Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with community

What would I do without you guys, really?

Bageena — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:31:30 -0800

My friends and I are starting an artist collective in Phoenix, Arizona and we desperately need help thinking of a name. Can you help? Short explanation; I myself am an artist with, you know, the paper and the pencil and occasionally, some ink or acrylic or something. I have three friends that are photographers, another friend who's a painter, two friends who are musicians, and a few others who might also join. What we've decided we'd like to do is start a community blog where we all write individually what we're doing to try and break into the mainstream or just get our work seen. The main site will show all of our posts, broken down by individual members, along with a sort of swarm cloud that shows how often each artist works with the others.
Anyways, we've got a ton of great ideas already and we're excited to get a move on it, but we're stuck at what seems to be the first effing step! We need a name for our little community. We don't have a lot in common except that we all work normal 9-5 jobs outside of our passions for our individual work, we are all artists of one sort or another, and we all live in Phoenix, Arizona. I'm trying to think of names that are reminiscent of the desert or of Phoenix. I sort of like the idea of something ancient and awesome sounding. Really though, we're open to anything. I'd list the links to our websites so you could actually see our styles and who we 'are', so to speak, but I think that'd be a little too self-linky for me. So yeah - if your really that curious, you can look in my bio and I think there's a link there to my personal work.
So yes, I leave it once again to the most clever people I know to help me hop a hurdle in my life. Thanks Mefites!

Please suggest books, movies or shows like Bel Canto

reenum — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:44:26 -0800

I loved the plot of Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. Any recommendations for similar books, shows, or movies? I loved how Patchett's book showed hostages and hostage takers forming a sort of community within their besieged compound.

I also remember an essay with a similar theme by P.J. O'Rourke. It involved him being stuck in a hotel with a bunch of foreign correspondents during a bombing and talked about how they coped.

Any suggestions?

Print is dead; help me replace it

TochterAusElysium — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 09:16:34 -0800

What's the best platform for a local community news and events site? I've volunteered to set up a site which will serve as a news source, events calendar, and community hub for an area encompassing three or four small cities. I've done personal blogs, and a single-area blog in Blogger, but for this larger project I'd like to expand my options. Is Wordpress a better way to go?

Are there other platforms I should look at? I know Ning is dead or dying (or so I've heard) but it seemed to have the flexibility to do something like this. I don't mind learning a new system, but I'm not a programmer, so I don't feel ready to build a site from scratch. Ideally, there is a pre-existing community news platform that I can customize to be exactly what is wanted.

Also, do you know of any local blogs or community news sites that are well-designed and useful that I could look at as reference?

Many thanks in advance!

Before Etsy: What was that DIY trading community from way back when?

junkbox — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:16:20 -0800

Years ago (2002? 2003?), long before Etsy, there was an online community for DIY/crafty blogger types to trade materials and maybe handmade goods as well. What was it called, and what happened to it? I remember the background was a dark red color, and it might have had the word "thread" in the title or maybe not. It was popular with the personal blogging set, which was in its heyday at the time, with everybody trading knitting yarn for beads or jewelry hooks or homemade lip balm. I only made a couple of trades, then wandered away and lost track of the thing entirely. Anybody else remember this? What was it called?

Em-Pee-Three

sycophant — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 15:29:30 -0800

A new version of MP3.com? I was answering this question and was reminded of how MP3.com used to be a few years ago. It was a site where musicians could upload MP3s and it was well indexed and stuff.

Is there an alternative to that these days?

Using the web to make HOAs/Condos click?

lowlife — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:21:48 -0800

Looking for suggestions or examples of websites dedicated to folks who live in Condos or HOAs (i.e. a website for a specific building or development), and what makes them work (or not). I'm in the midst of developing a webapp website for the condo where I live, and taking a look around the landscape of existing sites, things are either basic or barren.

Looking at examples (in Canada), A few sites seem to have gone the phpbb route (such as this site) which is simple and cheap; others are apparently spending money on hosted solutions by a company, but their sites are templated and barren.

