Can I use Projects to help with a non-web, ultimately personal, project?

November 11, 2008 6:25 AM

Can I use Projects to help with a non-web, ultimately personal, project?

Hello there. First ever post on MetaTalk. I'm a long time lurker on MetaFilter, but really only ever frequent the blue and the green. I don't know very much about the Projects forum.

I have a project that I'd like help with, but I don't know if it's appropriate for Projects. A friend of mine is turning 30 soon, and I'd like to interview people (of all ages, not just >30) about how it felt to turn 30 etc. I'd record, transcribe and edit the interviews into a chapbook and make that into a birthday present.

Is this the sort of thing I could advertise on Projects? The reasons I hesitate are that:

1) This wouldn't be a web-based project - and while the front page says "MeFi Projects is dedicated to helping MetaFilter members announce their new web projects to the world", the "About" page includes mention of "offline projects".

2) The primary result wouldn't be something that everyone could see - it'd be a birthday present. But I'd be happy to put up the final text online once I'd finished, or during editing, as appropriate.

Can anyone advise me on this? (And my apologies if I've missed some incredibly basic piece of data that would have answered this. Have already slapped my forehead just in case this turns out to be the case!)

posted by laumry to etiquette/policy at 6:25 AM (26 comments total)

Sorry, this isn't really something that projects is for. If there's not a strong web-based aspect of it (i.e. maybe you made movies but you had clips up for people to see) it shouldn't be on Projects. Projects is also not really for in-process stuff, finding people to interview, or what have you, it's for stuff that's pretty well completed and available to be looked at and (potentially) critiqued. I could see this beingg something neat and online once you're done with it, but it's not really the right fit for something you're starting. Let me or another mod know if you have any questions.
posted by jessamyn at 6:31 AM on November 11, 2008

Aha - thanks for the very quick and clear answer.
posted by laumry at 6:36 AM on November 11, 2008

(This is where you're supposed to hurl unwarranted and inaccurate epithets at jessamyn. Come ON already.)

(Er, I mean, welcome to the grey.)
posted by Plutor at 6:52 AM on November 11, 2008

My sister asked me what it was like to turn 30. My response:

"Just like 29, only fatter."
posted by Malor at 7:24 AM on November 11, 2008

Thirty was fun, btw.... thirty-one was depressing. "Wait... oh shit, it doesn't stop after thirty, does it?"
posted by Malor at 7:25 AM on November 11, 2008

And my apologies if I've missed some incredibly basic piece of data that would have answered this. Have already slapped my forehead just in case this turns out to be the case!

There is no need for you to apologize or for any preemptive head-slapping. That was a perfectly normal and rational question asked in a perfectly reasonable manner. I hate that we have turned MeTa into this thunderdome where people are afraid to ask questions because they know that they will be ripped to shreds by the rabid dogs that are MeTa commenters for the slightest breach of protocol. At the same time, I hate when the pendulum swings too far in the other direction and people make posts about issues that have been discussed to death without searching to determine where the conversation on that issue stands at present, or when they make "Hey look at me aren't I clever posts" or when they post to bitch about nonsense. So in that regard, I am glad that MeTa commenters have put the fear of God into people that if they place one little toe over the damn line that they will get verbally beat down to within an inch of their virtual lives. So, I guess upon reflection that I am happy with the current state of things vis-à-vis people's fear of posting MeTa threads. A little trepidation never hurt anyone. Carry on.
posted by ND¢ at 7:28 AM on November 11, 2008 [2 favorites]

Upon further reflection, isn't it better that 1000 guilty go free than for one innocent to be punished? Wouldn't it be better to give people a pass on their annoying posts in order to prevent a chilling effect on MeTa posts for people who need to make them? I am completely of two minds about this issue. I am not sure what I think.
posted by ND¢ at 7:32 AM on November 11, 2008

posted by jessamyn at 9:31 AM on November 11

Cortex late to work again, huh?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:36 AM on November 11, 2008 [4 favorites]

"Wait... oh shit, it doesn't stop after thirty, does it?"

