Can someone explain the difference between 'general' and 'social'?

You pretty much got it. “General” is for on-topic answers. “Social” is a wasteland.

I wish they had stuck with “Questions” and “Discussions”. Seems easier. But that was never enforced.

You’ve got it! Here are the official guidelines. Essentially, General is for staying on topic and helping the OP. Social is almost anything goes. Meta is, as you guessed, devoted to all things Fluther; questions about how it works, social celebrations, etc. Welcome back!

Sorry I guess what I really meant was:
So if someone asked a general question, could you give a semi-sarcastic response? (before you could if it just wasn’t the first response?) Or would all the questions only be extremely serous/deep?
And if someone asked a social question, will they get real answers or just the sarcasm?
(Or does it all matter on who chooses to answer the question?)

I make funnies in general all the time and all is well. Just do it while you actually help.

I have had smart ass answers modded off in general.

Responses in the General section get pretty quickly moderated if they aren’t on topic. There is still some fun to be had there…on a rare occasion. Social questions get legitimate answers; it just allows for freedom of speculation, brain-storming, personal opinions and potential fun without risking as much moderation. Getting off-topic might warrant a moderator’s public warning, and any personal attack disappears rather quickly.

If you haven’t already, you should check out the current updates to the profile page. Almost everything about the changes has been discussed in the Meta section.

No fun, no foul.

You’re definitely allowed to use humor, as long as you are also actually answering the question.

Matt Browne’s General; I’m Social.