If there are other pre-existing solutions out there, I'd love to hear about them. If you live in a community with such a website, I'd be very interested in knowing why it does or doesn't work the people it's meant to serve.

gauging online community health

A Terrible Llama — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 18:12:08 -0800

What are the five metrics you would use to measure the health* of an online community? That pretty much sums it up. I'm open to more or less than five, but I'm trying to keep it the list of measurements short and the descriptions simple.

*how 'health' is defined is yours to decide.

Help me think of a new career.

speedoavenger — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 13:57:44 -0800

I feel like a career change. I need help brainstorming the possibilities. Which careers do you think may meet my skills and requirements? I'm currently working in a cubicle doing IT work in the Insurance industry, but I'd like to find a new position that better meets my interests.

I greatly enjoy working with computers. I would like a position that allows for more human interaction on a daily basis with a large variety of people. The position would need to have a direct, positive, noticeable impact on people. Lastly, is it possible to find a career that also allows for working outdoors part of the time? :-)

Here is my background

-Graduated with a 4 year degree in Management Information Systems
-Currently 25 years old
-Over 10 years experience working with computers, mostly doing Systems Administration and Help Desk Support type work

...and here is what I am looking for.

-I would like to be more social and interact with more people on a daily basis
-I would like to feel like I'm helping to bring about positive substantial changes to peoples lives.
-I would like to spend more time outside in the mountains and/or forests.
-I would like to make a significant difference in childrens/disadvantaged peoples lives
-I would like to live in the Phoenix area
-I would prefer a salary of at least $40,000, but I'm open to the idea of making less if I really enjoy the work.

Some possible career ideas that have crossed my mind include:

-teaching grade school kids about computers
-becoming an IT Volunteer in the Peace Corps
-becoming a Technical Trainer for a corporation
-Working for the federal, state, or local government as a trainer or advocate.
-Working at a job re-training center, assisting people who are training for a new career.
-working for a non-profit

I'll take any career ideas you've got, no matter how crazy they sound! ;-)

Community Media Website Design

NorthCoastCafe — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:23:22 -0800

Suggest a model for a money-making, or at least self-sufficient, website dedicated to a region or small city something like "Mayberry Online." Probably advertising driven, dedicated to news, events, listings, but with active forums for 'consumer gripes,' local politics, advice columns, restaurant reviews, arts, sports, health, pets & wildlife. Think 'city paper' or alternative press but online, with an active Craigslist component. Any thing like that out there? Suggestions on website design/creation/start-up consultants would be an added bonus. Links please to worthy existing sites that fit the bill. And, TIA

Are college math placement tests hard?

greatalleycat — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 20:40:15 -0800

How hard are math placement tests for community colleges? I am a college graduate who needs to take a basic statistics course as a prerequisite for a graduate program as I never took it in college.
I think I will be forced by the community college where I can take the class to take a math placement test. I haven't had math since 11th grade many years ago and I'm nervous they won't let me take this one class.
Will it be hard for me to test into statistics after this period of time? I know algebra and remember some geometry, but I forgot trig and the harder algebra. I answered some questions on Compass, the company that college uses for tests.
Note: Statistics at community college is level 1410 and is a little lower on the number scale than trig and pre-calculus.
I am trying to get an exemption as I already have college degree, but I didn't take any math classes.

Is Community College a Reasonable Choice for my Teenage Daughter?

dzaz — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 09:09:46 -0800

Community college: am I asking all the right questions for my soon-to-be-senior daughter? My soon-to-be high school senior daughter and I have been doing the whole college thing. Some background:

she's a solid "C" student (but "A" in English) in one of the top-ranking schools in the state but is not an academic powerhouse (so she's not going to get any scholarships);
she LOVES animals and is at her most joyous at work as a veterinarian assistant;
she recently bought her own retired standardbred racehorse which has turned her around emotionally and given her a whole new level of love and excitement;
she's a very talented writer;

and very importantly about her...
she has had episodes of cutting (PTSD related) in the past (under control now but she is socially shy, sardonic and a little fragile);

financially, I'm a single mom with 3 kids, we live in moderate-income housing and her dad has said he has $0 for college.

We've looked at the impressive state colleges and universities here in Massachusetts, but the only school that has a pre-vet program will probably not accept her as a freshman.

She's expressed an interest in being an English major (which I think is great).

