Have you considered leaving Fluther?

No, because I know how to accept change and not bitch about it.
No offense, chuck. I ♥ you.

I have thought about it, but only because I spend too much time on Fluther. If I left, I would have to delete my account so I wouldn’t be tempted to come back.

No. Not even once. I happen to like the changes and even if I didn’t like them right away, I’d give it a while and let them sink in. Sometimes change takes a while to get used to. Even so, I don’t think Fluther could change enough for me to want to leave because of it.

I really don’t understand all the overreacting.

No I haven’t and I don’t imagine doing so.

I haven’t considered leaving for good or deleting my account, but I’ve been spending less time here and have been less involved than I used to be. I just don’t like it as much as I used to. It’s hard to pinpoint why, exactly. It may be just me, and might have nothing at all to do with the website. I think the awards were a bad idea and it seemed like the quality of this site went down soon after those began. Lurve didn’t mean much, and then it kind of became a game in a way. I know I’m in the minority with that opinion though.
I don’t expect a website to be tailored to me, and by the influx of new members recently, I know that Fluther is doing just fine, and hopefully bendrewim are happy with the direction it’s taking. Maybe these new changes will reverse some of the things I don’t like, maybe not.

I left once because I needed a break for that time, so I left for like a week. I wouldn’t leave because of changes though.

I have thought about leaving for good because sometimes some people just get on my nerves. But I realized that it wouldn’t be fair to me if I did that and it’d be a dumb thing. So no.
Then I’d be called dramatic, and people wouldn’t like me. Things like that.

I’ve considered taking a break (and will be soon due to work), but never leaving. Some days I love this site, and some days I get frustrated with it. But I always find that spending a bit of time away helps to ease frustration, and then I can come back to Fluther with a re-newed interest.

I hope that most users who are frustrated due to the new changes elect to take a break, and not to leave permanently. Time heals all.

Nope. I don’t mind these changes. They don’t seem that drastic to me. Unless I missed something, which is quite possible.

I see dpworkin has also left. Does anyone know when and why?

@filmfann Check this.

Astrochuck? No way.

I’m sticking. No other site will have me.

@chels then why did you delete your other account? I thought something might have happened.

I have taken breaks when a large influx of new members comes aboard, and I’ll just read more than post..because it’s quite overwhelming. It always settles down though, so I never thought to leave.

@tinyfaery Wanna borrow my username for that post?

Yes, I’ve thought about leaving fluther. Back during the mass migration from Answerbag.
Not now. Why the hell would I leave over the changes made now?

Yeah, it sucks a little but that it’s frowned upon for me to make jokesy quips in General Qs.
A few bad apples ruined the bunch. The former policy regarding one-liner joke responses was far too lax. Far too many people took advantage of it. I’d CONSTANTLY see (even before I got drafted into Moderation) the first 2–3 responses in a question be absolutely unhelpful jokes. It’s extremely disheartening for someone with a serious issue to see they have a response on their question, only to learn that it’s a joke. If those people could’ve resisted blowing their load until say 10 helpful responses had been posted, this wouldn’t be an issue.

But they can’t. And the only way to deal with the immaturity was to go to this extent.

And it doesn’t surprise me that a certain user who will remain nameless has chosen to quit Fluther. Because he’s one of the people most affected by the change, 99% of his posts are one-liner puns.

I think everyone is blowing these changes way out of proportion. It’s not like there’s a “no jokes” policy. We’re not the Gestapo now. Just reserve your jokes for the Social section. It’s not that hard.

@dpworkin is on hiatus- he left a week ago and it has to do with his personal life not any changes.

@casheroo Mainly I just wanted to start over with a fresh account for personal reasons. However I did have some other issues going on that had nothing to do with the site directly.

@Sarcasm Jokes are still allowed in the general questions, yes? There is just a higher expectation for people to be better about integrating their answers with the question, yes? For example: this sort of answer is funny and integrates the question respectfully yes?

I just got here so I won’t be going anywhere. I guess because I just got here I really don’t know how much the site has changed recently (just the one update the other night).

I actually came here because a friend of mine showed me some responses she was getting from people here to her questions (before the recent change). She was pretty upset with some of the responses, and while some of it might have been overly sensitive, I can understand some of it as well (considering her feelings when she posted her question).

