__ __ _____ _ _____ _ ___
| \/ | ___| ___(_) | ___/ \ / _ \
| |\/| |/ _ \ |_ | | | |_ / _ \| | | |
| | | | __/ _| | | | _/ ___ \ |_| |
|_| |_|\___|_| |_| |_|/_/ \_\__\_\
frequently asked questions
--- Accounts -----------------------------------------------------------
HTML How do I sign up for a MetaFilter account?
HTML What is my username? Can I change my username?
HTML What if I forget my password? Can I change my password?
HTML I signed up but had a PayPal problem and now they say my username isn't available. What now?
HTML I want an account but I don't want to use PayPal. What do I do?
HTML Can I have more than one account? Can I change accounts?
HTML Can I give someone a gift MetaFilter account?
HTML Can I close or delete my account permanently or temporarily?
--- Profiles and Personalization ---------------------------------------
HTML I'm new. What should I do first?
HTML Why are you asking for my email? How do I change my email address?
HTML Why are you asking for my birthday?
HTML Why are you asking for my geographic coordinates?
HTML Who can see the information on my profile page?
HTML How do MetaFilter display preferences work? Can I customize the fonts and background color?
HTML What's with the share buttons everywhere? Can I turn them off?
HTML What do "Links to" and "Linked by" mean on my profile page? What does it mean if someone has called me a crush, or muse, or spouse?
HTML How do I view my own (or someone else's) previous posts, questions, and comments?
HTML How do I find someone's profile page if I only know their username not their user number?
HTML Can I publicly mention details from someone else's profile page?
HTML What does "I help fund MetaFilter" on profile pages mean?
HTML What does secure browsing do?
--- MeFiMail, Contacts, Social Stuff -----------------------------------
HTML What is MeFi Mail?
HTML What are MeFi Mail reminders?
HTML What about adding more email-like features to MeFiMail?
HTML What are meetups? Can I be alerted if there's one in my area?
HTML What are contacts? Someone made me a contact, now what?
HTML How do I see if a user is online or not?
HTML How do I link to my other online communities/social sites in my profile?
HTML How do I suggest a new online community/social site for the "also on" section of the profile page?
HTML How do I see who else belongs to a given online community/social site?
--- Favorites ----------------------------------------------------------
HTML What are Favorites?
HTML Why can't I add favorites?
HTML What is My Favorites?
HTML What do the counts on the Popular Posts or Popular Questions page mean?
HTML Why is my old post/comment getting new favorites?
HTML How many favorites can I add in a day?
HTML Can I change how favorites are displayed for me? Can I hide them entirely?
HTML Can I search within my favorites?
--- Other ways to follow site activity or personalize your experience --
HTML What is Recent Activity?
HTML What does the comment highlighting in Recent Activity mean?
HTML What is My Mefi? What is My Ask?
HTML Can I follow all the threads I have commented in, by looking in one place?
HTML Can I choose to see only posts or questions with certain tags or in certain categories?
HTML Can I see which posts or comments have received the most favorites?
HTML Can I see which threads are currently most active?
HTML Can I make a selective list of threads that I want to follow? Can I follow threads without commenting in them?
HTML What sort of RSS feeds does MetaFilter have?
HTML What is a greasemonkey script?
--- Posting and Commenting: General ------------------------------------
HTML How soon can I post after signing up?
HTML How soon can I post again after making a post?
HTML How long do threads remain open?
HTML How do I edit or delete my post?
HTML How do I edit or delete my comment? What are the rules about the edit function?
HTML How do I comment anonymously?
HTML How do I link to a specific comment?
HTML How do I make a link? Can I use HTML in my posts?
HTML How do I post code or other marked up text?
HTML How do I create the [more inside] jump when posting?
HTML Are posts or comments edited by mods?
HTML If a thread has been deleted, can I still find it someplace?
HTML If a comment has been deleted, can I still find it someplace?
HTML There is a problem with a comment or post. What should I do?
HTML Someone made a official-seeming comment in small type, with square brackets. What does that mean?
HTML My Mefi post or AskMe question was edited to remove my cute "more inside" play on words, wtf?
HTML My HTML seemed to work in the live preview but didn't come through correctly. Is this a bug or intentional?
HTML What are the keyboard shortcuts for MetaFilter?
HTML How do tags work on MetaFilter?
HTML What are some guidelines for tagging my posts?
--- Posting and Commenting: Etiquette and Lingo ------------------------
HTML What is the etiquette concerning members' or non-members' personal details and profile information?
HTML What does a single period in a comment by itself mean?
HTML What does 'threadsitting' mean? What does 'threadshitting' mean?
HTML Where can I find a list of common lingo and Mefi-specific abbreviations?
HTML What are self-links? Are self-links ever okay on any part of the site?
