What do you think about the Fluther team joining Twitter?

I hope the quality of the site does not suffer from neglect and lack of further development. I know Lisa will do an awesome job… but the more technical aspects of the running of servers et al might require some help.

Don’t panic. We are planning to keep Fluther.com up and running, as it is, as a separate project from Twitter. We won’t be developing it as we’re now focused on Twitter, but Lisa will continue on as community manager and maintainer.

“We won’t be developing it.”

That’s…kind of why I liked it though…

This is my honest, first reaction to the news opinion: it will die and I am incredibly sad right now. Not to mention that putting the entire responsibility for Fluther on Augustlan’s shoulders seems irresponsible and I am worried about how she’ll manage it – I feel protective of her.

I’ve made some negative comments about how I feel about this on other questions and those can stand as my response. I do want to say that Lisa will be great. I think she’s fabulous and in no way do my feelings about this change reflect on her. Other than that, this is a terrible shame.

I’m hearing Nero’s fiddle.

Call me dense but I don’t get it?

Whats going to change?

I feel as though Dr. Jelly should be wearing sack cloth and ashes. Boo hoo

And what is Milo going to do?

I wonder if some of us (who know how to run a site) can volunteer to provide support – was that a consideration, even?

@Simone_De_Beauvoir That’s a great idea. How can we help Lisa and keep Fluther going?

I’m cautiously optimistic.

Should be interesting.

I have no idea how this is going to go down. Trying to be optimistic.

Knock, knock, helloooo….what am I missing here?

Is Fluther going to be shut down?

@diavolobella We can’t do much if we are not a part of the conversation.

@Simone_De_Beauvoir – Some of us have been planning for this day. Other places are lined up if everything goes to shit here.

@Coloma – My understanding is that Twitter just hired everyone but Lisa. So I guess it boils down to how much they want to work on this site after they finish the day at Twitter. I’m expecting things to go to shit pretty fast, they at least need someone that can restart a server.

@world_hello Are you an old Jelly in a new guise?

@world_hello Really? I guess I was naive and don’t have anything lined up. Make sure to let me know where you’re going.

@world_hello

Thanks for clarifying.
Oh well, that’s life…easy come, easy go. lol
Hopefully it’ll all work out and everyone will continue to enjoy fluther. :-)

@janbb – I’m johnpowell.

@Simone_De_Beauvoir – We can do. There will be a lot (20 or so) of familiar people there. The site still needs a lot of work but you can ask and answer and PM and give points. The basics are covered.

edit – I’m not advocating jumping ship, I’m just saying we have a few places if you ever need to.

You know, I idly looked at the “About” page the other day and felt a little weird when I saw Biz Stone on it. Now I know why.

Skeptical. Change is always startling though, so, I’d like to give them the benefit of the doubt. Not unlike @Simone_De_Beauvoir, my first thought was that it seems like a lot of pressure on @Augustlan.

@world_hello Are you talking about the links you gave me some days ago?

@Simone_De_Beauvoir – Yes.

Well, easy come easy go, I guess. I’m very disappointed. Fuck capitalism. What was the point of making all the merchandise available?

@world_hello I’d also like to know where everyone will be going.

@world_hello I would like to know, as well.

Big changes scare people but this isn’t necessarily a terrible thing. Fluther has linked to Twitter for a month now with no major influx of lol catz. Camertron hinted at this development here.

Whether or not we like Twitter and I cast my vote with the firm “nots”, the course is set. Augustlan knows her shit and loves the site as much or more than anybody.

I’m not thrilled with the news but let’s be patient and not bury the corpse before it’s dead.

It looks like Twitter is in need of ideas, and possibly community, although I don’t see how you can build community 140 characters at a time. But then, obviously, as anyone who knows me can tell, I can’t even get out a tenth of an idea in that number of characters, and I have no interest in trying to learn.

I guess the technology of fluther won’t change now. So all those questions about what fluther should change will be moot; exercises in navel gazing. Not that fluther doesn’t do that all the time, anyway.

The real problem will be that their energy will not be here. So it is likely that fluther will slowly die off because there will be no effort to make it grow. It could well become a slowly sinking ship, with Lisa being the last “man” on board—our captain.

Well, someone should ask a question about alternative places to go, so we can disappear like rats fleeing the sinking ship. I’m sure this is good news for the technical team. It is a good way for them to cash in on all the work they have done.

I wonder what is going to happen to the people who invested capital in fluther? It seems likely that funding will dry up, and when that happens, the servers will probably be sold at a fire sale and fluther will disappear. Well. That will teach us to get invested in any particular online community.

Like I said – No need to panic yet. Lets see how this works out. I actually like how my site is now and don’t need new users. But people are welcome to use it they need a place with familiar faces.

I know this is unsettling, but I encourage everyone to try not to panic. I’m here, the mod team is here. Fluther will continue, as is, for the foreseeable future.

We’re going to do everything in our power to maintain site quality. I appreciate everyone’s concern about me (I lurve you guys!), and offers of volunteer support. We’ll definitely keep that in mind as this all unfolds.

