It seems you cannot comment here, but I see comments to other answers, are they answers in themselves put out as comments?

I don’t fully understand your question, i.e., where “here” is, but I’ll take a stab. You can’t just generally comment. You must either ask a question or respond to a question. That is, in terms of public commentary. You can also send messages (comments) to other users if you’d like.

You might want to click up on the FAQ that’s in red and underlined at the top of every page. It explains the differences between fluther and other Q&A sites.

To your specific question, no, you cannot direct a comment at a specific response to a question. Each question is the start of one big discussion. Comments in the discussion can pertain to other comments, to the question itself, or to ideas spawned from the discussion (but keep it on topic, or it’s likely to be moderated away).

You can also type @ followed by a username from the list that pops up to respond to a specific person in the discussion, but not to a specific one of his or her answers.

There aren’t sub-threads like on AB. All comments/answers just line up in the main thread. But you can address a comment to a particular user in a thread by using the @username function.

There is no threading like at AnswerBag (I assume that is where you are referring to). You can however comment on anyone’s answer, as long as it is relevant and not chit-chat or a side conversation.

I guess a comment on an answer would be putting the @ symbol in front of whoever’s name is that gave the answer that you are commenting to on the question that you are at.

Thats crazy talk.

@moonchild – I’ve seen the old-timer Flutherites use the words “comment” and “answer” interchangeably, something that has no parallel on AB.

@HasntBeen It is confusing, because on Fluther, PMs are also called “comments”. You’ll also see answers/comments referred to as “quips”. Just takes some getting used to.

I prefer not having AB style ‘comments’, too often conversations would arc off from several different comments to initial replies to the question.

To ‘answer’ a question you write a response (like I am doing now).

To ‘comment’ on someones response you put an @ symbol in front of their name like this: @moonchild .

Answers are also referred to as “quips” too. As @Harp says it takes a bit of getting used to.

Wow, thanks you guys, now I am sort of understanding all this…“newcomer problems”!!

That’s what I wondered at first too Moon. Things are a bit different here, but we’ll get the hang of it.

@ barb, it may take a while but I reckon we will my friend :)

@AllFormerAB’ers – for what it’s worth, this isn’t the first influx of other Q&A site members that Fluther has seen. I came here in a flood of people dissatisfied with Askville.com. Since I’ve been here, I’ve seen at least 2 (probably more) other floods coming from other sites that went down or were reconfigured. Everyone will integrate eventually. No worries. :-)

@Harp Actually, AB was the only site I’ve been on that was structured that way. Every other site I’ve been on has been more like forums or Fluther.

It’s kind of like learning Pascal when everybody else is using C.

Thanks Jerv. Now it kinda makes sense. So, how do I switch to C? My first response to reading an answer is to comment on it and further explore the idea. I love Fluther. But I miss the ability to go more in-depth.

I agree with @Starson… the AB way of doing it is problematic. You end up with one question, 10 answers, and 7 comment threads, each with their own @you and @me’s everywhere, instead of one public discussion of the topic. It’s like having a complex family tree and not knowing, at Christmas, whether the guy sitting next to you is your uncle or your uncle’s uncle. Or maybe it wasn’t like that, but I needed a metaphor.

@Jewel The main reason I can usually adapt quickly is experience. I have seen enough different things that most new situations are similar enough to stuff I have seen/done before that I manage.
However, that is not an option everybody has really. Not everybody can be like me, and the world would be a SCARY place if they could.

LOL! Yes @Jerv. I get it now. I know so many desktop and graphic programs that I can easily operate a new one because of the similarities. You always manage to make sense of the things I can’t, and then explain them so I can! Thank you.

@Jewel And yet the new AB was a total mystery to me…

@HasntBeen, Yes. It seemed simpler somehow. But I am sure we will find a way to follow suit and flock like good little jellies!

@jerv. Weird, huh? I am still checking in at AB and amazed at how confusing it still is after all of the time and the puny attempts to fix what they broke. Oh well!
1035? You have been a busy boy over here!

I am also still popping into ab as I still have friends in there, they are leaving too, but I still dont want to leave THEM, I have told them about this place, I just hope nobody asks me how it all works,lol….@HasntBeen, love the jelly pun ;)

@Jewel 1035? If you are referring to the Flurve count, you must’ve posted a while ago :D
I never cared much for popularity, but I think it funny how mine seems to have risen so quickly. Eitehr my reputation preceded me or it’s mostly from ex-ABers that remember me. I didn’t think I was that charming!

Ah @jerv, you don’t know your own charming strength!