Become a Founding Member and Help Supercharge Snopes

Time 2020-06-20 15:05:50

Web Name: Become a Founding Member and Help Supercharge Snopes

WebSite: http://message.snopes.com

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The physical rewards previously offered for this project are shipping now. Digital rewards, like ad-free browsing, the digital community badge, and more, will be available after the launch of our membership portal in May  July 2020. The one-year membership term will only begin after you receive your invite in May. Thank you for backing our crowdfunding project, and let us know if you have any questions.Snopes has been squashing misinformation since 1994, and in the 25 years since then we have grown to become a household name in fact-checking and, for some, a verb (“Did you snopes that?”).It turns out this tiny labor of love dedicated to debunking was years ahead of its time. Today, despite an abundance of facts at our fingertips, even discerning readers can get lost in the fog of falsehoods. As we enter the next election cycle — and a new decade — we need to supercharge Snopes to light the way for more readers: hire additional fact-checkers and developers, upgrade our website, and bolster our unique expertise to catch and crush rumors at scale.And we need your help to do it.The online world was a different place when I began what is now Snopes way back in 1994. Twenty-five years later, Snopes has set the standard for trusted fact-checking. And we’re still working hard to hone our processes and refine the expertise needed to fight the rising tide of misinformation.But now, as the start of a new decade and another U.S. presidential election loom on the horizon, we need your help to enhance and expand what Snopes can do to meet the information challenges of the next 25 years… and beyond. Tell us what we should do first.We’re up against Goliaths. We need your help to fight misinformation.“You are my go-to source for fact-finding. I would be lost without you. I absolutely depend on your explanations and source links whenever I get questionable emails and Facebook posts. Thank you for all you do!”“I regularly use Snopes to check the facts on the many outlandish stories and alleged statements posted by hyper-partisans. Snopes provides a convenient source to quickly get to a detailed explanation of the truth…”Your RewardsFor those who would like a keepsake, we’re offering high-quality Snopes rewards including tees, stickers, and all sorts of cool swag.Because we cover the cost of the rewards and all shipping and processing fees for your convenience, just about half your purchase price will go toward funding the Snopes’ mission directly. If you want your contribution to go furthest in supporting our mission, please make an unconditional contribution at the top of the page.Most important, some rewards offer exclusive, deeply discounted Founding Memberships for those who wish to join our community of truth-seekers. Some benefits are available right away — our members newsletter will kick off immediately — while others, such as an ad-free Snopes and community spaces, are coming soon. This is the only time you can become a Founding Member, so act now.Learn more about each item in the FAQ tab above.Any Questions?We’ve got you covered. Many of your questions are answered in the FAQ tab above.What We’ll Make TogetherMisinformation peddlers are like weeds — they’re constantly finding new ways and places to sprout and grow. But Snopes is developing tools and tactics that, with your support, can root them out.A People-Powered SnopesReaders rely on Snopes to debunk suspicious rumors, investigate propagandists and trolls, and bring dark corners of the internet to light. But with literally thousands of inquiries pouring into our inbox every week, we can’t keep up. We need your help to build tools and resources to identify and counter false claims on a massive scale.We’re building tools like a browser extension, a web app, and redesigned submission forms so you can effortlessly flag questionable content when you see it.Formidable Investigating PowerIn 2019, Snopes identified hundreds of inauthentic Facebook accounts spreading questionable content to millions of followers; we investigated how Islamophobic hate spreads online; and we unmasked a clandestine network of 24 Facebook pages spreading hate and conspiracy theories. In the crucial 2020 election year, your support is needed to ensure Snopes can continue these efforts to unearth coordinated disinformation campaigns.Snopes launched the Dive Team, an investigative unit dedicated to digging deeper into rough corners of the internet and rooting out bad actors.“Snopes’ investigative work signals our commitment to public service journalism in the strongest way possible and, we hope, puts us in league with major news outlets around the world.”Un-Meddling Our ElectionsThe lesson of the 2010s is that internet disinformation campaigns are now a depressingly common tactic of elections around the world — and already storm clouds are gathering on the horizon. It’s our mission to uncover bad actors, root out election meddling, and give voters the resources they need, like On The Issues, to make informed decisions at the ballot box.A Better SnopesThe power of Snopes fact-checking depends on powerful tech. We are in the process of building brand new features such as sophisticated crowdsourcing and fact-checking tools and an expert-curated news feed, which will act as counterweights to algorithm-driven echo chambers. We’re also updating our search engine and amplifying our distribution capabilities.And we are building much of this ourselves, instead of relying so heavily on third parties. The more we invest in ourselves, the more fiercely independent Snopes will remain.Our TeamWho is Snopes? We’re a scrappy crew of news junkies who value the truth. Where is Snopes? That’s more interesting. We’re a fully remote newsroom spread across eight states — we have no headquarters, which helps keep overhead low. By supporting this project, you can help us hire more staff in more places. Always check your faqs. We’ve answered some of your most common questions below. Digital perks, like early access to the Snopes membership portal and ad-free browsing, will launch Spring 2020. Some items like the member newsletter have already started.Due to shipping logistics, physical items like T-shirts and enamel pins are expected to ship in March 2020. Contributions to Snopes are not tax-deductible; however, they absolutely further our mission to fight misinformation. Not at all. All of the current content Snopes produces now — our fact checks, articles, newsletters, and more — will remain free. But members will have access to an ad-free Snopes as well as our online community spaces and members-only newsletters where a login is required. We outline several projects we have the works in the Overview section, but in short: contributions to this project support Snopes’ newsroom and operations.Help us decide what to do first by taking the 2020 Snopes Reader Priorities Survey. Each pack contains a year-long membership and a digital community badge, which will appear on the upcoming Snopes digital community. Some include one or more of the following physical items. See each individual pack for