Can you share your experiences on this site?

I think this would best be asked in Meta.

I came to this site because my cats had fleas and I was researching fleas, flea life cycle, flea eradication, etc. There was a question on here about fleas and I came to it around the second or third page on Google. I joined quickly, thinking I was just going to discuss my experiences (hence, my user name is not the most exciting or imaginative), but I came to ask and answer a lot and then I was hooked.

I’d just had a baby and was home on maternity leave. I had a lot of free time, usually at night when the day was done, and so I would be on here as a time-killer. I think I joined Facebook around the same time, too.

Fluther grew after that, and at one point there were so many Jellies and so many questions and new “Activity for You.” Now it’s dwindled to about 40 members, I think.

A lot of Jellies that were around in the beginning are not here any longer, most because they left for various reasons, but a few died. When I look at old threads, it makes me nostalgic to see the Jellies that have been here and are not here any longer.

I’ve been here since 2009, when another site I am a former member of made major changes that I didn’t like. Several others here are refugees of AnswerBag as well. I found Answerbag while looking up hairstyles for Pentecostal hair. Google turned up an AnswerBag question on why Pentecostal girls have such long hair, and being the knowitall I was (ok, am) I couldn’t not answer. Of course that was a lifetime ago and I’m now neither Pentecostal nor particularly long-haired.

I love Fluther – it’s a good combination of social and intellectual, and manages to be both anonymous and friendly.

The only thing I wish is that it might become more active again… but not so much so that it loses it’s “Fluther-ness”.

Was asked to join by a “friend” from another Q&A site that went tits up, few years ago now.
I’m essentially just here for the shits & giggles, sarcastic bastard that I am.

You can share whatever you little heart desires on this here site and that ain’t no foolin’.

I first found Fluther in January 2011. I used a different name then and with some help from jellies changed it to @Bellatrix. I remained as @Bellatrix until I took a sabbatical for about six months I think. I came back May 2014. I like Fluther. It’s like a little oasis of common sense in the middle of an ocean of idiocy. There are people here I don’t agree with, but mostly people are polite (if outspoken) and there is a sense of a caring community here.

What’s your experience been so far @imrainmaker?

Dived in to look for something, and can’t get back to the surface since.

I came at the same time as @Seek. I have too many experiences to share. Many good, but there was some stuff that was bad enough I left for 18 months. Only the illness and death of a beloved jelly brought me back, and I’ve stayed.

It is what it is. This site is much better than many places on the web, but it’s not the best possible. I haven’t found the best possible. Until I do, I’ll just keep contributing here and there.

I googled how to infuse flavors into boiled water and found this question on how to boil hotdogs and the follow up answers have had me hooked since and joined that day in Dec 2009….

Grab a package of hot dogs.

Stick ‘em in your back pocket for later.

Tear down your house. Use only masculine things like your bare hands, nearby rocks, tree limbs, chainsaws and lions.

Move all of the debris in one pile.

Walk to the nearest active volcano barefoot, scoop up fresh magma, return and set your hill of awesome ablaze.

Punch your way into a neighbors house, fill their tub with water, rip it from the wall and carry it on your back to the top of the flaming mountain and wait for it to boil.

Open the package of hot dogs with your teeth, letting out a ferocious roar whilst doing so. Throw the hot dogs into the tub and wait until they are plump.

Reach into the boiling water with your bare hands and place 5 hot dogs in between two pieces of scrap metal.

Eat triumphantly above your flaming hill. If your hand stupid enough to get in the way, fuck it. Show it who’s boss by biting it off and eating it. Yell at the top of your lungs.

For you are a man.
Grisaille (11976points )Great Answer! (4points ) Flag as…

Grisaille, another departed member.

I can’t remember how I stumbled upon this site, but it was 2008. My first account is banned so I can’t access it to find out. My experiences have been great. I’ve learned so much about life and basically 180ed my religious/political beliefs because of this site.

I joined when I was 16 and confused… Perhaps the “confused” is redundant since I said I was 16? Not sure…

I’ll start again: I was feeling lost and not in control of who I was… Again, perhaps “typical” for 16, or at least not atypical…

Here’s the story: I had been searching the web for an answer. I thought I was looking for variations of “how to be myself,” but I was probably looking for “who should I be.” Fluther popped up, some question related to what I was looking for. I don’t remember what the question was anymore, I just remember reading all the responses and being drawn to the warmth and the sincerity. Making an account was free so I made an account and shot out a question to see what would happen.

And I stayed.

I’ve dropped off the map twice, both times for a couple/few years. Each time I got to a point where I felt simultaneously like I didn’t have enough worth contributing, and like Fluther had given me what I “needed” to get on “alone”... both thoughts are more indications of my insecurities than anything else.

Both times I came back because I missed it.

I’m 23 now and pretty sure my 16 year old questions don’t really have answers. If I want to get really cheesy about this (I see the opening!) I could finish this post saying: “but perhaps the ‘answer’ was they led me here.” But goodness is that cheesy

In actual years, I’ve had an account since almost-December 2009. Not sure how many years I’ve been active… Even so, I feel like I’ve sort of grown up with this place; not the entire child-to-adult timespan, but certainly the teen-to-young-adult subsection.

I remember it being busier at times, and I remember many jellies that I don’t see anymore, but I’m glad to see jellies I do (both that I recgonize and that are newer to me!)