Even the sun will die. lol

Okay… my first reaction was to be worried and saddened, but as I read all your responses, they are what are saddening me the most…

Forgive me if I’m wrong, but aren’t WE, the people, the users, the community, aren’t we what makes Fluther what it is??? And if we all jump, then of course it will die… I’d sure miss you all.

@harple I used to be like you, :) It takes more than the users to run a website – after all there was a whole FULL TIME team (who were paid) doing something, right? They weren’t just sitting on their butts.

@Simone_De_Beauvoir I appreciate that, I really do… there does need to be someone knowledgable who can maintain the site (I know @augustlan will do everything she can to maintain the community).... I guess what I’m really meaning is let’s make sure it’s a site worth maintaining for them – it’s sounding a bit like a rush on a bank right now, which is exactly what makes them fold…

@world_hello I would also like the links, just in case.

Shoot me a PM if you have technical abilities that I lack, and would be willing to volunteer your services to troubleshoot any problems that arise on the site. It would be awesome to have you guys help!

Again, I lurve you people. Sincerely.

I was talking to @Simone_De_Beauvoir about this, and my initial negative reaction about this is more about how this was handled, and not so much about what it really means, the more I hear. Without any self-editing (so the below is admittedly more bitching in tone than I’d try to make it normally) this is what I sent her:

I’m NOT in a good mood about this because:

(1) what the fuck is with the kamikaze notice? “Trusted” community my dirty ass…

(2) development was what I thought the site was about.

(3) the idea that there’s anything similar between twitter and fluther is…insulting.

(4) I was seeing some recent trends in how people were communicating on here that I thought were awesome.

(5) it is not at all clear what’s going on – they’re leaving and they’re not leaving all at the same time. The blog post could have been…informative. That just had the potential effect of creating a whole lot of “see ya” reactions.

I’m not afraid of change, but my initial reaction was negative. But then—I confess—I hadn’t read the details of the change. Thanks Harple and others for clarifiying what’s going on. I’m not always the most technically proficient person in the room, so that was most helpful. My panic has turned into cautious wait and see.

@iamthemob And as I told you, I completely agree with every point on that list. Totally passive-aggressive.

@harple You have good points. But as I mentioned in another thread, the very first Q&A site I ever belonged to did something similar to what has just happened here. Shortly after, the site completely died – because they literally abandoned it. They said they were working on a “side project”, but eventually they closed the site down completely. I’m not saying that WILL happen here, but it’s definitely a possibility.

@iamthemob agreed, to put it frankly.

Truth is, it takes a lot more than lurve to run a site.

@iamthemob Agreed. Especially No. 3. [besides which Dr. Jelly is too good to associate with that stupid Twitter bird]

OK, I’m the first to admit I’m an idiot about these things, could someone tell me clearly and concisely why this would be a bad thing?

@iamthemob – I was really bothered by how this was handled. They could have done a much better job communicating. It pretty much reads as a dear John letter. And even Cam saying that he couldn’t change the one line of code to add the festive image shows that further development is not likely.

And development means stuff like paying for and maintaining the servers. But all it would take is for Andrew or Ben to say something and we would know what is going on. I guess they can’t be bothered anymore.

@JilltheTooth Now do you understand why Dr J never got his Santa hat? That’s just one example.

Wow…shades of Wisdm. I hope it doesn’t go that way. It’s like a death in the family. Maybe someone could track Martin down, see if he wants the Fluther job?

I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that no GA or GQ’s get posted on the community board any more.

Well…the things that I want aside, I’m pretty tickled for the Fluther guys getting hired on at twitter! I’m tickled for them. That’s a great compliment. :) Except for the fact that twitter is utterly useless from what I’ve seen of it.

Crap. A lot of ” ____ joined the collective” happenin’.

I have to say that I am sure that Andrew and Ben do still care; even if they are moving on, Fluther was and is their baby. And I know they care about the community, I just don’t think it can last too long without active technical support.

Yeah, I understand that, but I was thinking that was due to transitional issues, not necessarily basic abandonment of all we hold dear. There’s a lot of sturm und drang going on right here, it’s starting to sound like people will be madly jumping ship before the first wave hits. I’d rather see what’s going to play out before jumping overboard.

@world_hello – I think the “Dear John” letter description is actually perfect. And take this from the Twitter blog “During our conversations with Fluther’s team, we were continually impressed by their technical talent, entrepreneurial spirit, and much of the thinking behind the question-and-answer product they’ve spent the last couple of years building.

When the Fluther team joins us they will focus on helping users discover the most relevant content on Twitter. Their product, Fluther.com, is not part of the acquisition and will remain separate from Twitter.”

Not only is it a Dear John situation – but to extend the metaphor – they’ve been cheating on us behind our backs and are leaving us for the other woman! ;-)

@Jude I think it’s old users getting new names just to be able to talk about this.

I agree that it reads like a “Dear John” letter – and Ben and Andrew are nowhere around. Which makes sense, taking on what they have. But the main point is that they aren’t around – and probably won’t bother to show up. Except maybe to leave one comment. This is the first time I’ve ever said anything like this, by the way – but I call it like I see it.