No. I’ve taken long breaks when I feel the questions aren’t very good, but I’m not going to leave because of a few changes, we’ll get used to them, accept them, and get over it.

I really do hope that Chuck is only gone temporarily though :(

I like the changes they made. Seeing some discussions go completely off-topic was hard to keep track of. If you want to make a joke, just answer the questions as well. It’d still be funny to me. I’d like to see Chuck come back and I await dpworkin’s return.

Some of the changes makes me feel like there will never be the fun questions there used to be such as the CIA question, the frizzer, the cake, and of course, the marriage proposal. I’m glad I was here for those questions.

@chyna I agree. I just feel the fun times are going to be fewer & far between. So many of the good old users are gone. I’m lot going to leave, but I don’t think I’ll be on as much anymore. I think fluther has had it’s 15 minutes of fame.

Aw – Why don’t we all calm down and have some pancakes all around?

@chyna Is it that you don’t think the “fun questions” will fit in the social category or that because people are leaving you’ll miss their input on those questions? I’m just curious because I wasn’t here for any of the old stuff and I’m not really sure what all is different. I just don’t see why there still can’t be “fun questions” in the social category.

I think the fun stuff will still be allowed and everything. I see the changes as a way to save questions from getting too off topic or starting arguements.

Actually- the only one that would not meet fluther Social guidelines would be Frizzer because of our spelling standards….
Compared to a few days ago- before Social- when I think all would have been subject to removal under our old guidelines. (my opinion of course)

I think the changes actually are ALLOWING far more creativity.

Just sayin.

Oh Doggie – sounds like you need a good scratch behind the ears.

I find it highly patronizing when people tell us not to over-react. Way to go! Just let people who have a problem with the changes know that no one really cares. We’ll just pat you on the head. “There, there. You’ll get over it.” If you’re going to be like that, you could at least offer up a lollipop, too!

@Dog What you are saying keeps making me think that the guidelines are really helping the moderators feel more certain about how to moderate things. Do you find that it is making things less about ’how’ people ask and answer and more about ’where’ they ask and answer things? I can see this being a good thing for all of us.

I’m not sure what I’m trying to say here. I know the NSFW questions are out of control, and a few seem to be asking them for attention, as that is the only questions they are asking. I don’t think we had such an influx of that type of questions before. Yeah, the changes are getting to me, but I see they are necessary.

@wundayatta Thank you! I get the feeling that if we don’t all jump on the band wagon & embrace the changes that’s been made, we’re being trouble makers. I resent that, also. We don’t have to follow like dumb sheep! We have the right to not fall right in & think this is the best thing since sliced bread.

@chyna I agree with all the NSFW questions. God, there for a while, that’s all there was. this isn’t dr.ruth.com. Some are okay every now & then, but not a steady diet of it One user drove it in the ground. That’s why I want a blocking option.

With so many good users leaving or cutting back on being here, does that not tell you something? This isn’t a fix. It’s a mess.

I’m already sick of having to scroll to the top of the page before deciding to answer. Now I’ll take my lollipop off in the corner and sulk…

@jbfletcherfan @wundayatta I’m hoping the social section will be like the fluther I joined last Oct. A lot of the teenage angst questions will go to general. I understand teenagers need to talk but I did it myself and then with 3 kids- my tolerance is low. There is serious and jokes going on in social today!

I consider leaving Fluther quite often. I’ve lost a lot of my patience with the influx of idiots, and I know how to keep in touch with most of the people I actually give a crap about. But every time I get close enough to giving up to actually mention it, those people I give a crap about are like, “Nooooo!” so I wind up just taking a day or two off to replenish the brain cells that people have killed, and then I come back.

Damn, I’m turning into such a cranky old man.

I think fluther is one of the first things I’ve ever been able to keep up with. I suck at hobbies.

@MacBean I hear there’s a temporary vacancy in the “Grumpy Old Man” category but I think @CyanoticWasp has his application in ahead of yours!

For the record I said I don’t understand the over-reactions. I never told anyone what to do. :D

Once a long time ago I heard an interview with Fee Waybill, lead singer for The Tubes. A guy called in and asked Fee why The Tubes had sold out with their most recent album (this was right after they hit big with She’s a Beauty). Fee explained that if they don’t sell records they won’t be able to keep making music at all, so by putting one catchy single on a record to get some sales, they are able to make money for the record company and put the music they love to make on the rest of the album. I think Fee’s response to that question kind of applies here.