Well I was on Answerology for couple of years which was shutdown recently..was looking for similar site and found this via google..have good experience so far…feel the no of visitors are less comparatively which wasn’t the case somtimes back as mentioned by one member..

I don’t remember what I was looking for but I googled something and came to this site. I am fairly sure I found the answer to the question but quickly found myself sucked in. The first question I responded to was this. Like others have mentioned, I felt I had something to say. I also felt that what I had to say would be interesting to others here as people seemed to be on the same sort of wavelength as me.

A couple of years ago a site known as Askville slammed the door on its users and a number of us migrated here.

It was a hopping place back then.

Been on about six years. Found it when Googling a job interview question that was a little strange, signed up when I realized I could vent and give the answer I wanted to give.

I have been using Metafilter since before 9/11….

And then this happened..

http://metatalk.metafilter.com/14511/Another-ask-site

My first question here was about a softcore porn show I remembered from the early 90’s that was on Skinemax. I didn’t really care all that much but you only get one question a week on metafilter. So I asked here and got a correct answer in about 10 minutes. So then I started looking around and noticed there were a bunch of questions I could help with. So someones intimate knowledge of softcore-porn is the reason I am here.

Then we got the chatroom in campfire going and there became a very hardcore group of users that would end up as mods.

Years past. Chat became internal.

Then it became very clear that Ben and Andrew wanted to sell the site and they became pretty hostel to users.

Dog (former mod) made a Wordpress site to mock the inane questions the mods here allowed to get through for some google love. Then I came along and wanted to make it more interactive with comments and chat.

Done. (this feels like forever ago) Maybe six years ago.

The chat on my site is pretty active. A lot of the old mods are still there. PetethePotHead pops in on occasion.

@johnpowell I agree about the Ben part. They have been quite hospitable to us straggling leftover Jellies.

@dxs Agree or disagree? @johnpowell said hostile (although he actually wrote “hostel”) and you said hospitable. I’m confused.

Ben is paying the server fees to keep the site running even though it is not making money and there is no new development so I’m pretty grateful.

I’ve been here almost 6 years now, from March of 2010.
Fluther is a fun and informative place, always something new to learn and plenty of laughs.
The majority of people are bright, well spoken, and good natured.
Take yer shoes off and set awhile. :-)

@janbb I was playing off of it. It was humor and disagreement at the same time. I guess the humor part is gone now, though.

@dxs Aha. got it now, I think. Hostel – hospitable.

Arrived at the same time as several others during the Great AnswerBag Diaspora of December 2009. I do not recall who on that site told me to “head over to Fluther.com”, but I thought she must have lost her mind. “Fluther”? WTH is a “fluther”? I’m still trying to figure that out, but like many mysteries of life it doesn’t need to be resolved, only enjoyed. Usually.

@YARNLADY told me about it

Love/hate. Been here since December 2008.

@dammitjanetfromvegas That’s a long time to be ambivalent! :-)

Tell me about it. :)

Mostly good. I really like the debates (not necessarily when I am debating, but also reading other jellies debating too) and the wealth of knowledge. The knowledge base is diverse and incredible. Doctors, engineers, cooking advice, grammar, government programs, politics, religion, and on and on.

Years ago there seemed to be even more professionals here with some unique knowledge on various subjects. Some people recently came back after being gone a long time and I’m thrilled about it.

Also, the collective cares. Cares about it’s members and helping them. I think people often find support here when they can’t or don’t in the real world.

Now and then I think about quitting or taking a sabbatical. Fluther can be addictive. Spending too much time here instead if other things I should be doing. Sometimes I’ve had my feelings hurt and I need a break.

I like the anonymity here. I can discuss more interesting topics here than on websites like Facebook. I usually spend more time here than Facebook.

I somehow got a bunch of emails where the management was very pissed that the users found out that they wanted to sell. Long screeds about how longtime users bitching was making it harder to sell the site. Andrew saying that getting money was more important than dealing with the loyal users complaints. Dealing with us was slowing his exit.

When from, @johnpowell?

I migrated here from another Q&A site, Askville, in 2008, when that site was in the first of a long string of crises.

Fluther appealed because it was less competitive than Askville (where everyone vied for the “Best Answer” award). Here, questions are more like starting places for a community conversation than a contest. That feels healthier to me. No one gets crowned the winner.

Fluther certainly has changed over these eight years. Like everything. In the “natural selection” of the internet’s churning ecosystem, where sites that seemed well-adapted to survival one year go extinct the next (R.I.P. Askville), Fluther has held up remarkably well. We grouse about its small size and slow pace, but under the present circumstances, our manageable scale may be one reason we hang on. We aren’t resource-hungry, so to speak, so we can get by on relatively little labor and financial and technical support. Basically, we run on good will, which is a pretty cool model for survival when you think about it.

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some very interesting characters along the way. They come and they go (again, like everything). I don’t see much use in mourning the “going”, since that’s the way of things. I’d rather just enjoy the interesting characters here now.

@thorninmud Totally agree, enjoy the moments and accept the fleeting nature of all things. :-)

Best answer @thorninmud

@Stinley I see what you did there.

@thorninmud :-p

@thorninmud thanks for the lesson. That’s something I have to remind myself when someone I love here leaves. Save me from too much grief like the last one.