Is anyone else dissapointed in the results?

April 29, 2002 10:46 AM

Is anyone else dissapointed in the results of this ?
posted by keithl to MetaFilter-Related at 10:46 AM (44 comments total)

I realize a lot of people are broke, but can't we cover the cost of the server and maybe a six pack and a pizza for the guys putting it all together?
posted by keithl at 10:47 AM on April 29, 2002

thanks for reminding me. when the paypal page was first setup, it defaulted to $5, and I was too lazy to figure out how to pay more. $20 more is on the way.
posted by machaus at 11:08 AM on April 29, 2002

I lot of people have probably donated in other ways ... text ads for example. I hope this thread isn't going to become a sort of exercise in mudslinging against people who's username doesn't appear in the list. After all I probanly wouldn't have donated myself if I hadn't just received a credit card ... I'm not sure how I would have been able to send a cheque.

As for text-ads ... I'm surprised Matt hasn't opened things up to larger companies. I saw an Amazon ad on 'Blogger' not too long ago. I certainly wouldn't have problem with an ad for Starbucks if it was funny and tastefully done.
posted by feelinglistless at 11:12 AM on April 29, 2002

I was happy with the donation drive. I earmarked $1000 of my own money towards a new server, and the rest was just icing on the cake. I didn't want to hit everyone over the head asking for donations, and the money that has come in has been great, way past my expectations.

By the way, thanks to some stupid snafus and a company that didn't want to work with me, I cancelled the original server order, instead opting to build it myself from scratch. I have acquired most all the parts from newegg.com, mwave.com, and Fry's among others. I'm going to be building the actual server tomorrow night, and I hope to have it online, replacing this current server sometime next week
posted by mathowie (staff) at 11:21 AM on April 29, 2002

Not everybody who donated is listed, by the way. Just saying.
posted by ook at 11:27 AM on April 29, 2002

I see a Starbucks storefront every two blocks when I walk down the street. I see a Starbucks mini-booth-thing inside department stores, theaters, book stores, airports, malls and some supermarkets(I'm not making this up). I see Starbucks merchandise inside the fridge at the 7-11.

I'm really fucking tired of Starbucks.

However, if Matt wants to open TextAds up for huge corporations with mediocre product that leave no other option because they bought out all the local business, that's fine. As long as he charges them out the ass. They have the money.
posted by Su at 11:54 AM on April 29, 2002

Yeah, I think Matt missed a few of us on that list.
posted by Blake at 12:14 PM on April 29, 2002

Anyone that wants to be on the list can email me, that's what I requested on the donation page. I'm doing it all by hand, since it's not something I can automate easily.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 12:40 PM on April 29, 2002

Doesn't matter to me either way; I was just being preemptively overdefensive in case of mudslinging (which doesn't look like it's going to happen anyway, happily.)
posted by ook at 1:01 PM on April 29, 2002

I think keithl is right. We ought to be pushing the donation link a lot harder. I have the answer:



No need to thank me. I do it out of the goodness of my heart.
posted by Sapphireblue at 1:45 PM on April 29, 2002

I, for one, probably would have donated more, but back when I dontated there wasn't any way (as far as I could tell) to increase the donation amount. Glad to see that's possible now.
posted by bshort at 2:07 PM on April 29, 2002

I was not even aware that the donation option existed. . .let's see. . .Metafilter or Top5?
posted by Danf at 2:26 PM on April 29, 2002

all hail giant floating head!
posted by machaus at 2:57 PM on April 29, 2002

Top Five reasons you should donate to Metafilter:

1. When you send your friends wacky links that you found on MetaFilter and you pretend that you "discovered" them yourself- we don't tell them the truth.
posted by ColdChef at 3:01 PM on April 29, 2002

2. Hot, steamy, server Pr0n ain't cheap, you know.
posted by ColdChef at 3:02 PM on April 29, 2002

3. Those folks at your office pay you to work, dammit. Since you spend your work time on MetaFilter, you should hand over that cash to someone that can use it.
posted by ColdChef at 3:17 PM on April 29, 2002

I'm crocheting a server cozy.
posted by rodii at 3:23 PM on April 29, 2002

Every fifth dollar goes to provide shelter & comfort for a societally ignored warblogger.
posted by Kafkaesque at 3:31 PM on April 29, 2002

I have some single-serving containers of "Nut-Bustin' Deliciousness!" left over from the MyCereal.com heyday that I'd be willing to eBay for The Cause.
posted by youhas at 3:41 PM on April 29, 2002

I sent $200 cash anonymously, in an envelope with no return address. Don't tell me it never got there.
posted by Opus Dark at 4:03 PM on April 29, 2002

i'm a little disappointed by the thread end chatter going on here, rodii.
posted by eyeballkid at 4:30 PM on April 29, 2002

4. "Joe versus the Volcano" ain't free, ya know!
posted by ColdChef at 4:34 PM on April 29, 2002

5. If you don't donate, we're going to have to start including product placements in each of Miguel's posts.
Ex: "Today, as I watched the Portuguese sunset and enjoyed my Hendrick's Gin cocktail..."
posted by ColdChef at 4:41 PM on April 29, 2002

This probably says quite a bit about adding a new feature to a site using a nondescript link that blends in with the surrounding table entries and on a line that is rarely used by many.