I’m not talking about jumping ship, and I won’t, so long as I don’t have to. What concerns me is that I think we may eventually have to. I plan on sticking around as long as it remains possible to do so, but I’m cynical and I don’t think that will be for very long.

If the site lasts, Lisa is going to need a lot of help.

@Jude – I feel like @Simone_De_Beauvoir is right – a lot of new users have a tone that evidences an approach to the site that seems familiar.

@iamthemob You can’t talk about business negotiations while they are going on; that part is just common sense.

@DrasticDreamer, @JilltheTooth – that is 100% of the problem with the way the news let out. I’m certain that they still care (or at least they’re really going to try). And I bet that the sudden nature of the news may very well be due to some confidentiality concerns and maybe agreements during negotiations (as @janbb pointed out just as I finished that sentence). It’s not really so much that I wish we had been told sooner – it’s more like I wish we’d been told later.

Taking the relationship metaphor even further…it’s like we’re now the child of the couple – and the parents had the fight in front of us and decided to divorce and told us right then and there. Taking some time to be able to clearly decide what was happening, and make sure that there was a good amount of response to be able to deal with the immediate fallout, may have helped in cooling some of the hot tempers of the responses.

We always get a wave of new members after any media attention, too, so it could just be that.

So, isn’t the question really “what can we do, as a community, to prevent the disintegration of Fluther?”

I might feel better about it if I had a higher opinion of Twitter. I think it’s junk and I think they are giving up something great for something that sucks. I think they are making a mistake. After all, I joined Twitter and quit pretty quickly because it offered me zero. I never regretted it. I joined Fluther, left for a short time and actually realized I was missing something, so I returned. That’s the difference.

@TheOnlyNeffie – I think that’s absolutely the question. For now…I think the answer is tell @augustlan we’ll help if we can, and besides that continue as if it’s business as usual.

(PS – we’re all rocking the exhibitionist awards right now. Bring it ;-))

I think they’re in their right to do what’s best for them. I remember when I first changed jobs, one day I told my boss I was leaving in a bit more than 3 weeks and he was all “WTF man?!?”. Did I regret it? No. Could I have handled it in a better way? Probably, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

What is really odd is this is almost one year to the date of Answer Bags really big dumb move!!

In defense of twitter, its basically facebook with out the billion metric tonnes of fluff.

@Cruiser – nice new avatar, by the way. ;-)

If this goes the way of A/B will someone please come back to rescue me?

I saw some talk about an alternate website? Anyone care to share that link with us? Or did I misunderstand something.
@Adirondackwannabe I’ll rescue you.
@kenmc Sigh. Here we go again, huh.

@bob_ – I think you’re on point about the fact that the moves, from a business perspective and as objective decisions, are unassailable.

However, the context here is very specific. In addition to the general problems with the way the move was revealed, this is very much like situations with people who start a business with the idea of employee and customer closeness as central, spend years developing under that model and emphasize a feeling of trust and family among the members, and then spring a move of the founders to a giant corporation for more money and benefits.

When the business model is based on a system of trust and family…when you leave without warning you have to handle it delicately and smartly – and this wasn’t.

@Adirondackwannabe : I would if I had the faintest idea how or what that even means. Fluther took my Q&A site virginity

@iamthemob Just seeing how the old shoe still fits (just in case) XD

@Dutchess_III PM @world_hello for the link to the other website.

However, I would caution people not to jump ship. Obtain the link, just in case, but don’t abandon Fluther just yet.

@iamthemob How close do you feel to Ben, Andrew and the rest of the staff? They rarely take part in threads, so, to put it bluntly, I don’t really see myself missing them much, as long as the site keeps running smoothly.

Well, I’m a fluther virgin and have never participated on a site like this before, only one other philosophy forum for several years.

I’d miss it around here, but, things change, that’s a given.

I say everyone take a deep breath and see what happens without all the catastrophizing and taking it personal energy. ;-)

@JilltheTooth you never forget your first

@bob_ That’s just it – they always used to participate here. It started slowly dropping off, which was a sign enough for me that they had something else going on. Which is why this doesn’t surprise me, but I do think it’s disappointing how it was handled.

@bob_ – Well, that’s more of a literal interpretion of the comparison – the developers are the ones that provide much of the forward momentum of the site development. So they can be anonymous…but if they go, then the concern is the site(business) will be a dead end. Way too soon to judge – but the internet is a fickle place…

@Blueroses No, you don’t. Completely agree.

@DrasticDreamer I’d never jump ship! But it would be nice to know the location of a life preserver if I needed one!
@Blueroses so true…

I really feel like there is no reason that we can’t make this work from within.

Yes, I think if we sit back and do nothing.. than it is inevitable that we will fall apart. However, I don’t see anything stopping us from doing everything in our power to make it work, together. As a community.

@TheOnlyNeffie As long as funding lasts, I completely agree with you.

Is there a physical place people need to be to keep fluther up? Sorry if I sound dumb but…can it be taken care of via computer? If so, there are tons of techs and creative minds who could step up. JOE comes to mind. Where the hell is he, anyway? I’ll go get him…

@DrasticDreamer of course, I agree. It isn’t like we shouldn’t consider shouldering that responsibility, as well. There have to be solutions. As long as the community wants to maintain the site, I’m not sure that I see any reason why we can’t do everything that Ben & Andrew were doing… on our own.