So here's the idea: she would go to a Massachusetts community college for 2 years and then under a program called"Commonwealth Transfer" she would transfer to UMass Amherst or UMass Boston for her degree.

The pros to this plan are many: no college application stress (and as a teen with PTSD, prepping for SATs almost put her over the edge); huge financial savings; she would probably be an academic star; but most importantly she would get to keep her job and her horse. It's almost like 2 more years of high school.

The con is that for now, she'll remain at home and not get to live the dormitory experience, but my instinct is that she would not react well to that, anyway.

I have 2 friends who have also done this plan and both ended up at prestigious universities for their Master's degrees. They both said it was incredibly smart to do.

Any thoughts?

What great town Web sites are there? Or what should be on one?

wackybrit — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:44:19 -0800

I have an opportunity to produce a kickass community Web site for my town. What cities already have wonderfully interactive, community Web sites I can look at for inspiration, or what do you think a killer town Web site should have or be like? I recently bought my town's domain name (in its .co.uk variant) but despite having 15,000 residents, my town is not very well represented online, although the residents are heavy Internet users (on Facebook especially).

I have plentiful spare time and resources and I'd like to do it for a challenge, for something to do, and as a way of engaging in local life. In my previous life I sold a couple of tech businesses I developed, so I can do almost any sort of custom development for this.

I am at the very earliest stage. I have the domain and.. that's it. I'm figuring out what to offer. I have not yet done any local market research (although I'm sure that would be interesting, I think the local populace will need to be led by the nose..)

So I want to get some initial ideas by seeing other kickass community/town Web sites. Can you recommend any? Further, if you can't or if you were in my position, what would you put on or develop for a kickass local community/town Web site? What do you think I should be doing?

Just so you have a rough idea where my imagination is flying, I sorta want to get people posting and interacting.. so something like Craigslist mixed with a no-sign-in-necessary Twitter.. vague, I know.

Specific social networking?

Kattiara17 — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 08:33:00 -0800

Best topic-specific networking/community/cloud sites? Recently I've discovered a few of the more topic specific networking/information sharing sites: Snooth for wine, Etsy for homemade crafts, Ravelry for knitting. I feel like there must be other great sites like these that I'm just not aware of, and would love to find them. I'm not looking for general social networking sites like Facebook/Myspace/Twitter/etc., but ones that actually have some sort of focus. Anyone have any to suggest? :)

Seeking best community-driven websites

Admiral Haddock — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:52:07 -0800

Looking for examples of websites that engage/inform/empower the communities and readers they serve. Examples include barackobama.com, greenforall.org and (in terms of content, not presentation/interface) this site for the UK Improvement and Development Agency. For a friend, I am looking for input on, and examples of, best practices in website design for organizations and institutions (but completely open to, say, the private sector or ad hoc projects, etc.) that inform and empower their community/readers.

Specific attributes and functions of interest include:
- a dynamic library / resource / research center
- incorporation of participatory technology (social media, wikis, etc.)
- dynamic translation of 2 languages (i.e. bilingual)

Additionally, are there any good resources on the net where (tech and/or non-tech) people discuss or critique projects like this (e.g., a blog that looks at community portals in web design)?

This question is entirely viewpoint/content neutral--I'm as interested in hearing about the Northern Michigan Bow Hunting Club as the Greater Osaka Chickens-as-Pets Collective.

Is skill or motivation more important?

scarykarrey — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:25:51 -0800

I'm a little short on skills but large on motivation. Should I start working on growing my community's web presence, or leave it to the pros? I've been building and maintaining websites since the 90s, although I wouldn't call myself professional by any stretch of the imagination. I'm not a programmer, know only the basics of html, and usually use already-developed systems like Wordpress or SMF Boards to automagically create and maintain sites.

I'm very interested in developing websites dedicated to various aspects of my local community, to which I am very devoted. I have no interest in making money off of these websites, although I realize that such endeavors have the potential for income of some form or another. Should I go ahead and start developing these sites, getting them going to generate interest in the community, and then maybe hand them off to others who are more qualified to run them once they've gotten bigger than I'm capable of handling? Or should I just wait for the pros to start them themselves and stay out of the workflow altogether?

Looking for a website where users can get together, share/critique new ideas, and volunteer to collaborate on new projects.

