This site has moved! Yay! Visit mssv.net/wiki

That's right, the wiki has now been upgraded, after several years, to Mediawiki. Check it out at http://mssv.net/wiki

How to Edit - Updated

The MetaFilter Wiki has been locked to prevent incessant spam. To edit, click the 'Preferences' link ([here]), enter a name in the 'UserName' field (optional), enter welikecameras in the 'Administrator Password' field (required), and click save. This will enable the 'Edit text of this page' link on all editable pages. To learn about editing, check the Help page.

(Adrian's spamlock announcement)

PORTLAND MEETUP PAGE

Welcome to the MetaFilter wiki!

MetaFilter has more than 50,000 registered users, 60,000 discussion threads, 14,000 administrative threads, 70,000 question threads, over one million comments, and is nearly eight years old - ancient in internet time. Keeping a repository of community knowledge up to date and organized is only possible at this scale with the collaboration of many people.

Getting Started

• Contents - a hierarchical index of the important pages, it should allow you to find the answer to almost any question you have about MetaFilter.
• FrequentlyAskedQuestions - a good place for newbies to get them answered. If you have a question, ask it here or add it directly to an appropriate page.
• [The Index] page is automatically updated and lists all the pages on the site alphabetically. If something is lost it might be here.
• MetaFilter - a page that outlines some terminology and the sections of the site.
• If you'd like to meet some Mefites in real life, check the MeetUp page.

Other Interesting Topics

• The Current Status page is generally updated quickly when MetaFilter is down.
• WhatIsAGoodPost, WhatIsAGoodComment, MoreResources, InJokes, CommentFables and ... ?
• The Recent Changes page shows exactly which pages have been edited, and often by whom.
• [Ask MetaFilter] questions which come up regularly are listed in FrequentlyAskedOfMetafilter.
• Metafilter HostedImages.
• Sock Puppets
• INSTRUCTIONS FOR POSTING ASCII ART TO METAFILTER SO THAT IT'S NOT BALDERDIZED

What is a Wiki?

A Wiki is a special kind of user-editable website. The purpose of this Wiki is to produce and maintain a general guide for the community weblog called MetaFilter. Feel free to browse the guide as a reader/lurker and do not hesitate to contribute. If you're interested in contributing, hit the [preferences] link above to let us know who you are, and start playing. You can edit pages by clicking on the 'Edit Text Of This Page' link at the bottom of every page. You can't hurt the wiki, but if you persistently try to break it, you might find yourself IP-banned. Please see the MetaWiki page for more on what we're trying to achieve here and why. If you're still confused, the short guide [What is a wiki], [text formatting rules], and the local Help pages. We encourage you to participate in our Wiki.

Membership or not?

[Signups are open for a $5 fee]. Non-members can read all postings on MetaFilter, but cannot post anywhere in the Metafilter universe. Anyone not logged in sees ads on MetaFilter and Ask Metafilter pages. Those who are logged in see far fewer ads -- none on thread pages and only occasional ads on the front page.