We have enough revenue to cover costs, so that’s not an issue. We don’t need a physical location, so that’s not an issue. The only thing I can think of is the need for (quick-ish) technical support when the site goes down. Calling all techies!

I think it’s great. I care about the boys and their well being, and this is a fantastic opportunity for them.

Damn. I can’t tech, but I’ll bake everybody cookies…

We lurve you even more for that, @JilltheTooth

Hey all- I am running out the door but will be back later.

I just want to let everyone know that it is all going to be alright.

This is actually a really good thing for Fluther.
This means Fluther does not have to worry about massively expanding in order to raise funds to survive like many sites have to.

With huge expansion community is usually lost.

We are the community, we are Fluther. Fluther is here! Now Fluther has returned to a labor of love to Ben and Andrew. Can you feel the love? :D

GROUP HUG!

:D

(Also this is totally awesome for our guys- they are working with the best of the best where they belong. And they care enough about us to negotiate our survival.)

@Dog I AM SPARTICUS!

I think…...good for them! Roll with it.

I also think it’s a great opportunity for them, and I’m not mad at them for doing it, or anything like that. But because it was them who built up the sense of community in the first place, they could have handled it a little better in my opinion. You know… Like being around to answer questions about concerns. However, like I just PMed to someone… That’s not how business works. Unfortunately.

So I don’t have to feel guilty for being really happy for the opportunity this means to our boys? Phew.

I think we’re able to recognize that this is a good opportunity for someone else and not the best opportunity for us, that’s all. It is okay to have conflicting feelings and these feelings aren’t made false by the contradiction.
@Dog If Fluther doesn’t need expansion now, why did it need expansion before? I’m not very well versed on this matter, mind you.

@JilltheTooth – You should feel the opposite. We should be happy for them getting this opportunity.

But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to be miffed about how it was handled. ;-)

I don’t think anyone disagrees that we all feel happy that they have this awesome opportunity. I would be surprised to hear differently from anyone here, that is what community is all about, isn’t it?

@Dog
@ucme

A big fat YES!!!

Roll with it…and besides…everyone could handle SOMETHING better at sometime…give what you wish to receive!

@augustlan We’ll find you the best damn techs out there! Hopefully he’ll be here in a bit…

Thanks, darlings. <3

Can they sell the source and domain and database? I can come up with about 30K in a week.

@JohnPowell @world_hello I have no clue about that. You could always ask them. :)

@world_hello Heeey, now that’s an interesting twist. Wish I had money, I’d join in.

Yeah…just buy it, @world_hello! Bring in JOE and the gang, and we’ll be flying!

I’m apprehensive at the moment, like many others are, but I’ll try to retain some cautious optimism in the meantime.

@world_hello

Would you really pay 30K for this? (What kind of revenue does it make?)

@absalom – I would. I think it makes enough that if the developers went from 5 down to one it would make money. I wouldn’t add new features but I could keep it running.

Congrats are in order. If anything, we may see new features and ideas flow both ways. Now I can typically start questions about how to improve twitter :P

Someone explain twitter to me…when I saw it, it just seemed to be a place to post random comments. I wasn’t able to engage in a conversation with anyone. BORing.

Hey all. If you have any questions feel free to PM me. We’ll have more details after the holiday.

@andrew ; Thanks, dear, I’m very happy for your new opportunity.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha haaaaa….

Do I still have time to cash in my lurve points? With all the snow we’re having, I’d like the “Key West Vacation Package for 2.”
If no one else had said it already, “Congratulations! Twitter is lucky to have you!”

happy fucking three year fluther anniversary to me….. -_ -

Was this on the news or something? Who are all of these new members??

@TheOnlyNeffie The announcements get picked up by net news sites all over the web. Tons of media attention.

@augustlan Wow…well…that’s a good thing, right? If any of them turn out to be idiots, they’ll leave, and we’ll get some new blood from the good ones who stay!

I love that @Dutchess_III is so much more optimistic than I am.

@TheOnlyNeffie I’ve been through it before.

Jellies aren’t snobs. Fresh blood infusions can be refreshing.

@Blueroses I agree, we’ve had waves in the past that were awesome. I like that other people see what a great site it is. It was just shocking today, how many new members.

@Blueroses Unless it’s the wrong blood type.

We’ll just see!

Guess this means we’re finally eligible for that goddamn Wikipedia page.

@Blueroses – We are kinda fucked if the servers can’t handle the load from new users. Nobody can fix them.

@world_hello Wait, isn’t there still support at this time? The full changeover wasn’t instant, was it?
Do we need a gatekeeper?

@world_hello shit.
@TheOnlyNeffie At least one new user has come directly from Twitter http://www.fluther.com/107344/if-there-was-no-such-thing-as-fluther-or-any-other/

@Blueroses – as far I know the support staff is done. That is why Lisa asked for help. She has none.
I would be shocked if this is running in two weeks. Think contracts and why cam couldn’t update the logo for the holidays.