Muffpub — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 07:28:54 -0800

Are there any sites out there for organizing people to work on collaborative projects or new ideas? I can't find anything on AskMe about collaboration that doesn't involve specialized tech-related projects or collaborative office software. Am I missing something? If there's something out there on the internet that can do this I'd love to be a part of it. For example, "Write for my blog," "contribute to my map of the area," perhaps even more cerebral stuff like "critique the new political system I invented!" If there's a fun, useful wiki/crowdsourcing type space where people can get together, brainstorm, and work together, I want to find it.

I'd like to emphasize that I'm looking for something as open-ended as possible. Ubuntu Brainstorm would be a wonderful idea if it weren't limited to Ubuntu. Think that, but for the whole internet! Where is it?

(The history behind this question: This MeTa thread I posted last week ended up morphing into a discussion on the existential nature of MeFi Projects and the possibility of a collaborative space on Metafilter, but an important precondition to that discussion was whether or not sites like this already are out there on the internet. If you don't know of any other site on the internet like this but think it may be a cool idea to propose that we do it right here on MeTa, say so, but please remember that AskMe is not for talking about Metafilter.)

Apologies if this is impossibly open-ended or chatfilter.

Help me design a Community Engagement Plan

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:57:13 -0800

I need to come up with a community engagement plan for a community based event, and I need to do it by Monday. My problem? I have never designed a community engagement plan before, and I don't even know how to begin designing one. I'm really quite desperate for help here so could you please help me? My boss, who is a semi-high profile public figure (hence the anonymity), has charged me with designing a community engagement plan for a high profile community based event that's coming up soon. My problem is I've never designed a community engagement plan before and I don't even have the foggiest idea about how to make an effective one.

Naturally one of the first things I did was to Google 'Community Engagement Plan'. That turned up some useful results and I created a model that used some advertising to engage with the public.

Then I found out my budget is basically nil. So advertising is completely out of the question.

On the flip side, this community engagement plan would be centered around the aforementioned high profile community based event, so I could ride its coat tails to some extent.

My brief, then, is to create a plan which will allow my boss to engage with her stakeholders (community based groups and individuals close to Government) and let them know that they have a role to play in Government. But as I said, I can't really advertise to let them know that this is an opportunity open to them. In fact, I envisage that it would be a case of my boss going to them (we have a car, at least!) and engaging them. But how, I have no idea. And what she would do when she meets them, I have no idea either.

My boss wants me to present my ideas to her on Monday and I've come up with nothing so I'm really desperate for any ideas The Hive Mind might come up with.

All ideas considered, so come one, come all, and tell me how to engage with the public without a real budget!

best practices for supporting online user communities?

mere — Fri, 08 May 2009 01:34:44 -0800

Does anyone have any information about best practices & strategies for online community support and community development? I'm in the final running for a Community Support job at a small niche social networking site, and I'm trying to do some research about the best way to manage the various tasks of the role.

The job involves managing the email support queue, handling issues with the forums & moderation thereof, development of help documentation, and general usability stuff.

I have experience with most aspects of this position, but I want to read up on any information I can find about managing user support & forum moderation of online communities.

The site has a very diverse group of about 125,000 active members--overall it's a friendly, helpful, close-knit (heh) community of users, but as you can imagine with a group that large, all sorts of issues come up.

There are lots of virtual communities on the internet (Hi, MetaFilter!) and there are people out there who work in community support. (Hi, MeFi staff!) Has anyone written about their experiences in type of work? I'm having a hard time finding information about it.

Active writing forums?

Ugh — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 13:57:59 -0800

Anyone know any active writing forums they would recommend? The last time I had time to devote to writing, I was a member of Writers Write but it appears they have since closed down their forums. I enjoy the forums at NaNoWriMo but they're not as active this time of year as I would like. Google results are overwhelming. Any suggestions for active discussion boards? I'm mainly interested in fiction (novel-length), but also in memoirs.

Bonus question, there was a forum I was part of at some point which had the author of Look Me in the Eye as an active participant. At the time, his memoir had been picked up, but not yet released. Anyone know which forum this might have been?

