FAQ

These Are the FAQs, Folks

What is MLKSHK v2 slack and why am I here?

Once Andre and Amber announced that they were shutting MLKSHK down, a dedicated group of volunteer users came together to see if they could keep the site going under a new name - MLTSHP. (pronounced: Malt Shop!) This slack group has been created so that users could

• Receive announcements and status updates on the project
• Volunteer to help, and
• Hang out with other cool people and increase our sense of community.

What is this "MLTSHP" you speak of?

The new site could not continue with the old name or the old graphics due to various personal and legal concerns. We had to think of a new name and - after a brief discussion on slack - someone suggested the name MLTSHP and it seems to have stuck.

Where is the best place to start? Where can I see updates and catch up?

When you log into slack, you will see a welcome message from Slackbot that will point you to several linked resources, which you can also access via the link below. You can also join the #announce channel on slack to continue receiving the most up-to-date announcements. https://github.com/mltshp/welcome

What's the plan for transitioning MLKSHK to MLTSHP? Give me the short version.

The current plan is to retain as much of the same functionality of the site as we can. Users should have access to all of their previous images, private shakes, comments, etc, and can keep the community going on MLTSHP. There may be some sort of "Yes keep my stuff!" hurdle/button/choice as we move stuff from Point A to Point B.

Will MLTSHP have exactly the same features and functionality as MLKSHK?

That’s the general goal, but specific details are still being debated by the technical team. Any changes will be posted to the #announce channel as they are available.

Why not just join imgur/Tumblr/Reddit/etc.?

There are a few reasons - for one, we are trying to save and maintain the close-knit community of users that has grown around MLKSHK, and the concern is that this community energy would dissipate and dissolve if we tried to merge with a larger site.

Other reasons are technical - in that we would lose some of the functionality we’ve grown used to, or that another site would have problems with us trying to import terabytes of existing images and associated metadata.

Lastly, it’s good to remember that Andre could have sold his existing code to someone else (and probably have it end up just another advertising/content distribution platform). But -instead - he gave that code to the volunteers in this community to take over, and that is a big deal. We try to honor the spirit in which MLKSHK was created by keeping it going in a by-us-for-us manner.

When are things happening?

Because MLKSHK is shutting down soon, things are moving fast. Here are some of the milestones below:

• March 25 - need to start domain name transfer (can take 2 weeks).
• April 1 - site disables uploads and starts the shutdown process.
• April 13 - mlkshk.com domain name scheduled to expire.
• April 15 - last date we can get keys/passwords and still stay online.
• May 1 - site is officially shut down.
• May 29 - current Let’s Encrypt SSL Certificate expires.

Will there be a fund drive to raise money for MLTSHP?

Once the team of volunteer coders makes some basic decisions and we come up with a budget, we will create many, loud, visible announcements - both here and on MLKSHK - asking people to come and support the new site. We will also be posting updates as to how close we are to our goal.

How can I help?

If you are technically savvy, feel free to join the MLTSHP GitHub at https://github.com/MLTSHP. Add your info to the technology team charter on the GitHub Welcome Repo.

If you have free time for admin work, get in touch with @jessamyn and join the conversation in #governance. If you are independently wealthy or have experience with fundraising, join the conversation at #money.

For creative types, we are still gathering alternative name suggestions on a doc on the GitHub Welcome Repo.

If you have other ideas, feel free to reach out to @jessamyn, @vosechu, or @vai.

How can I help make the new site even better than MLKSHK is/was?

You can join the #feature-requests channel on slack if you would like to make suggestions for features you’d like to see going forward. Please be patient, as our volunteer coders will be giving priority to issues around getting the site running, and making sure existing functionality is ported over as seamlessly as possible. As soon as all of those issues are up and running, the coders can evaluate and decide on new features.

Do I need to be in the github org to see the issues backlog that's linked to from the feature request spreadsheet?

Nope! you can add issues at https://github.com/MLTSHP/mltshp_migration/issues