilter and it pisses me off to this day that I didn't join until 2007 and I am very jealous and I hate all of you. And also love all of you.
posted by DarlingBri at 10:27 PM on November 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

[this is good]
posted by Rumple at 10:57 PM on November 18, 2014

$5, same as downtown.
posted by twoleftfeet at 2:29 AM on November 19, 2014

What makes me sad about all this is that I had a chance to invest in Facebook when it was only one dollar and I spent five on Metafilter.

That dollar invested in Facebook would be worth, like, a million dollars now.

How will I ever explain this to my children?
posted by twoleftfeet at 2:33 AM on November 19, 2014 [2 favorites]

I'm still not quite 10. Does that make me a baby-noober?
posted by flabdablet at 4:34 AM on November 19, 2014

Just checked my stats and I've made ten front page posts in my ten years here.
I guess that means I should start planning number eleven.
posted by rocket88 at 7:20 AM on November 19, 2014

Man, I remember that "in order to better handle the crowds, new signups are closed" message that was up for years. I eventually gave up and went to MonkeyFilter, which is still going. It was a busy place back in the day and had a good community.
posted by crapmatic at 9:13 AM on November 19, 2014 [2 favorites]

Actually, with inflation, we're $6.29 n00bs now.
posted by Aizkolari at 10:13 AM on November 19, 2014

Best $5 I ever spent.
posted by Miko at 1:45 PM on November 19, 2014

Hi. My new job is almost completely devoid of computer time. Gotta say, it's odd. My work has been ~50% computer since at least 2001 or so, & now I go all day without so much as checking email. I'm happy at the job though, after 2 really tough years at a place I was too emotionally invested in. Should have moved on a year & a half ago.

I had kind of vainly hoped to somehow remember this in time to be the one to post the thread but I'm kind of fading away, internet-wise for a while it looks like.

OH, HI MIKO! And Meatbomb and all my $5.00 n00b friends. I think 10 years on, we are as a group the most enthusiastic & dedicated Mefites because we all waited SO LONG to get in to something we wanted to be part of.
Still reading along on my phone at beddy-bye & at lunctime - Hope to be around more some day soon.
posted by Devils Rancher at 7:44 PM on November 19, 2014 [7 favorites]

Happy anniversary, cabal! <3

About half a year off there.
posted by the Cabal at 9:27 PM on November 19, 2014

Ten years yesterday! I think I got here via a link unfogged posted about monkeyfilter re - could it be this silly? - someone who made fun of the NYTimes wedding announcements. Which is an easy target, but whomever it was made some SERIOUS fun.

And have been here, daily, since. Not engaging as much as I could.
posted by goofyfoot at 3:12 PM on November 20, 2014

Holy crap. I just happened to look at my profile and notice my "Joined" date, so I ran here to make sure someone had already noted this. A goddamned decade! I can't believe it.
posted by brundlefly at 4:25 PM on November 20, 2014

I've been reading metafilter since I was in sixth grade. If I'd had access to a bank account I would have been a member way sooner then I was. Though, I'd probably still be too shy to post.
posted by Marinara at 6:16 PM on November 21, 2014 [3 favorites]

Mind blown. I was well into my 30s before the site was even invented.
posted by cjorgensen at 6:27 PM on November 21, 2014 [3 favorites]

I thought sure that I'd be part of this wave but ... It seems I joined in August 2002. I know I kept missing open signup windows and I"m pretty sure I spotted Matt 5 to be here. I suppose I'd remember what happened in '04 if I wasn't getting, well, now that I think of it where the hell are my goddamned socks. Oh, and I think somebody is on my lawn.
posted by localroger at 5:48 PM on November 22, 2014 [1 favorite]

I very clearly remember my April 2nd sign-up because that noon-FCFS thing was so unusual. But I also clearly remember the November $5 noobs because, thank god, they completely overshadowed the noob status of we few April folk and there were so many of them. It was actually really fun and exciting. I'm so glad all you folk joined! Happy Anniversary!
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 4:37 PM on November 23, 2014 [2 favorites]

Ten years already !! Wow, that was fast. I joined two sites in 2004 that I still frequent on a daily basis, MetaFilter and Flickr (my anniversary there is next month). So much life has happened since the day I pressed JOIN. Thank you Matt, thank you everyone for enriching my mind.
posted by seawallrunner at 8:15 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]

People still use The Game Neverending Flickr?
posted by Joseph Gurl at 3:27 AM on November 25, 2014 [1 favorite]

:)
posted by ipsative at 3:49 AM on November 25, 2014

This is a thing that applies to me!
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:16 PM on November 25, 2014 [2 favorites]

Wow. I got in as a 2+ year lurker during a very short window thanks to a MoFi member since I was in across the world.

Though I bought my wife a membership during the recent dive so she could keep longer track of comments and see the white style sheet.

Best site on the internet. Thanks all!
posted by lkc at 4:02 AM on December 3, 2014