Do you use this site to ask/answer questions, or mostly just to chat?

Topical drift after 3–4 pages is common, and expected though, so if you want to get NOTHING but a rail-straight answer that won’t even allow for complete understanding, you’re better off asking a computer than a person.

I think those two purposes are what gave us “general” and “social”. I tend to find myself in general more often, and enjoy the question and answer more than the chat, but also have people here that I feel attached to, so completely understand the chat aspect.

For me, making more than two “quips” on any question seems to only result in people getting further apart. My experience is people have already decided what you’re saying at that point and stop listening. They only read your answer to gather fodder for their next rebuttal. I usually end up feeling like the whole process wasn’t worth the time.

Reading someone else’s back and forth seems about the same, it just breaks down after a while and it’s time to move on.

I think fluther is a poor platform for debate. It’s absolutely wonderful for gathering and sharing varied opinions and perspectives though, so I try to use it that way instead.

I like to use this site to shove my unyielding views on everything down everybody’s throats.

Ask/ answer. As soon as it gets weird or negative I try to leave before I get involved.

@Blondesjon LMAO!!!

I think @funkdaddy has it right with the social and general sections. I enjoy asking and answering thoughtful question, but I enjoy socializing and the ‘game questions too. By and large, the game questions keep me engaged until a general question comes along that strikes my fancy.

Oddly enough, I find that many of the general questions I think are going to be really good turn out mediocre, and some of the best discussions I’ve had on Fluther came from questions so ‘marginal’ that I nearly didn’t bother answering.

Mostly answer/discuss

I’m here pretty much solely to answer questions. I don’t mind the back-and-forth and topic drift, although the latter arguably makes fluther less useful as a Q&A site which it’s presumably supposed to be. I don’t tend to follow the arguments because I’m not that interested in peoples’ opinions, which can be found everywhere on the internets.

Fluther and Answerbag are the center of my life, It’s cold outside this winter, and summers too hot, spring Is too wet, and fall is too cold to go out in a t-shirt. I watch YouTube and Wikipedia new words that I encounter. I’m an night owl indoors guy, so I guess that makes me a shut in. I both ask questions that I legitimately want the answers too and I make whimsical jokes every so often. Also I hope to be spotted for the next level in life.

I use it most to ask thought intriguing questions, so I thought, it usually turns out to be a bust and the question hardly gets answered.

I hardly answer any question, less the 5 lurve benefit, because I spend the next 10 days having to clarify my answer.

This place is such a strange conglomeration of transient web nerds that don’t fit other forums dedicated to specific topics. It’s not really question and answer anymore. It’s discussion, debate and some trolling.

I do my best to give authoritative answers to general questions. With social questions, I’ll offer an answer if it will contribute to the discussion.

When I ask questions, I am not trying to generate chats.

Side conversations do occasionally annoy me, but that’s what the “stop following” feature is for.

I give answers on point but I also like extended babble conversation.
I’m an extrovert IRL and love to talk extensively about many things. haha
I like just letting things unfold, opposed to rigid structure.
That’s the fun of discussion, let it lead where it may, side conversations, whispered remarks, humor.

I don’t do overly “serious” discussions, if the atmosphere is uptight I’m outta there.

If anyone wants to talk, you should join us in the chat room sometime. A few of us are trying to revive it here.

I like to use & abuse this place because it amuses me somewhat…that’s all.

What joy being amused by abusing something must give you!

@ucme I’m confused that you’re enthused that we’re abused so you’re amused. It’s not what I’d choose, I think I’d refuse if I’d nothing to lose and saw through your ruse. Are you hitting the booze? I don’t mean to accuse like you’ve something to lose. Just don’t step on my shoes, they are sueded in blues.

Same old tired responses from tired responders, you made far too much of mere words where no malice was intended, but if it keeps you happy then do please carry on.

@ucme . . . Do you know what “nemesis” means? A righteous infliction of retribution manifested by an appropriate agent. Personified in this case by an ‘orrible cunt… me.

@ucme & @Blondesjon I enjoyed that, thank you.

[mod says] Glitch alert! For some reason, we were unable to moderate responses in this thread, so I had to manually delete them altogether. Please keep it civil, or we’ll have to remove the entire thread. Thanks in advance.

P.S. Yes, I know they were movie quotes. We still can’t let them stay.

@Blondesjon Made me do it Miss…honest!

Back in the old days, yes… Now, no one gives two fucks for @Blondesjon.

Question and answer can mean debate too, so those terms are rather vague to me. I guess I’d just grown with the nature of the site. I had been on dozens of other sites, even during my breaks from here, but yet after several years and many sites this is one of like three in total that I had decided to keep up to date with.

I just find it to be a decent site to have deep discussions with other types of people that I would likely otherwise never be able to meet in person since I live in close-mindedville. Unlike other sites the moderation keeps the discussions civil, and the riff raff off of it. I also enjoy engaging with college aged kids who are half of my age, and testing my ‘brain power’ against theirs. Maybe I overrate my ability, but I still enjoy it.

I also like helping others when they need help when their questions are in my area of expertise. If I was on here solely for that reason though, I wouldn’t be making too many posts since those types of questions only get asked occasionally for me.