Some people think it should.
posted by headnsouth at 8:01 AM on November 11, 2008

Wouldn't it be better to give people a pass on their annoying posts in order to prevent a chilling effect on MeTa posts for people who need to make them?

Define need?
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:21 AM on November 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

Last week, one my co-workers turned 30. My explanation of what he could expect to look forward to went something like this:

"Ok, so once you hit 30, imagine your general health as being a bobsled going down a really steep hill: You will suddenly and unexpectedly be sore for no reason and you will be irritated by this fact.

Now, once you hit 35, imagine that the hill that is supporting you disappears."

Though, truth be told, I'm probably in much better shape at 37 than I was at 27 since I quit smoking.

As to the above question, while this wouldn't be appropriate for projects, couldn't a good Askme post supply most of the information that you need?
posted by quin at 8:27 AM on November 11, 2008 [3 favorites]

I hate that we have turned MeTa into this thunderdome where people are afraid to ask questions because they know that they will be ripped to shreds by the rabid dogs that are MeTa commenters for the slightest breach of protocol.

Just put a big button that says "Friendly Mode" at the top of every MeTa post, which if clicked will remove all comments from anyone except jessamyn.
posted by burnmp3s at 8:31 AM on November 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

Ugh. I'm turning 34 today. Tell your friend to stop at 29.
posted by desjardins at 9:02 AM on November 11, 2008

{Friendly Mode} Happy Birthday! {/Friendly Mode}.
posted by ND¢ at 9:14 AM on November 11, 2008

30? don't really remember that; fourty - yeah fourty; fifty uh huh; six.... hey get off my god damn lawn.
posted by adamvasco at 9:23 AM on November 11, 2008

This looks like a job for, um, Jobs!

Am I doing this right?
posted by Pronoiac at 9:33 AM on November 11, 2008

I think there was actually an AskMe on something related to that...maybe someone who was feeling nervous about turning 30? (I seem to remember participating in that one, even. My 30s have been generally better than my 20s were.)
posted by epersonae at 10:13 AM on November 11, 2008

Cortex late to work again, huh?

Being in the same time zone as his cortexness I get a very different time-stamp. I think that one of the plusses of working from home is not having to get up at 6:30 AM.
posted by GuyZero at 12:36 PM on November 11, 2008

I hate that weTHE REPUBLICANS have turned MeTa into this thunderdome where people are afraid to ask questions because they know that they will be ripped to shreds by the rabid dogs that are MeTa commenters for the slightest breach of protocol.

FTFY
posted by DU at 2:27 PM on November 11, 2008

Obama will stop the ageing process. No one will ever be older than 29. He promised!
posted by blue_beetle at 4:18 PM on November 11, 2008

posted by jessamyn at 9:31 AM on November 11

Cortex late to work again, huh?

I had to get up early to go hiking and cortex was already awake when I left. He LIKES getting up early, I cannae understand it.
posted by jessamyn at 6:01 PM on November 11, 2008

He LIKES getting up early

FREAK OF NATURE
posted by desjardins at 10:07 AM on November 12, 2008

What desjardins said.

I'd been futilely trying to figure out how to say it that politely.
posted by Pronoiac at 10:59 AM on November 12, 2008

Being in the same time zone as his cortexness I get a very different time-stamp. I think that one of the plusses of working from home is not having to get up at 6:30 AM.

Yeah, I actually just missed the boat on this one is all. There may come a day in the far-flung future when I routine sleep in past 6:15 or so, but it hasn't come yet.
posted by cortex at 2:13 PM on November 12, 2008

It starts with shoes-optional in the home office, quickly moves to pants-optional and eventually becomes awake-optional before you know it. Next thing you know, you're a plot device on House.

/drools in sleep
posted by GuyZero at 2:59 PM on November 12, 2008

At 39 and 18 months, I can report that my 30s have been better than my 20s.
posted by JaredSeth at 4:14 AM on November 13, 2008