Welcome newbs and noobs

November 10, 2022 6:37 AM

I don't know what the difference is between a newb and a noob, but I know there's nearly a thousand of you. Greetings! How do you do?!
posted by aniola to MetaFilter-Related at 6:37 AM (34 comments total)

It's worth noting that that number refers less to new members and more to people who have newly set up ongoing donations to support the site.

However, I also want to make it be known that I love all of you and I am delighted by everyone included in this number, and I am similarly delighted by this post.
posted by sciatrix at 6:43 AM on November 10, 2022 [12 favorites]

Yeah, I suspect that people who just stumbled across the site and decided to make a recurring donation immediately are a vanishingly small percentage of that ~1,000 new supporters. Much, much, much more common are people who have been here for years but only just decided to make ongoing financial contributions. And it's a little weird and off-putting, in a "failure mode of clever is asshole" sort of way, to call those people either "noobs" or "newbs". (But then I may be specifically sensitive to this because the one time I've seriously considered just walking away from the site permanently was when a long-standing member got into it with me over Memail and basically said that my opinions about the site didn't matter because I was a filthy casual who was "barely engaged" with the site as evidenced by the fact that I had only been around for a couple years and made a hundred or so comments).
posted by firechicago at 7:03 AM on November 10, 2022 [18 favorites]

I hear you, firechicago and that experience certainly sucks, but maybe we can redirect back to ‘yay for people helping’?
posted by janell at 8:09 AM on November 10, 2022 [7 favorites]

I mean, based on deleting my older, smaller donation and creating a newer one, I'm probably on that list.

And I've been here since my hair was still dark brown, instead of silver/white.

But all the same: here's to supporting MeFi!
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:09 AM on November 10, 2022 [6 favorites]

firechicago, really REALLY sorry this happened to you. I started reading this place in 2004 a little before they opened up signups with the $5 registration fee, and waited a year before joining up myself. Most people were welcoming but there seemed to be a small but hardcore group who would abuse the "five-dollar-noobs" and judge people based on user numbers. No surprise that many of those people were happy to freely share their toxic bullshit racist sexist LGBTQ+-phobic opinions all over the site. Fortunately most of those people are long gone but I guess there were/are still a few outliers, let's hope they smarten the hell up or just bugger off completely.

And to all newbs or noobs, whether you're new donor/supporter or new member here, WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME! I remember when the new user numbers ticked over into the 100000s, there seemed to be a general sense of excitement, the place is really growing. Now we're in the 300000s and I always like seeing how many new folks we get just jumping in with great comments and posts straight away. I know some might be re-registrations of people who'd drifted away from here a while ago, or others who wanted to do the Brand New Day thing. But new members with their own outlook and experience are the lifeblood of this place. So I hope that getting to revive/thrive levels of donor support also allows us to do the sort of site development that keeps bringing in new blood.
posted by hangashore at 8:25 AM on November 10, 2022 [7 favorites]

Reminder that you can give a gift account to someone else, as of last year.

You can now invite friends to join MetaFilter here. This will allow the people you refer to join the site without having to pay the signup fee.

So if you'd like to help new users discover MetaFilter, that's one tool you have.
posted by brainwane at 8:33 AM on November 10, 2022 [5 favorites]

Whoops! Well, I do like any excuse for the sentiment that comes with the 🎉 party popper emoji 🎉 and misread what the number in the footer means yesterday. Maybe this can be the virtual equivalent of three parties (newbs/noobs and new/renewing funders and everyone else besides) showing up at the same venue and then merging?! 🎉🎉🎉
posted by aniola at 8:36 AM on November 10, 2022 [5 favorites]

Sorry, I really didn't intend to make this whole thread about one bad thing that happened to me 7 years ago (god, how did we ever get this old?), especially since my point was based on a misapprehension that aniola was intentionally calling new donors noobs.

If anything, the correct interpretation of that number is even more exciting! Almost a thousand people (and more every minute) stepped up in a significant way to get this place back to a more sustainable financial footing! That's worth all the 🎉s!
posted by firechicago at 9:40 AM on November 10, 2022 [15 favorites]

Come to think of it, is there any way to see who the most recent users are, or get a count of new vs existing users? Not that it really matters in the long run, I'm just curious.
posted by sciatrix at 10:16 AM on November 10, 2022 [1 favorite]

(also there's a hundred more new funders since yesterday, which is flabbergasting and delightful!)
posted by sciatrix at 10:16 AM on November 10, 2022 [4 favorites]

I'm a new member, but not yet a new funder (gimme some time to look over my monthly spending)-- so this counts for at least one newbie because of the campaign! I've been reading MeFi for years and years, back when I was bankless and therefore could not open an account; inertia then kicked in and I didn't bite the bullet on an account until now.

I'm doing ok. A bit stressed out for various reasons, but who isn't?? Thank you for the welcome!
posted by Pitachu at 12:04 PM on November 10, 2022 [26 favorites]

is there any way to see who the most recent users are, or get a count of new vs existing users?

I think this may be extractable via the InfoDump but I don't know offhand. The most recent usernumber that completed the signup process is 325932.

I'm doing ok. A bit stressed out for various reasons, but who isn't?? Thank you for the welcome!