@JP Let’s not be so very pessimistic.

Also, I don;t think we should blast them for the way the notice was given. That would have been controlled by Twitter. Twitter put out a press release so I am sure that what was said on Fluther was controlled by Twitter as well to some extent.

Andrew has said we will hear more after the holidays so let’s be patient.

@marinelife GA.

I think Twitter is a drag [unless I am trying to polish my skills in concise, effective writing] so
frankly, my fellow jelly, I don’t give a damn.

@marinelife – Andrew just posted. Can he answer some stuff? This is where the pissed is coming from. He can let us know if things will be OK but his responses are BS.

@world_hello No, I can’t answer questions right now. And you can PM me about ‘BS’.

@marinelife – I think it’s perfectly reasonable to blast them for the way notice was given…as long as we do recognize that there were outside controls (e.g., no discussion during negotiations, etc.).

The thing is, @augustlan remains behind, and wouldn’t be under restrictions from Twitter. Therefore, there are people that (1) could give whatever information they wanted (2) in whatever manner (3) as it became available. Now…if Fluther remains under the control of the founders, and part of the reason information is coming in as it is is due to restriction on the founders from Twitter…well, that’s a little concerning, as if the founders still technically run Fluther, but are leaving major aspects to others, they will continue to be restricted under their Twitter contract, potentially.

That brings up a lot of interesting questions. Although Fluther wasn’t acquired, there would be external controls on how it was run.

@andrew – know that the above isn’t meant to elicit a direct answer or address from you. However, I kind of want to discuss it openly in case there are potential issues that the community might want to address now, in the hypothetical, and sans judgment cause I got nothing but lurve for you.

Damn. This feels like Answerbag all over again. If anyone’s got alternative places to go when Fluther closes, I hope someone will send me a link.

Um…dumb question? Fluther wouldn’t be considered in a non-compete contract, would it? I mean, the guys could come back and help out if they wanted to, couldn’t they?

@downtide Feels like Wisdm all over again…..

@downtide

if Fluther closes*

@absalom there is no tech support any more. Which means that when something goes wrong, there will be no-one to fix it. That’s a when, not an if. Unless you know of a place where computers never go wrong.

I still didn’t see Auggie asking for help.
I saw it offered, and her accepting it with a smile.

I’m liking the contributions of some of the new fluther explorers.

@downtide It will all work out. I know about the other sites that closed and how traumatic it was for the members. But Fluther has always been very special.

Yes the boys will be working on Twitter but we are networking to get the technical workers we will need.

The moderation staff is here and more importantly Augustlan, who is the glue that holds Fluther together, is leading us as always. The boys might not be able to work on the site anymore but maybe now they can actually just participate and ENJOY Fluther the way we do!

I also agree with everything @marinelife says.

It is good. :D

I am 100% behind the Twitter acquisition. From my viewpoint it is a win-win.

Feel free to PM me with any questions you all have.

@augustlan : If I was to help would need to have root SSH info. I’m a bit fucked without that if I was to Help.

@downtide

As has been mentioned, they’re presently attempting to acquiring tech support. If you’re certain it will tank then there is probably little reason to stick around, and you can leave now. But you are still here, and I imagine you’d rather not see the site tank, and so this whole pessimism thing seems counterproductive to me.

@absalom It might seem counterproductive, but some people need to vent.

@Dr_C

Ah, but there is a difference between ‘venting’ and simple pessimism. I support all vent-related endeavors. But some posts contain neither anger nor frustration and just instead want to declare the site’s time of death. These posts make me a proverbially sad panda.

Wait and see I guess. I don’t really trust places like Twitter though. 4chan is what happens to small sites purchased by places like that haha. I’m also anxious about Fluther, while being a separate project, not being developed. But then I don’t really understand any of this much. But who knows, it might not even change all that much. Aren’t we already allied with Facebook? That should, by all rights, be the end right there lol.

Good luck with everything @augustlan. I don’t know nuthin bout technical issues, but if you think I can help somehow, let me know.

ok. One strange side effect – maybe unrelated – but I’m not able to flag a spam Q. Anybody else having issues?

[redacted]

@absalom pessimistic, sure. Do I think the site will eventually fall because of this? Again yes. But still that doesnt mean I want to jump ship before it happens. No, ill stick around and watch its last whimper of a breath before I leave always hoping its not indeed the end.
Ive been here for three years today. Im not going to just leave in spite of this horrible news. Not yet at least.

It might be good if fluther goes away. Then I might write something useful instead of pissing away my life just having fun.
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Fat chance ;-)

@wundayatta That has occurred to me too.

I feel seduced then abandonned.

Really, @gailcalled? Coming from you, that makes me sad.

@Blueroses: I exaggerate to make a point.

It remains to be seen. The last social Q&A site I participated in was ruined by “improvements” and I had come to it from an even earlier one that suffered the same fate. So sometimes, when you’ve got a good formula, not tweaking it too much is a good thing.

@ETpro Yeah. Now it’s overrun by jackbastards who still believe the Earth is flat. Here’s hopin that don’t go down up in this town.

What, what… wait? The earth isn’t flat? I am so posting that on facebook, twitter and wiki.

