Metafilter Wikipedia Page

June 24, 2024 8:02 AM

I just looked up Metafilter on Wikipedia for some reason related to reading the press-pitch MeTa (I no longer recall the reason) and it looks like it hasn't been updated in a very long time. I'm not a Wikipedia editor beyond occasionally correcting a grammatical error and I know that major edits are something you shouldn't undertake without understanding the culture of wikipedia editors. Also, I don't feel like an authority on the site and its history. In preparation for all the media exposure and curious people we're going to have looking in, maybe we could organize someone to update the wikipedia page?

I feel bad that I'm always suggesting things I don't have the skill set for and saying "somebody should..." (somebody should make a documentary!), so if there's something I can do to help whoever actually knows how to do this, I'd be happy to do that.

posted by If only I had a penguin... to MetaFilter-Related at 8:02 AM (13 comments total)

If you're someone who has information but doesn't feel that you should add it to the page due to a conflict of interest (it me!) or other reasons you can assemble information that might help editors on the MeFi page's Talk page. Mainstream media mentions are the best thing to help editors do updates. Those could be added to the talk page and available to other editors. Thanks for suggesting this.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:42 AM on June 24 [3 favorites]

From my understanding, jessamyn, it's not like the no self posts here, it's fine if you want to be an editor. But the rule is to reference OTHER sources. So adding a ref from the NYT is perfect, doesn't matter who does that. Mefi is frequently discussed in the Times, noo?
posted by sammyo at 8:51 AM on June 24

sammyo, I'm sure that jessamyn knows Wikipedia's policies a lot better than you or I do. In this case, she is specifically referring to their Conflict of Interest policy which "strongly discourages" editing articles about you, your employer, personal or financial relations, etc.

It is not as strict as metafilter's self-link rule, in that it does not outright forbid such behavior, but almost anyone else would be better situated to make these edits.
posted by aubilenon at 9:21 AM on June 24 [5 favorites]

Yeah that's basically what I mean. Me-as-owner should not be editing that page. Folks-as-users should feel like they can, but for people who don't feel they understand the culture, adding a link to the NYT to the Talk page is a good way to contribute.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:35 AM on June 24 [6 favorites]

In prepping for a press pitch, the most recent "news" item easily available on the web that I was able to find is from 2020, appeared in Laughing Squid, and was about a film that was prompted by a comic, that was prompted by a comment on AskMetafilter posted in 2009.

I mention this because recent mainstream articles about MF are thin on the ground. If you find one, by all means add a link to the Wikipedia Talk page and also, please send it to me as well because I am putting together a press pitch. Thanks!
posted by Bella Donna at 10:41 AM on June 24 [2 favorites]

For some specific things, like transitions in ownership/structure/etc., I'd think MetaTalk announcement threads would also count as sources.

I get two 2022-2024 news articles from searching for

metafilter (site:nytimes.com OR site:wired.com OR site:arstechnica.com OR site:theregister.com OR site:washingtonpost.com OR site:theguardian.com OR site:theguardian.co.uk OR site:theverge.com)

and restricting to that time range (I don't have time to read them right now to see if the mentions are useful at all). I just listed a bunch of news/tech sites off the top of my head - there's probably a much more comprehensive list we could put together.

(Even if the articles aren't useful, the journalists or outlets might be?)
posted by trig at 3:33 AM on June 25 [1 favorite]

FWIW, here is the link to the Metafilter page for reference.

I'm a dormant editor, so please let me know if I can help. It looks like from the history page there has been only minimal updates/editing over the past few years.
posted by Atreides at 7:10 AM on June 25

Metafilter gets researched by social scientists and described in academic articles. I wonder if that's a wikipedia-citable source with more material in recent years.
posted by Honorable John at 10:37 AM on June 25 [3 favorites]

2023's Factors Influencing the Answerability and Popularity of a Health-Related Post in the Question-and-Answer Community: Infodemiology Study of Metafilter
posted by Iris Gambol at 9:38 PM on June 25 [2 favorites]

I made a few edits (in my volunteer capacity) today. We really need some better sources focused on MetaFilter as a subject to improve things. Most mentions are in passing and don't give much help to illuminate the subject matter!
posted by ckoerner at 6:02 PM on July 1 [4 favorites]

Would 2022 articles & interviews re: the change in site ownership help? Coverage often has a decent capsule history, & summarizes the general site atmosphere. For example, Sept. 15, 2022's The White River Valley Herald article, "Piece of Web History Finds Home in Randolph" (West Becomes Owner of Early Social Media Site), and Part 1 of a Sept. 7, 2022 interview with Jessamyn at publicinfrastructure.org, "Why Does a Librarian Own a Social Media Site That’s Been Around for Longer Than Facebook?"
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:46 PM on July 2 [1 favorite]

MeFi is mentioned in Are there any humans left on the internet?
posted by NotLost at 7:23 AM on July 12

Also this just got published, Steven Levy writing about MF in his newsletter.
posted by Bella Donna at 8:49 AM on July 12 [3 favorites]