Hey hey -- welcome. I'm jessamyn, as of late September I am the owner of the site. If you or anyone else has questions, please feel free to ask them.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 12:22 PM on November 10, 2022 [6 favorites]

firechicago I will personally buy you a drink next time I see you in person. I am sorry someone was a jerk to you about that.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 12:23 PM on November 10, 2022 [15 favorites]

I think this may be extractable via the InfoDump

It is--the usernames.txt file is just exactly what I'd need to work this out! Here are a couple of preliminary figures:

Rate of users joining per day since Jan 1, 2022
Users joining per month for the last five years

We've been on a bit of a long, slow decline, but I think we can turn that around if we try, yeah? And if anything, it looks like there's been a little bit of a leveling out in the past several months, which is also interesting.
posted by sciatrix at 2:35 PM on November 10, 2022 [5 favorites]

If you or anyone else has questions, please feel free to ask them.

Are hotdogs a sandwich or taco?
posted by Jarcat at 4:39 PM on November 10, 2022 [5 favorites]

Hello, there! I actually am brand new to this site and a new donor. Heard about the site and its troubles over on Dreamwidth and since I like to help preserve Internet history when possible, here I am! Still learning the ins and outs, but I've been having fun exploring the site. (^^)
posted by Bemused_Writer at 5:52 PM on November 10, 2022 [54 favorites]

Welcome, Bemused_Writer!
posted by womb of things to be and tomb of things that were at 5:56 PM on November 10, 2022 [1 favorite]

Welcome Bemused_Writer! Based on your username, I recommend checking out Nahhh-NoWriMo in IRL.
posted by aniola at 6:01 PM on November 10, 2022 [3 favorites]

Thanks for the welcome!

The name does give away that I like writing a lot. :D NaNoWriMo and writing groups in general are great, so I'll take a look!
posted by Bemused_Writer at 6:07 PM on November 10, 2022 [2 favorites]

I think maybe my recurring donation isn't connected to my username somehow. I don't have the star on my profile. Am I supposed to have the star? I don't really care, but I thought I'd point it out in case it's useful for metrics. I think I was logged in when I signed up for the donation.
posted by Comet Bug at 8:23 PM on November 10, 2022

Are hotdogs a sandwich or taco?
Yes.
posted by dg at 8:38 PM on November 10, 2022 [6 favorites]

Comet Bug, Jessamyn wrote a comment about that in another thread, do you have the "display funding message" option checked in your profile settings? I don’t think it’s connected to the metrics.
posted by ellieBOA at 11:17 PM on November 10, 2022

Warmest welcome to all of my n00best subjects! Golden lucky blessings upon you all!
posted by Meatbomb at 12:21 AM on November 11, 2022 [1 favorite]

I am loving my shiny new username. Yay for fresh starts!
posted by just this guy, you know at 7:18 AM on November 11, 2022 [10 favorites]

I cancelled my sub a while ago because I didn't come here as much and was re-assessing which Patreons etc I wanted to keep paying for, but I figured given Mefi has provided so much for me over the years (useful advice, entertainment, questions answered, making internet friends, etc), I should reinstate the sub.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 8:16 AM on November 11, 2022 [12 favorites]

Ah, thanks, ellieBOA.
posted by Comet Bug at 11:02 AM on November 11, 2022 [1 favorite]

Join 7,527 readers in helping fund MetaFilter

Does that number refer to the number of recurring donors, or to the number of members who have made a donation at some point in time, recurring or otherwise?

Also, is there a live ticker somewhere that shows the current value?
posted by Winnie the Proust at 6:04 AM on November 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

For a “live ticker” showing current donor numbers, scroll down to the bottom of any page, including this one, it’s on the right side under the search box.
posted by hangashore at 8:22 AM on November 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

Ah, thank you hangashore.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 8:29 AM on November 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

after a few days it gets quiet in a thread and then you can say or do what ever you like or get totally crazy and start an acrostic
posted by zenon at 11:54 AM on November 15, 2022 [4 favorites]

'clinker' style, any gaps are filled with tarred wool and handfuls of animal hair
posted by Press Butt.on to Check at 12:48 PM on November 15, 2022 [1 favorite]

Also, recipes are welcome.
posted by wenestvedt at 1:10 PM on November 15, 2022 [2 favorites]

Hey there, aniola! I'm doing OK, thanks. I'm a loooooong time lurker who has finally signed up. Really should have done years ago. It might only be a small contribution, but it all adds up, right? No guarantees I'll dazzle you with any scintillating comments or posts any time soon; breaking the lurking habit might take a while!
posted by welsh robot at 3:16 PM on November 16, 2022 [6 favorites]

I am doing a bread machine loaf tonight and have been eyeing Smitten Kitchen’s pie crust for a a go at her thinly sliced apple pie.

Fast Bread machine recipe:

• 300 ml water & egg
• 500 g flour
• 30 ml oil/fat/butter
• 10 g sugar
• 10 g yeast
• 7.5 g salt

Tare the scale to zero with the bread machine pan.
Warm the water to room temp and add egg. Eggs at my market are around 50g
Add water, egg and fat/oil to pan. It should weight 330g.
Add flour through a sifter, and total should be 830 g.
Put pan in machine and start. On my machine I used both medium loaf size and medium loaf color.
And remaining ingredients.
Use a spatula to aid in getting the corners- I often add another 20ml or so to get a nice tacky dough ball.
Wait 3 hours and done.
posted by zenon at 4:20 PM on November 20, 2022