Purpose: the MetaFilter Steering Committee (SC) exists to develop and implement site policy, code updates, and ensure the financial health of the site. The SC works with the site staff and site owner to ensure that there is not a single failure point for site decisions or actions, and that there are an adequate number of people available to respond to community needs. The SC is a permanent committee.
Membership: The initial composition of the Steering Committee should be 12 members. All potential members will submit a self-nomination application to be considered for membership; these self-nominations will be screened by MetaFilter staff. Up to five members will be selected by the Transition Team. Other members will be voted on by the community. The SC should at all times have a minimum of 6 members and a maximum of 12 members. Members commit to at least a 6-month term on the SC.
MetaFilter staff may remove a member from the SC and request that the SC find a replacement in any of the following situations:
Inappropriate/abusive behavior
Violating site member privacy/confidential information
Long unexplained absences or lack of communication
Misrepresenting personal beliefs/statements as official SC communications
Procedures: the Steering Committee will make decisions via a consensus process, including updating or revising this charter as necessary.
Activities: the Steering Committee is primarily responsible for the following:
Setting and implementing site policies and priorities
Directing and approving budget expenditures
Communicating clearly and transparently to the community on SC issues and projects
Acting as spokespeople, champions, and mediators for concerns of community members
Commitments: the Steering Committee members agree to the following:
Attending a synchronous SC meeting at least once a month, with video/audio/text options for all members
Staying in regular contact with each other and with the MetaFilter staff between meetings
Spending at least 4 hours a month on SC work, if such work is available, while also respecting personal capacity and paid vs unpaid labor
Determining the regular method of adding new members, or retaining existing members, by March 1, 2023.
Additionally, SC members should regularly make posts to the site(s), comment, and generally be engaged, active, and positive members and participants at MetaFilter.
Delegation: the Steering Committee may form task groups for specific activities and ask members of the community to perform those tasks, including but not limited to code updates, fundraising, site promotion, policy drafting, and facilitating votes.