details.Founding Member TeeFounding Member tees are black Belle and Canvas unisex jersey tees, available in sizes XS-XXL. Tees have short sleeves, a crew neck, and made of ring-spun cotton.Did You Snopes That? MugThis handsome, 12 oz stoneware mug is a black matte with the Did You Snopes That logo–perfect for the tea you sip when you send someone a link to a Snopes fact check.Did You Snopes That? ToteThis 15×20 inch oversized tote is made of 100% cotton twill and ideal for grocery shopping, investigating some misinformation on the go, or other adventures. Good question! You’ll be among the first people to receive exclusive member perks, like an ad-free Snopes, a member newsletter, and early access to our community spaces beginning in Spring 2020. You’ll also get a one-time-only Founding Member digital community badge to display on your profile in our community spaces to show how on top of it you are.Best of all, Founding Memberships are deeply discounted and memberships will be more expensive after the project ends. Yes! But future memberships will be more expensive and charged monthly — we’re offering Founding Memberships (including that cool digital badge) at a steep discount for the duration of this project only. Of course! Get that Snopes swag, you beautiful nerd. Just add them to your cart. Keep in mind, however, that membership accounts will be associated with the billing address and email provided at checkout. If you are buying any additional memberships for someone else, you may want to complete separate transactions. Are Snopes memberships cumulative? If I purchase two Founding Memberships, does that mean I’m a member for two years? No. While you can get as many swag packs as you’d like, we can only offer one membership per person. Memberships are tied to the email address used at checkout.  The “Supercharging Snopes for 2020” project will support our fact-checking and journalism efforts. If you want to support our legal efforts as well, consider contributing to our GoFundMe campaign.People who contribute to our GoFundMe will be eligible for some special membership perks in 2020 including a special community badge for serving as a “Snopes Defender.” To be eligible for any rewards listed on this project, you must contribute to this project. There will always be fees associated with your gift to Snopes — like transaction, credit card, and platform fees — but if you decide to make a gift without selecting a reward, nearly all of your contribution will go directly to Snopes. If you do select a reward, around half of your purchase will go to Snopes; the rest goes to providing high-quality gifts, shipping, and associated fees. This project will continue until the official public launch of our member program portal, which the Snopes staff is currently building and plan to launch in 2020. Items in this project are only available in packs. Some items might be in the Snopes store later, but Founding Member items ⁠— like the tee and enamel pin — will only be available for the duration of this project. Sure! Physical rewards can be shipped to anyone by changing the shipping address.But please note that any digital rewards (e.g. membership, digital badge) will be associated with the email entered at checkout. If you are purchasing a membership for yourself and someone else, you’ll want to complete separate transactions. Hey there, Founding Members! We have some great news for you all.We’re pleased to announce that, as of this writing, 98% of swag boxes have shipped. We are working on sending confirmations, but if you haven’t received your confirmation yet, please email us. If you’ve already received your order, show it off — send us a message or tweet us pictures of you with your new Snopes gear.Many of you have been asking when you’ll be able to access ad-free browsing and other online member benefits. We hear you! Our engineering team anticipates providing these key features to all members by the end of May. Thanks to your financial support, we’ve hired developers to help our in-house team get it ready.On that note: Because of all of you, Snopes has been able to expand our already dedicated team. In addition to the aforementioned developers, we’ve hired a new reporter and operations assistant. We’re also looking for an eagle-eyed story editor — if you or anyone you know might be a good fit, please share the job listing posted here.We have so many new projects cooking thanks to all your help and we cannot wait to tell you more. Stay tuned.Truthfully yours, We’ve made some amazing progress together. After a little less than two months, our members have contributed more than $205,000 to help supercharge Snopes. Thank you so much for your very generous support.Now, some updates from our staff, who are hard at work fulfilling all of the commitments we made throughout the campaign:First, we’ve been busy coordinating with our partner SwagUp and can now say that we’re expecting to ship the physical merchandise in March 2020.Second, many of you have asked about the ad-free browsing on Snopes. Without getting too deep into the technical details, we’re wiring together the login system to ensure only those eligible for ad-free gain access.Lastly, you may have noticed a few packs no longer available. That’s because we’re no longer selling these items while we fulfill the initial orders. If we resume selling the larger reward options or begin offering the individual items in the Snopes store, we will update you here.Keep an eye on this project for future updates. In the meantime, we hope everyone is enjoying the Snopes Digest, a members-only newsletter created just for you. (Haven’t gotten it yet? Make sure to add digest@snopes.com to your whitelist. Here’s how to do it.)Any questions about the Founding Members project? Shoot us a message.Truthfully yours, We are pleased to report that the “Supercharging Snopes for 2020” project is a resounding success. We are humbled by the response from readers across the globe.Since launching on December 16th…Over 3,700 people have contributed to this project, with over 2,000 opting to become members!We received over 2,000 kind and uplifting notes.Snopes members represent all 50 states in the U.S., as well as Washington D.C, Guam, Armed Forces Europe and Pacific, and 39 additional countries.The most popular physical reward item? The Founding Member Pin Pack.Collectively, we’ve raised over $150,000 and counting!We sent the first edition of the members-only Snopes Digest this morning. Everyone who contributed at the member level should check their inbox, and possibly spam folder, and add digest@snopes.com to their white list. (Here’s how to do that.)By early spring, you should receive your new accounts to access special features on Snopes.com, including your digital community badge and ad-free browsing.Truthfully yours,Team SnopesP.S. If you elected to give a direct contribution, but wished to receive access to the members-only digital rewards, please contact us here. I just want to contribute. Don't give me anything. Just keep fact-checking! I'd like a reward for contributing. Navigate Home © 1995 - 2020 by Snopes Media Group Inc. This material may not be reproduced without permission. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com

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