Advertising a text based website in 2023 November 3, 2022 12:11 PM   Subscribe

I made a TikTok about the user sponsored Metafilter post that Jessamyn created from my suggestion and I'm posting it here in new thread to help spur ideas about putting this text based website on modern day social media.

The TikTok is absolutely rough and not well made per se, but y'all get the point. It's good way to share the really good posts to the world. It's not limited to TikTok, and absolutely any user could do this on pretty much any social media platform, using just a screenshot. Even better, if it's of the top of the thread and makes sure that the Metafilter logo and/or address is featured.

Random thoughts about all this:
  • There's a unique value here, because this is a member created posted based on an idea from another member. This isn't a random third party company looking to get eyesballs on their product, this is a member of the site telling the world about something fantastic on the site. The post itself is great, because it showcases what makes a community great: users sharing their unique experiences.
  • We should probably come up with neat name to refer to and emphasize these posts. "Sponsored post" is dry and has a lot of negative opinions attached to it. Something like "User idea for post" with glowing M next to it (like a light bulb) says something more. Even more if they're automatically tagged as something, so these posts can be curated to a single page or feed and we have an advertisement or two on it. They could be valued added spots for advertiser, where we pick who actually goes on that page for a premium price.
  • i used the following tags: #metafilter #metafilterfood #metafiltersaystrythis #metafiltereats There are other possibilities for other types of posts, such as metafiltertaughtmethis, metafilterrecipes, metafiltercanIeatthis, metafilterdtmf.
  • This can be started right now and done by any member!
I'm sure there's other ways to enhance these ideas, so I'm putting this out there for those on the marketing end of our community to refine the idea. This was just a random thought this morning, when I really should be doing something else, lol

What do y'all think about all this?
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) to MetaFilter-Related at 12:11 PM (15 comments total) 16 users marked this as a favorite

I love it and sent it to my tiktok obsessed partner.

Also, nice to see your face! Always appreciated your contributions esp. in Fanfare.
posted by kittensofthenight at 2:17 PM on November 3, 2022 [4 favorites]


The idea, if using tik-tok, is to use a certain amount of time to promote/share a post, # it, see how it catches.
(open)
To a Nacreon in Heaven'
click/walk through the links, Id use no voice due to subject matter. It's a stellar post and wouldn't it be cool to run every word through AI for back ground, synched to the link.

I would think posts subject matter would be the determinate criteria as to how the post was conveyed on another platform.
posted by clavdivs at 4:37 PM on November 3, 2022


This seems like an excellent idea to me. Cost is zero aside from a user's contributed time and effort, cannot really see a downside.

And I also like seeing my man BB :)
posted by Meatbomb at 11:21 PM on November 3, 2022 [2 favorites]


I see no reason why it couldn’t work on Tumblr. I could have tossed in a photo of peanut butter, but was super busy and kept basic.

For TikTok and this particular peanut butter post, a next step would videos of taste testing the some of the various combinations.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:12 AM on November 4, 2022 [3 favorites]


What do y'all think about all this?

Very, very awesome. Thanks for sharing the idea. MeFi is the closest I come to social media, so I won't be of help, but I sure hope other users run with this idea.
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 6:59 AM on November 4, 2022 [1 favorite]


I love it, it's what I was thinking of here. The possibilities are endless!
posted by h00py at 7:39 AM on November 4, 2022


We should probably come up with neat name to refer to and emphasize these posts.

I agree "sponsored post" has negative connotations. Absent context, I would assume a company was paying for it. "User idea for post" is better (but wordy). Spitballing: "user-boosted post", "user-fostered post" (or just "fostered post"), "patron post", "user-requested post"? I am trying to think what gets the idea across to people without further context...
posted by joannemerriam at 10:32 AM on November 4, 2022 [1 favorite]


Yeah, I don't like sponsored post either for the same reason. But maybe user sponsored post? However it's done, how a bout making it a link to a page explaining what a user requested post is, how a request can be made and oh, by the way, can you please donate so MeFi doesn't shut down? Thanks!
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 11:42 AM on November 4, 2022 [1 favorite]


donated post
posted by aniola at 7:20 PM on November 4, 2022 [3 favorites]


Requested post, with a link to an explanation. This may be silly; to me donation sounds like something that was unwanted and passed along, whereas requested means it was something someone really wanted to see and here it is! There is no evidence behind my assertion, of course.
posted by Bella Donna at 6:36 AM on November 5, 2022 [3 favorites]


User-sponsored or member-sponsored also works for me. Simply because it makes it clear that it’s not a corporation or an advertiser behind the post. And it doesn’t actually require much in the way of explanation, although I hope there will be some.
posted by Bella Donna at 6:39 AM on November 5, 2022


user commissioned post?
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 10:34 AM on November 5, 2022 [2 favorites]


Are.na does this on instagram and it works really well

(Personally I would hate metafilter on tiktok and I’m scared of its users, but that goes for instagram as well)
posted by beesbees at 10:59 AM on November 6, 2022


Congratulations Brandon, this is the post that made me return to Mefi after 2 years (I was formerly divabat, decided to sign up for a new account to help with fundraising efforts and also because that username represents an old part of my life).

I mainly wanted to comment that explainer educational videos are VERY POPULAR on TikTok, especially for stuff that seems really esoteric. There's easily hours upon hours of content of just turning Mefi posts into short videos, linking to the original post. It'll take work (I'm on TikTok a lot and een just off-the-cuff pyjama posts can take a bit) but it can be doable in the same spirit as the podcast, and it will reach way newer audiences.

(Admittedly a lot of these audiences may not have US$5 to spare and may question the need to pay for access. But it may be worth a shot)
posted by creatrixtiara at 8:37 PM on November 9, 2022 [4 favorites]


Oh hey creatrixtiara, WELCOME BACK.

There's a lot I want to say and do about this idea, but I'm, super busy with stuff till this coming Monday.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:10 AM on November 10, 2022


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