Question 1

What is Made by Me?

Accepted Answer

The main goal of MBM is to address the ever-increasing question we ask ourselves when we come across content / products / services we're interested in: "did a human make this?" By using a Made by Me Badge you're telling the world that YOU are the one behind the content. Your brain was used to create your intellectual property. AI use is nuanced right now and it's woven into just about every online tool and software we use. You'd have to throw your devices in the trash to avoid using it. The goal isn't to pressure ourselves to be "perfect" but instead to draw a line and let people know that we are creating what we write, draw, paint, speak, sing, record, produce, develop, brainstorm, and share. By using a Made by Me Badge you're telling the world that YOU are the one behind the content. Your brain was used to create your intellectual property.

Question 2

There's no way I can avoid using AI completely, is this badge still for me?

Accepted Answer

When we say "AI" - we mean using tools that take away from human learning, critical thinking skills, skill development, and often steal from the vast sources that these companies are crawling. Using LLMs such as ChatBots to "write" content, generate ideas, images or webpages, vibe code apps, or otherwise stating that something was "created" by said person when AI tools were used. In their book, The AI Con by Emily M. Bender & Alex Hanna, they define the differences between the umbrella term of AI and types of automation; pointing out how vast of a net the term "AI" is casting in order to market itself. "Lumping all of these difference technologies under teh label of 'AI' creates the illusion of 'intelligent' technology." (p.7) For example, using LLMs for things like auto-transcription, automations for webhooks, spellcheck, pattern recognition in a database, or using a calculator are not things that the Made by Me Badge was created to tackle. AI use is nuanced right now and it's woven into just about every online tool and software we use. You'd have to throw your devices in the trash to avoid using it. The goal isn't to pressure ourselves to be "perfect" but instead to draw a line and let people know that we are creating what we write, draw, paint, speak, sing, record, produce, develop, brainstorm, and share.

Question 3

Do I need to apply or submit my work to use this badge?

Accepted Answer

Made by Me is run on an honor system. By using a Made by Me Badge you're telling the world that YOU are the one behind the content. Your brain was used to create your intellectual property. What Made by Me is NOT about: Hunting down or shaming people who are using AI Policing members and what they create. Getting deep in the weeds and arguing that anything that once was an automation is now "AI" - part of the AI Hype issue is that past tools are now being lumped into AI when they are each their own standalone technology. Nor is it anti-technology. By using the Made by Me Badge, members are stating that they are the ones writing, recording, speaking, drawing, painting, designing their content.

Question 4

How much does the membership cost?

Accepted Answer

The Made by Me Membership involves a one-time fee of $9 USD to help cover the administrative costs of running the site, creating custom badges, and running our community. Currently all done by me (Sarah Steckler).

Question 5

What's included?

Accepted Answer

Your one-time payment of $9 gives you access to: 👉 Badge materials ✅ Instructions for adding it to your site and sales page(s) ✍️ Verbiage to make your own statement ❤️‍🔥 Access to our Private Community inside of Heartbeat 📌 Listing in the Made by Me Directory which will include your name, bio, website, an opt-in of your choice, info about you, and options to collaborate with other members. 🌟 Listing on the Made by Me Public Website with your photo, bio, and website 🖥️ Made by Me Page example to add to your site including verbiage ideas for sharing what your values are surrounding AI, what you use and don't use, to help give your audience a more transparent view of your work.

Question 6

Who's behind this thing?

Accepted Answer

Sarah Steckler. You can read more about me here.

Frequently asked questions

Tell the world it's you behind your content.