That’s already on Wiki. XD

@Symbeline Hear, hear!

Holy shitballs. There is seriously a lot of (new) traffic here.

Well, wow. See if I ever take a break again!

You know, a whole slew of intelligent questions are coming in from new members. Maybe, this won’t be so bad.

Perhaps, just perhaps, this will all work out. We are not going to be abandoned. We are still loved. We are just a tad more on our own. Love @TheOnlyNeffie‘s take on this. Perhaps, just perhaps, it had to happen this way.

Wait and see people. Wait and see.

And while I truly hope Fluther keeps on truckin’, if it goes down, I’m going with it. No way we should leave @augustlan alone after all she’s done for us.

Enough with the jumping ship talk already. Wait and see.

@cprevite AMEN!!!!

Well, it wouldn’t be the holidays without being dumped and having tons of drama.

I’m with @iamthemob @Simone_De_Beauvoir and @JohnPowell @world_hello on how it was done, the passive-aggressiveness, the Dear John letter, etc. But I can’t phrase it any better. See, this is what happens when you don’t pay attention for a day…

Oof. I am late to the party, but want to echo what a lot of you have said… I am really happy for the team, since it sounds like this is something you guys have wanted for a while now. But I am definitely at least a little sad and worried for the community.

@jude I’m happy to see great new questions too. And isn’t it cool how old threads are getting new attention?

Over the last couple of weeks Fluther has been a big part of me not wigging out over the holidays, Fluther kept me company while I spent 2 weeks really sick and not having much real world contact, and now Fluther does indeed seem to have a bunch of cool new input. I’m going to stay positive about all this, because whatever happens in the future right now Fluther needs me to give a little back, and I’m happy to be here. Holiday bonuses to everybody!

Man o man! I can’t go away for a day without all hell breaking loose or a party starting without me:D

I’m feeling very apprehensive about the changes that are about to happen. But, With the help of the vetern jellies hopefully this site will maintain its status quo.

I won’t jump the ship. I do love the new influx of really good questions. This really could be a good thing.

I think the main takeaway is that we should be concerned and not worried. To clarify, I think concern is specific and worry is generalized and more emotional. I think there are certain points of concern (please tell me if you think I’m wrong and why…and to add to the list):

(1) Whether development is possible. I agree that development can ruin a site – but as tech advances, the site will need to develop or it will become obsolete.

(2) How development is possible. For instance, @augustlan has received offers of tech help I hope…and there are offers outside of that. Can these be incentivized in a non-compensatory manner?

(3) Whether the new traffic (and I AGREE with @Jude – so much of it seems awesome) will overwhelm the mods, and how that can be avoided.

(4) How we can make sure current users remain and are updated on the situation.

There are more, but I think that’s a good start.

@iamthemob :D We mods are doing just fine keeping up and it is wonderful seeing the influx of great questions. We mods live for this! :D

If anyone wishes to help us you can do so by giving a warm PM welcome to the new Jellies that impress you. :D

@Dog – good suggestion. I will do so.

@iamthemob Thank you!

When it is this busy welcoming new members tends to fall through the cracks.

:) I can do dat, @Dog!

@absalom I don’t intend to jump ship until it actually sinks. And if it doesn’t sink, so much the better.

Wow. I just spent a good amount of time reading each and every comment on this thread, and I still can’t decide how I feel about this.

In one way, I’m happy for the opportunity Ben and Andrew have grabbed, and it’ll be interesting to watch the newbies and see who sticks and who doesn’t. Yet in another way, it’s disturbing. I’ve had my moments, especially when the old site wis.dm was shut down, and many of us traveled here. I’ve had bitchy moments, and “fluther sucks” moments, but I have no intention of leaving, because there are so many fabulous people here!

All the comments about fluther dying and people going to other sites really bothers me. After watching the fun ship that was wis.dm sink into the vast ocean of nothingness after I had spent so much time there, I don’t know if I can handle watching that happen to another site that I’ve grown to love. I’ve actually kind of made it a point to not be overly friendly with jellies and exchange addresses and phone numbers, simply for the fact that I’ve been a little paranoid, deep down, that I may lose yet another beloved site and I didn’t want to get too close to people that might break off contact after the site goes down.

I’m listening to Nirvana and having a pity party right now.

I think the people acting in an inappropriate manner here are Twitter, but it doesn’t seem like it’s overly uncommon for a mass-hiring like this to happen. Esentially Twitter were too cheap to actually buy Fluther, and instead hired away it’s staff with the complete knowledge that this would probably damage the site.

So why would Fluther let that happen? Uh, because, it’s a good deal for them. Let’s also keep in mind that it’s not like the team have broken some sort of promise or are intentionally being passive agressive towards the community. They got a good offer, they took it.

Frankly I don’t see how this will affect the community in any way other than the actual stability of the site… the founders haven’t had a presence for months anyway and if they have it’s been minimal – not a level of commitment they couldn’t continue when they have another job.

Basically what I’m saying is calm the fuck down.

@bluemukaki Well that was a tad harsh. Some people really feel like this is a second home and there’s no need to be so critical of their concern.