posted by mischief at 4:56 PM on April 29, 2002

i've donated some $ thru amazon a few times now, but i dont want to be on that list - just to further the whole 'not everyone is on the donation page' thing :)
posted by sawks at 6:27 PM on April 29, 2002

(looking back at my smartass comment to rodii above, it should have included some kind of indicator that I was kidding because I know that things are a bit on the fraying end around here, and I really did mean it in jest. not knowing rod, but having a good amount of respect for his contributions here, I wanted to clear that up. so let's just pretend I tacked on a ;) [strongly against the o<]. my apologies and thank you for your time.)
posted by eyeballkid at 6:49 PM on April 29, 2002

kinda of on the same subject . . . anything new on the t-shirt front? Looking to *spice up* my wardrobe for summer! :>)
posted by RunsWithBandageScissors at 7:07 PM on April 29, 2002

crap, should have spelled check. "kind on"--sorry folks

posted by RunsWithBandageScissors at 7:08 PM on April 29, 2002

Ex: "Today, as I watched the Portuguese sunset and enjoyed my Hendrick's Gin cocktail..."

Imagine the confusion when ads start appearing for Evan Williams Whiskey...
posted by Danelope at 7:40 PM on April 29, 2002

's OK, eyeball-boy. Touché...sorta. Consider the death threat cancelled. (I think my little jest was displaced guilt for not contributing to the fund yet.)
posted by rodii at 8:07 PM on April 29, 2002

Damn that's funny, after coldchef's comments, when rodii said "I'm crocheting a server cozy." I had a laugh out loud moment, I thought what he said was in response to coldchef's reappearance, and rodii was going to protect the server, so to speak... and then you(rodii) go and explain it...
posted by bittennails at 6:18 AM on April 30, 2002

i work in a hospital and we have 5 starbucks of various sizes. it's not a small hospital, but still.
posted by rhyax at 7:44 AM on April 30, 2002

Just out of curiosity, because US tax rules still confuse and scare me, mathowie isn't putting himself in a dodgy tax situation with this, is he? Do such donated funds count as income in the eyes of the IRS?
posted by normy at 8:40 AM on April 30, 2002

Technically, yes. Whether he chooses to report it is up to him. I don't think the IRS has any way to verify any of it, though.
posted by crunchland at 8:54 AM on April 30, 2002

Plus consider the fact that he most likely puts out more money than he brings in. By claiming MetaFilter as a business (something with income/expenses would qualify), then he could theoretically file a Schedule C on his standard 1040, taking business losses which reduce is taxable income.
posted by benjh at 10:20 AM on April 30, 2002

Tax attorney showing up late - correct on all counts, except that since all the money coming in was either through PayPal or Amazon, the IRS could certainly reconstruct the income if they had a mind to.

The only concern with the Schedule C business concept as applied to MetaFilter is the "hobby loss" issue - if you are running a "business" at a loss, but don't really have a profit motive for doing so, you can't take the loss from that business. The classic example is the wealthy doctor who also runs a horse breeding business, which does nothing but generate big losses but keeps him and the wife happy. In Matt's case, since MeFi is such a big part of his identity as a web designer, etc., the losses it generates are probably allowable as offsets against his other income even if it doesn't, or never, turns a profit.

< disclaimer> The preceding does not constitute legal advice, and should not be relied upon by Matt or anyone in a similar situation, since I do not know all of the surrounding facts and circumstances. If you have legal questions about your particular tax situation, consult a local attorney who is experienced in the area. < /disclaimer>
posted by yhbc at 10:34 AM on April 30, 2002

...zzzzzzzzzwhazza? sorry, yhbc. I dozed off for a minute there. Were you saying something about a doctor breeding his wife with a horse?
posted by ColdChef at 11:25 AM on April 30, 2002

You should see when I get warmed up and get into the entire passive activity losses and material participation bit. Then there's depreciation to consider - straight-line, or modified accelerated cost recovery system? Oh the joy ...


(no, this is NOT thread-end banter)
posted by yhbc at 11:35 AM on April 30, 2002

I dunno... IMHO, that did end the thread...
posted by SpecialK at 12:44 PM on April 30, 2002

No this is the end of the thread.
posted by MaddCutty at 6:12 PM on April 30, 2002

But all of this is irrelevant! Our discussion merely retraces the same vermiculate nonsense which has cavalierly inscribed itself into every out-house door in the Ozarks, and which is respected only by squatting idiots and hunched clods straining to read (and perform other tasks) by the ghastly light of a saber-sawed crescent-moon. We can - nay we must - do better!

(This is a generic thread doorstop. Insert when thread-end seems inevitable. Good for 7(seven) banters. Hey kids - feel free to develop your own!)
posted by Opus Dark at 7:36 PM on April 30, 2002

Holy shit! Joe Vs. The Volcano is finally on DVD, and it's only $15! I'm getting my copy today...pity there's no commentary track, but the "behind the scenes featurette" gives me hope.
posted by bingo at 12:37 PM on May 1, 2002

I have no response to that.
posted by ColdChef at 12:45 PM on May 1, 2002

maybe you and me could get together and watch it sometime bingo? i hear it's a great 'first date movie'. i'm not angry with you anymore; i've seen those mefila pix...and you're cute!
posted by mlang at 5:41 PM on May 1, 2002