Sending emails through a nonprofit's website

acridrabbit — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 09:47:54 -0800

How to set up a way for my non-profit's supporters to send letters to the editor and to elected officials online? I'm looking for a way to set up an online letter-writing campaign. Ideally, a supporter would be able to visit our website, select from a list of recipients, customize the body of the email, and hit send.

My non-profit group's website runs on Wordpress and Drupal, but I haven't been able to find a plug-in or module-based solution through either of those platforms. Is there a stand-alone solution or an easy way to implement this?

How to start a community music ensemble

argybarg — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 15:09:27 -0800

Are there instrumental equivalents to community choirs? And which ones work? I'm loving being in a community choir. The director brings songs from around the world, teaches them to us one part at a time until the harmonies are developed, and then we perform once a season. No sight reading, no technical proficiency required, just tons of fun. It's a big hit, with 40 members after only a few months.

I'd like to get a sister group started, only with instruments. I know tons of American roots and other kinds of music I could teach to people, and I think I could help shape the performances if people bring guitars, banjos, fiddles and other acoustic instruments. I play a bunch of instruments myself.

I live in a small, friendly island community with lots of musicians, so the demographic feels right. But I don't know of anyone who has done this before. I've heard of standing jam sessions, but not of open-to-the-community groups that practice and perform. Have you?

I might as well air my worries, and perhaps you know solutions to them:

The bluegrass curse. Some people can really play, and they want to play the right way. This could kill the fun of the community. I don't want music purity or blazing solos every time. On the other hand, I don't want to dumb people down.

Jamming. I do not want to play 10-minute meanders on Grateful Dead songs. I do not want to play half-remembered Bob Marley songs as in college. But maybe some people do. How do I add some focus and punch to the proceedings without becoming a dictator?

Numbers. What if four piano players and no fiddlers show up? What if 25 people want to join? Do I split the group?

Song choices. Not everyone is as excited about 1920s string bands and Italian folk music as I am. On the other hand, they might enjoy them if they learn them. Are there musical traditions broad and enjoyable enough to invite everyone in? Or should I try to include a bit of everything? Or: To hell with it, it is what it is?

Thanks for thinking this through with me.

Best cities on the interwebs

icarus — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:44:39 -0800

What are some great examples of cities using new media to connect citizens? to promote a project? to do something awesome? I'm looking, very specifically, for city-wide initiatives and projects that use new media, websites, etc. to make citizens aware, help interact, get input, provide really exceptional service/info etc.

Something beyond just local news/ads would be great.

What U.S. cities are best for artists to make a living?

RaceTheDream — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:29:07 -0800

I live in Madison WI and am looking to move to a larger city, under the impression that being in a larger city will provide me with more exposure and greater opportunities. I was thinking of moving to the outskirts of Chicago because it's close to my family in Madison and I love it there. I also miss Denver CO where I was born, but am unsure what kind of an art community it has. Does anyone know what cities are best for making a living as an artist? I have a degree in illustration but am also trying to get into gallery shows as well if that helps. Thank you very much for any advice.

What was the first website to hide troll's activity to everyone but the troll himself?

waxpancake — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:31:52 -0800

In this article, Clive Thompson says Disqus invented "selective invisibility" -- the moderation technique of hiding the activity of troublemakers and trolls from everyone but the troll themselves. I know this can't be true, mostly because I implemented it on Upcoming.org back in 2003. But I remember the idea floating around long before that, and some old online communities definitely implemented it, but I can't remember which ones. Any old-schoolers remember? Kuroshin, Slashdot, Plastic, Fark? Maybe even Metafilter? I don't know.

IAF National Leadership Training?

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:12:14 -0800

Has anyone here participated in (or know someone who has participated in) the Industrial Area Foundation's National Leadership Training? I'm being sent to attend a 7-day IAF National Leadership Training session by a community organizing group in my region, and I haven't been able to find much info online, either official or anecdotal.

I've done research on the IAF in general, read Alinsky, Obama, etc., but I'd love to hear from recent IAF training alum about what was or wasn't useful, who else attends, what they wish they had known going in, and other advice on how to maximize the experience. Because I'm being sponsored for a large chunk of change (especially for an NPO in this economy) I'm anxious to have something to show for this experience.

Throwaway email: saulalinskylives@gmail.com