@WillWorkForChocolate – Indeed.

@WillWorkForChocolate There is when they’re actively engaging in damaging the site. If you keep saying that things are going to get worse, things will probably get worse people because everyone expects them to.

I’m just frustrated with the people who are getting all indignant, as if access to Fluther is some sort of human right that they are owed.

/rant

/sigh

@bluemukaki – There is a lot of activity on this thread, so you could be talking about anything. Also, a lot was immediately following the announcement, and so was bursty more than anything else, etc. So…what are you talking about when you refer to “people who are getting all indignant, as if access to Fluther is some sort of human right that they are owed”?

Edited as I must have been mistaken.

@chyna – dernit, I started to edit the second after I posted – I was hoping no one saw that…keep your voice down…I mean, more down.

@iamthemob I’m not going to name users specifically, but there’s definitely a school of thought (not a whole lot of it in this thread) that the founders are being needlessly quick to leave Fluther behind and “they could have sold it to someone who wants to develop it” and that the dedicated users put up with all the new users for nothing… those kinds of complaints.

They may be valid, but without any real information, to claim that they are being passive agressive is jumping to conclusions I think. There are seemingly a lot of factors involved in their communication, but I don’t think they’re acting out of malice or spite.

What I’m saying is:

1. This isn’t the end of the world.
2. The Fluther team are doing what’s best for them and they’re not really obligated to do otherwise.

@WillWorkForChocolate I’m not getting into this.

It’s hard to understand @bluemukaki, how people can feel so very strongly about something like this. You’re speaking rationally to people who are rocking emotionally over the possibility of it ending. When Wis crashed…..I cried. I literally cried. If I was acting on stage and had to think of something so I would cry, I would think of Wis. I still miss it like a family member. I know it’s hard to understand but you have to respect it, even if you don’t understand it. And it’s not the end of the world, but it WOULD be the end of a very important era in their lives, one they’d never forget.

@Dutchess_III I understand that, but nothing is ending! They haven’t said anything about shutting down the site, in fact they have explicitly said that they plan to continue running it with moderation still working.

There’s also a difference between sadness and “because fuck you, that’s why”. I think there’s a lot of people in the latter camp at this point. Maybe that will be justified when more info comes out but for now let’s just sit tight, have a good Christmas and then we can get to bitching about what they did in the New Year.

C’mon people – we can do this! Fluther ain’t dead yet.

@bluemukaki You’re not getting into what? You’ve totally lost me. I’m just sighing because your attitude “just calm the fuck down” is hardly helpful in a situation where people are genuinely worried and upset. I watched, personally fucking watched another site like this crash because of some major changes, and it was devastating. Try to have a little more compassion for those who are truly scared that because of this change, fluther will either change drastically or flat out die. All I’m saying is that you shouldn’t be so dismissive of a genuine concern.

@bluemukaki – I think “C’mon people – we can do this! Fluther ain’t dead yet.” is a much more on-message statement than “Basically what I’m saying is calm the fuck down.” ;-)

I maintain both.

@iamthemob Still better than “Man the fuck up, everybody”. Not that anyone said that.

* innocent look *

It’ll be OK, guys!

Oh, @bob_ . <sigh>

@JilltheTooth Yeah, say my name. SAY IT! Yes? :)

bobomgroflmao

@bob_ claims that english isn’t his first language. And yet we can’t seem to mess with him. Linguistically, that is. Teach me spanish, @bob_ . We’ll have a fine old time!

Las cucarachas entran, pero no pueden salir.

Una mas cerveza, por favor!

Donde esta el bano?

.

that’s about all the Spanish I know.

All Greek to me!!!

@MissAnthrope That’s really all you need. Beer and bathroom. You’re covered.
I can point out the black cat in the tree.

@Blueroses : Can i have wine instead? If I have beer now, i’ll frow up. yuk.

Are we having a bilingual party? Freaking awesome! I totally know surfereze

But more importantly I have WINE!

@Dog: Sounds better than the WHINE we had earlier. ;^)

I kid, I kid. It’ll be OK people.

@Dog ; I am so on my way over! Indiscretion looms!

A surfer DOG! How gnarly is that??!!

well played mr cprevite, well played. :P

You ladies should really learn Spanish, or this could happen to you.

@bob_ He he he

So why does this mean the our own Dr J can’t have a Santa Hat? I don’t get it.

@YARNLADY I think it means they were distracted and never created/updated the Dr. J logo. They had one for halloween so it figures a santa one was in the works.

In the midst of a business deal, no changes should be made to a site, even minor ones like mascot costumes.

@augustlan Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh booooooooooooooooo hoooooooooooo

I miss JellyClaus, too.

Yeah, but look ^ ^ ^ We have Auggie Claus!

Now, children, you can see jellyclaus right here.

Is it just me or is @world_hello coming across like this guy?

@Blondesjon – Yes, exactly like that.

Like I said above there is no need to jump ship. I just don’t see where tech support is going to come from. They could answer the question, it is a simple one. But I haven’t seen them do it. Clearing the cache isn’t going to repair the database. Really, who runs the servers? That seemed like Tim’s deal and he was just a a employee here, now he is one there. Why should he spend any time working on this site? He has a new paycheck.

