Community Q&A

What is Metagov, again?

You can answer that question in a lot of ways, depending on how you interact with the organization. One way to think of it (or two, really) is as a knowledge commons and a skunk works. A knowledge commons is a space for interaction and mutual learning, a space where people curate ideas and wisdom on the topic of online governance, in this case. A skunk works is a space for experimentation and play—where we explore together new possibilities that exceed the bounds of existing knowledge.

I’m new. How can I get involved in Metagov?

Great! Welcome. The first thing is to jump into our Slack, which is our primary space for interaction and collaboration (join here if you haven’t already!). Post something about yourself in #intros. But that is only the start. A few great places to get to know each other include:

• Attend the weekly online seminar—a chance to hear from leading governance researchers and practitioners, and to meet Metagov participants from around the world. You can even propose a seminar guest yourself. If you are developing a new project or idea, sign up for one of the Short Talks sessions and tell us about it. See the #seminar-discussion channel in Slack.

• Join a research project—explore current projects and contribute to one that matches your interests. Many Metagov research projects are open to new participants. The best way to connect is to join a meeting or introduce yourself in one of the relevant channels listed in our project directory.

• Post in the #community channel—this is a great place to ask questions. If you are looking for something specific in terms of collaboration or interests, let us know here and we’ll see if we can direct you somewhere relevant.

We hope you will consider becoming a Metagov Member, which is the best way to become more deeply involved in the community and to help sustain it for the long term.

Wait, is Metagov a community, or is it a collective of researchers?

The Metagov community is a home for those who want to go deep into topics in online governance. 

There are two main pillars that hold up Metagov: the community of hundreds of people interested in online governance, and the research projects that the organization supports. The community is anchored in Metagov’s members, who contribute financially and allocate their funds toward cultivating opportunities for vibrant exchanges. The research pillar is anchored in Metagov’s research directors, a group of researchers who lead major Metagov investigations. 

Unlike physical pillars, though, these two pillars interact and blend together in all sorts of ways. The research and the community are inseparable.

Other commonly asked questions

Do we have a code of conduct?

• Yes. You can read it here.

Where are events posted?

• We have a shared Google Calendar

How can I attend an event?

• Most events are open, but some are not, here is our guide for joining meetings.

Does the community ever have IRL meetups?

• Metagov is a fully remote and distributed online organization, though we do occasionally have opportunities to meet in person. When we do, we also tend to organize community events and activities. Examples include:

  • Our presence at DWeb Camp in 2022

  • A series of events at ETH Denver in 2023

  • And a regular tradition of brunches!