What is MetaFilter Projects?
It's a new section of the site devoted to self-linking, that is, letting members announce their projects to other members of the site.
Why the need for the MeFi Projects?
A lot of posts MetaFilter seem to tear down the design, content, or ideas behind the sites and I wanted to create a place to show that MetaFilter members aren't just critics, but creators themselves. I wanted to foster the creative side of the userbase and provide a forum for their work.
Is this just like MeFi Projects the email list?
Yeah, it's definitely just a reincarnation of that. Looking through the archives of the list should give you a good idea of what sorts of things people announce. I originally intended to launch this site way back in 2001 but never found the time for it. Jerry Kindall provided a stopgap measure that served well until last fall when I told him I wanted to do this site.
Is this limited to sites? Can I link to a particularly witty blog post I made?
I'm limiting the ability to post a project of yours to once every 30 days, and the thinking behind that is that the projects you choose to announce should be significant works—the types of things that typically take a few months to design, create, and build. Essays or blog posts aren't really what it's about here. We're talking larger stuff, like whole sites.
What kind of feedback can I get from a post here?
There are no comments here, but votes from members that like your project. The rationale behind that is the projects page (much like the old projects email list) is merely a springboard for posts to the main MetaFilter site, if a member decides it's a project worth sharing there. The votes are an indicator of how much the membership likes your project, in the off chance it doesn't become a post, you'll at least know if it struck a chord with anyone.
MeFi Projects Kickoff Contest
I wanted to help kick this section off by letting everyone post their best project during the first month, and giving a small award to the project I think most deserves it.
There were a lot of great projects, both big and small. When thinking about which project I liked best, I wanted to highlight the most clever, potentially world-changing idea that a mefi member could build. The top of the list included big ideas like helping people quit smoking and invest the money instead and reducing Canada's energy consumption by replacing porchlights across the country.
There were lots and lots of great projects that displayed a members obsession with a subject or their personal passion. I have lots of new favorite blogs and sites to look at like American Nerd, the amazing story of Professor Perry Mills, jpburns' comics, Chronic Babe, the Wikipedia blog, Beg the Question, the new Smithsonian blog, and Seed Magazine. I love the tools found at CitizenSpeak, MetaRSS, and Pear Budget. I love the offline projects Breaking Up the Band and The Lunar Wheel Calendar. I love the ambition in a big project like the Voter Protection Center, Rockshows, and The Road Online. Personally, I found instant favorites in Gulch Guides, because it featured write-ups of local areas I've never heard of, and RightFields, because it's the MT plugin I've always wanted.
In the end, I gave the nod to Smokers Brokers, a website built entirely by banished, who is getting a 30Gb video iPod for xmas. He sent me a few screenshots that illustrate what the app looks like inside, and here they are:
Congrats banished and thanks to everyone that helped kick off the site. I look forward to many years of members debuting their great new projects here.
