It was a combination of things. For a while it was just open to anyone. Then it would close and then open again. At times Matt would let in the first X (I think it was 10) people who tried to signup at noon each day. Etc. Etc. It was always free before.

Also, for a time, there was a backway to signing up--I forget exactly where but it mighta been connected to Kuro5hin. That's how I got my own membership as officially things were closed at the time. Matt killed the back door (to my knowledge) the day after I got in thru there.

I'm sure others who paid more attention to things or were more in the loop will give other examples but that's my recollection.

Ah, Kuro5hin. There's a link I haven't bothered to follow in many months.

I got in by sending a $10.00 donation along with a friend of mine, who was already a member. Mathowie emailed me a "secret" working signup link. Ah, the 14k crowd...

i just did cause i could
in 2000 or so
[very unhelpful but i just got in]

As I recall, I was lurking around as usual when there was suddenly some rumblings of possibly closing signups, or something to that effect. I joined the nano-second I read that, August third 2000, just in case I might want to comment in the future. Seven days later I did indeed comment. Can't find the thread where they said that signups might close or that comments would be for members only or whatever it was, but it was around that time. (aug 2k)

The final open no-donation signup period was the 1st and 2nd of April 2004 where there were supposed to be ten new users accepted each day. This was supposed to continue through the end of the month. However, a programming glitch allowed a total of about 160 people over those two days, after which Matt closed signups again. That was when I got in.

Also, during the closed period, there were always a few people added each month via them knowing Matt, being recommending to membership by a prominent user, and other random things.

Finally, mentioning this because the membership number is visible on the front page, it should be noted that it's not actually correct. When anyone completes the sign-up form, they get assigned a number and that incrementation is reflected in the count. However, they're not actually a real member until they complete the donation. Only about 1 in 4 or so actually do. So the number of new members added since Nov. 18th of last year should be about 1/4 of what it appears to be.

I'm slow to join most things, I even checked MeCha for a bit after the launch before finally joining. I read MeFi sporadically for about 2 years before I even thought of signing up, and when I finally did try to sign up I found out that I couldn't. Since I never went beyond the front page (MeFi was just a link site for me, not a community) I never followed any of the MeTa business and seldom even read any of the comments.

It wasn't until early 2004 when I read a FPP that had misleading info that riled me that I went to the comments section and found lots of great discussions, other interesting related links, and several people also pointing out the errors of that FPP. Over those next few days I started going quite a bit deeper into the site reading comments and starting to recognize names of MeFites and was totally hooked. I checked that signup link a few times a week for 7 or 8 months until the gates were opened in November of 2004. I never even knew about the limited groups being let in or any other to subvert the system.

Did any post 11/04 noobs read MeTa BEFORE they were members? I never found anything interesting there when I was on the other side of the glass. But once I signed up I was checking MeTa a few times a day just to make sure I didn't miss anything.

I started reading MeFi in late 2002 or early 2003 or so. Very quickly I began reading all posts and most comments in MeFi and, shortly after that, all MeTa posts and comments. I don't do that anymore. But, anyway, because I read everything, including MeTa, and I have strong retention, I felt like I knew the regulars extremely well. It was sort of weird when I finally joined.

I hung out for a couple of years and had to wait for the five buck sign up. I am giving up commenting, though, as much of the membership has been nastier than usual (not us, of course).

Did any post 11/04 noobs read MeTa BEFORE they were members?

I read MeTa all the time. By the time signups opened last year, I was a MeTa expert. ;)

But, anyway, because I read everything, including MeTa, and I have strong retention, I felt like I knew the regulars extremely well. It was sort of weird when I finally joined.

Same here. It was frustrating that they didn't know me as well since I felt like I had been around them for so long.

Puddinghead, you did see my response to you in that MeTa thread, didn't you?

I can't remember. My user page says August 2002. Somebody told me about the midnight (?) sign-ups, I think.

I just did, k, thanks.

Did any post 11/04 noobs read MeTa BEFORE they were members?

I know I did, and I was reading Metafilter for a year or two before I became a member.

I started reading Mefi in around 2000, off and on, but never thought of joining. By the time MonkeyFilter got started, I spent way more time reading MeTa than Mefi and since I got in during the "programming glitch" in April '04, I've contributed (ha) more to MeTa than anywhere else.

My entry was a little different perhaps. I can't remember where I found out about it but although I recall liking what I saw, I only joined (April '00 I think) so I could change preferences/the screen layout.

For most of the time since it has been merely a link leech factory. I did make a post or 2 and a comment or 3 early on but basically it was only the front page of the blue for years for me.

It's only been this year that Ive actually 'joined in' as it were. And having a 3-digit number probably protected me from some of the sharper learning curve daggers I suspect.

So I'm cheap and old.

I am another one of the 14k brigade who got in by sending money and received an e-mail from an anonymous hotmail account giving me a link to a secret sign-up page. In fact, it was so easy if only people know - all Matt had done was take away the link to the sign-up page, but it was still sitting there if anyone found it. Which, of course, was what eventally happened and then it got removed.

A lot of people got a free account as part of the 5k competition thing, as well.

Also, for a time, there was a backway to signing up--I forget exactly where but it mighta been connected to Kuro5hin.

As dg suggests, it was through signing up at the 5k competition that one could backdoor in, for a while.

signups were only ever closed to begin with when the site began tipping over. since then it's been open and closed many times as other have noted and there have been various attempts to mitigate the flow of new users, but the point of it all was to try to keep the site up, which has never really been accomplished. i just mention this because, ya know, i'm quonsar.

I found out about Mefi from the Brill's Content article in 2000 or 2001. I read it for a while but signups were closed. I joined the first time I saw signups open in September 2001. Paid nothing. And here I am!

Pretty much the same as slack-a-gogo - I read the blue for the links for years but never got that motivated. I did try to join a couple times and I think I'm the only person who remembers this, but for a while - and this is like 97 or 98 - signups were free if you were among the first 10 people a day (which I figured started at midnight; it didn't specify) and after that it was $5. In those days I flat refused to pay money to join any site, so I halfheartedly tried to get in the first 10 and failed, then gave up. Then actually the politics last November really got me all energized again, I was looking for a new web community, discovered the monkeys and then I was a $5 n00b who no longer objected to paying to join. I had been reading MeTa & Askme for a while before that though. . .

So quonsar, you're saying that membership was closed not to protect the community but rather to protect the server?

I guess I can see that, what with MeFi being down one of every two minutes. But I always assumed it was just to keep out the unwashed masses.

Yeah, I got in with kmellis. I felt like it was winning the lottery. Now it feels like a curse.