HTML Should I use an URL shortener or link shortener, like I would on Twitter?
--- Posting and Commenting in MetaFilter -------------------------------
HTML What makes a good front page post to MetaFilter?
HTML Why was my MetaFilter post deleted?
HTML Why was my MetaFilter comment deleted?
HTML What is double posting? Is there a statute of limitations on double posting?
HTML How can I check if something has been posted before, to avoid double posting?
HTML If my post has more than one link, or the link isn't first, do I need to use the URL box?
HTML Can I post a link to just a short news bulletin if there's a breaking news story?
HTML Can I post a link to something behind a free registration?
HTML Can I post a fundraiser, or a petition for a worthy cause?
HTML Should I include an NSFW warning if my link is not safe for work? What about spoilers?
HTML Should I include a trigger warning about upsetting content in my post?
HTML Should I add a [via] link if I found it from another site?
HTML What does "Pepsi Blue" mean?
--- Posting and Commenting in Ask MetaFilter ---------------------------
HTML What makes a good question for Ask MetaFilter?
HTML My Ask Metafilter question was removed as chatfilter. What does that mean?
HTML Why was my Ask MetaFilter post/comment removed?
HTML When is it okay to do a "Critique my X!" post on Ask MetaFilter?
HTML How do I include a picture or photo with my AskMe question?
HTML How do I post an anonymous question in AskMe? Is there a function for anonymous follow-ups?
HTML How long does it usually take for an anonymous question to be posted to Ask Metafilter?
HTML Is there a way to turn a non-anonymous old question into an anonymous one?
HTML Why are some people's answers in AskMe highlighted in their own box?
HTML How do I mark my question as "answered" (e.g. green check mark)?
HTML Why can't I remove a 'stumped' or a 'resolved' tag from my AskMe question?
--- Posting and Commenting in MetaTalk ---------------------------------
HTML What is MetaTalk for?
HTML I think I found a bug. Should I post it to MetaTalk?
HTML I have a request for a new feature. Should I post it to MetaTalk?
HTML I want help finding an old post or comment. Where should I post this question?
HTML Why are some MetaTalk threads closed?
--- Other subsites, related sites, fun stuff ---------------------------
HTML What is FanFare?
HTML What's the policy on spoilers in threads at FanFare?
HTML What do the "First Watch", "Rewatch", "Show Only", and "Books Included" labels in FanFare mean?
HTML What is MetaFilter Projects?
HTML What is MetaFilter Music?
HTML What is IRL?
HTML What is the podcast? Are transcripts available?
HTML What is MetaFilter Chat?
HTML How do I log in to Chat?
HTML What is the MetaFilter wiki?
HTML What are other MeFi spinoff sites?
HTML Is there an archive of MetaFilter April Fools Day pranks?
HTML What are some other MetaFilter traditions?
HTML Can I get a Metafilter t-shirt?
HTML What is the Infodump? Does Mefi release other data for study?
HTML How can I find out various MeFi statistics, like who has posted the most, or had the most favorites in a given month, etc?
--- Problems ----------------------------------------------------------
HTML The site seems down or really slow, is there a status blog?
HTML I'm having a problem, might be a bug. What should I try before contacting the mods or posting to MetaTalk?
HTML Someone threatened me or threatened to harm themselves. What should I do?
HTML What is being done to prevent bullying on MetaFilter?
HTML A sketchy or inappropriate ad is showing on the page. What can I do?
HTML How can I switch to the mobile view of the site?
HTML It looks like I am logged in with some other person's username. What's up?
HTML Why doesn't the timestamp in live preview match the time in my actual timezone?
HTML I can't see video content linked in a post. What can I do?
HTML Why did my HTML get screwed up, when it was fine in live preview?
HTML I get an error saying: 400 Bad Request, Size of a request header field exceeds server limit. What is this?
HTML Why can't I get favorites to work?
HTML Why is there a referral code on the Amazon link in that post?
--- Moderation, flagging, banning, etc. --------------------------------
HTML Who is in charge here? Are there admins and moderators like other sites?
HTML I need to get in touch with a site admin in a hurry. How do I do this?
HTML How can I tell if a comment was made by a moderator?
HTML What is flagging? How can I flag a post/comment for the moderators to look at?
HTML The reason I want to flag something isn't listed, what should I do?
HTML Are flags anonymous?
HTML What's up with banning? What does one see when they've been banned from MeFi?
HTML Can I come back to MetaFilter after I have been banned?
--- About the site (Ads, Copyright, Code) ------------------------------
HTML How does advertising on MetaFilter work?
HTML Who owns the copyright on MetaFilter content?
HTML What should I know about privacy at Metafilter?
HTML How can I donate money to support the site?
"It's moist, but thanks."