@world_hello How do you say all that in Spanish?

@Dutchess_III A translation, just for you.

Como dije anteriormente, no hay necesidad de abandonar al barco. No veo de donde vendra el apoyo tecnico. Ellos podrian responder a la pregunta, relmente es sencilla. Pero no he visto que lo hagan. El limpiar al cache no va a reparar la base de datos. En realidad, quien mantiene los servidores? Parecia que ese era trabajjo de Tim, pero el no era mas que un empleado aqui, y ahora lo es alla. Porque deberia pasar tiempo trabajando en esta pagina? el ya tiene sueldo en otro lugar.

@Andrew has said there would be more info after the holidays. I suspect they’re not at liberty to say much yet. Hopefully, things we’ll be clearer then and more reassuring.

I dreamed about this last night….

@Dutchess_III _ Andrew visited you in your dreams last night?

Was he riding a unicorn?

or riding a seahorse?

Or should we just say riding, and that you and Andrew are, um, close, in your dreams?

Well. He was eating a samwich….which means you-know-what!

sometimes a submarine is just a sandwich

Truthfully, when we’re not pushing changes, we’ve never had a problem with the site going down, so we’re not worried about maintenance. We’re looking into a volunteer or two to help if something goes wrong and it’s not during off-hours.

Again, if we’re not pushing features (especially those ‘frivolous’ ones), there isn’t that much support the site needs.

@andrew So who owns the site now?

Are the mansions gonna stay?? I am pretty comfy here at the 20K!

@bob_ Fluther is owned by Fluther Aquarium, LLC, owned by myself and Ben.

@Cruiser I volunteered to be caretaker of all the mansions and have all the keys.
We have unlimited flutherfunds for upkeep. If you have any trouble with the waitstaff or need anything to enhance your comfort just let me know. :D ~

@Blueroses I get to ride a seahorse in World of Warcraft now. Teeheehee, the benefits of being a nerd.

@andrew so, you guys still own fluther. Are you by choice not working on fluther anymore because youll be spending your time with twitter, or is this part of some agreement with them that you can no longer develop this site?
And all the frivolous features are the things that make fluther, fluther.

Does this mean I’m going to be limited to 140 characters in my posts now?

@AstroChuck I lurve you! Ha ha ha ha!

@uberbatman I am glad you brought this up. You, like me, have always loved the new things the guys come up with.

But each time a new feature has been introduced here there is always some angst from the collective. The resounding concern or fear is that things will change and that Fluther will follow the downward spiral of site xxxxxx that developed too fast or site xxxxxx that developed too much ruining the community feeling.

Of course all the changes are pretty quickly adopted and appreciated but I think it is really important to remember that, with Fluther being well-saturated with features, it functions perfectly well and adding more is just “fluff.”

What is essentially happening here is that the Fluther family is solidly intact and fully functional. And in order to keep the family solid our Fluther fathers are taking on a better job. This job keeps the family secure and running.

Sure the Fluther fathers will be working and busy, but as we are already seeing, they are able to actually enjoy spending time with us now rather than working to add to what is already working perfection.

I was mad at first but without lots of solid information, I have no right to be scared, angry or make assumptions about the future of the site. I got years of free entertainment, education, and friendships out of this website. Ben and Andrew owe me nothing, least of all an explanation. I am happy for them, and I suggest we all shut the fuck up and wait for the news to come to us – which I’m sure, in time it will. They don’t owe us anything, and we have no right to be angry about how we were told THEIR news – that’s childish.

@asmonet ; I’m sorry I only have 1 GA to give you on that.

@asmonet I totally agree but it is quite a testimony to the Fluther spirit and community that we do all care so much!

@Dog You are awesome! Thanks for stepping up at this time of need. Will the soda fountain still be stocked with chocolate Yoo-hoo?? I sure hope so!

@Cruiser glad you asked.

Right now the fountain is stocked with eggnog. The red button adds a touch of rum if you press it while filling your cup.

At 8:00pm it will switch to hot chocolate made in the kitchen with imported French chocolate. (The red button still adds a touch of rum but the white button will be activated to dispense whipped cream) the staff will leave a bowl of handmade marshmallows next to the candycanes.

<< is repeatedly pushing the red button

@Dog I lurve you more today than yesterday…...

…but not as much as tomorrow…

get a room ^^

Thanks, @janbb , earworm, now.

@Blueroses and a videocamera

@bob_ you horndog. Have you been hitting the red button too?

@Blueroses would you like me to hit it for you?

@bob_ ooh baby… do we need a room now?

@Blueroses and the videocamera

@bob_ And a couple of sandwiches, no doubt.

This conversation is off topic!

sorry @kenmc My fault.

@kenmc heh- I always ends up being about food, or sex. Or both~

@Dog im sorry but that didnt answer my question at all. Are they by choice no longer working on fluther or is this per twitters agreement?

i also couldnt disagree more with your fluff statement. There is ALWAYS room for improvement. By just leaving it as is forever, in my opinion, down right blows.

@Dog Or boobs.

@uberbatman <3

@chyna Yeah that too.