We all love Fluther. Some of us have been around longer than others and have seen lots of changes. But the fact of the matter is that if we want Fluther to be around in any way, shape or form, we have to be patient with it changing and growing in order to keep the site up and making money.

Since the changes I treat Fluther pretty much the way I always did, I scroll through the questions for me, check the activity of those in my fluther, and read and/or answer the questions where I feel I might have something of value to add. The reorg hasn’t changed that for me and none of the changes made since I arrived have done it to me either.

I do tend to lose patience with giant influxes of new users, but I have found that those who stick around tend to assimilate and those who don’t assimilate bitch for awhile then leave. If there are users who annoy me I make sure they are not in my fluther and move on.

Users come and users go. Question quality rises then falls. Guidelines are put in place then modified. Fluther is a bit like life, fluid, dynamic, and often changing. Like I tell my boyfriend; I’m not planning on leaving any time soon so you are stuck with me!

I’ve taken long breaks mostly when another Q&A site goes down and they all come here. Too much at once.

I won’t delete my account though.

And for the record, I don’t really care if people disagree with the changes. I sort of don’t like them a lot. I don’t care if people voice that either. What starts to get under my skin is when every single post I see from one person on every single thread it’s all whining and complaining and pointing the finger at the powers that be, like they’re morons.

And honestly, do people forget that Fluther is more than just a Q&A site? For a couple of people, isn’t this a business. These changes? They’re not personal. It’s just business.

I have to admit that I stayed away right after the most recent influx of new folks. This was due, in part, to the very different nature of questions being asked and the snarky behavior of a few. I can only handle so many junior high school students asking questions about their boyfriends and what they should do. I am hoping that the new format will better control folks abilities to stay on point and avoid the inane.

Part of what attracted me to Fluther in the first place was the generally erudite responses to generally erudite questions. I saw significant degradation and stayed away because I know myself well enough to know that I didn’t need the real headache from a virtual world. I agree with @SuperMouse about the natural sorting and sifting process of new users and I hold out hope that the new format will discourage some of the nasty comments and responses (and the dumbass “he blew a straw wrapper at me in the cafeteria 4th period, does this mean he loves me” kind of questions that were recently common).

I’ll tell you what though.. I’m seriously considering leaving until certain people can get their childish whining under control, because I’m sick of reading it and there’s no predicting where the next not-good-snarky remark will turn up.

@chels Are you deliberately being provocative? Is that innocent act a fake? I wouldn’t have thought it of you, but you seem not to realize you just did it again. When you say “For the record I said I don’t understand the over-reactions,” you are once again being condescending by once again characterizing the reactions as over reactions. If you wanted to be neutral, you would say that you didn’t understand the reactions.

I’m not funny enough nor snarky enough to feel pressured by the new setup so no, I’m not leaving except in order to spend as much free time with my partner and friends when I’m not working like a dog.

It bothers me to see a general and a social tab, breakups in continuity and me don’t have a good history but this isn’t my site, I don’t pay a dime to participate and so… whatever.

I don’t mind the changes at all, and so far I haven’t felt remotely tempted to leave Fluther. My Fluther routine is to scroll down, check out questions that appeal to me, and contribute where I feel I can contribute. The recent changes haven’t affected that, and apparently I’ve managed to miss the majority of the grumpiness/snarkiness/unhappiness.

Whoever has left lately, I hope they make it back. :(

The one thing that still challenges me about the new system is that many questions really are easily answered with a Google search and the ability to make such a recommendation is no longer permitted. I struggle with the fact that laziness is to be tolerated and the obvious suggestion to do a simple Google search is now frowned upon. Most of the changes make sense to me (at whatever level), but the fact that empowering people to find their own answers to fairly obvious questions will be moderated is puzzling to me.

Maybe in addition to the new categories we need an “I am too lazy to google it” category.

I too regret the google thing. Why would that change be made?

The Google thing has been around for a long time. It isn’t new.

@johnpowell Can you better help me understand it? It strikes me as simple laziness and I don’t understand it at all . . . but am open minded to better understanding why it isn’t toleration of laziness . . .

Hell, I did delete my account a little while back, but that had nothing to do with Fluther. It had everything to do with finals and schoolwork, but I’ve considered deleting my account again recently just because Fluther doesn’t really interest me anymore. I often time get about halfway through an answer, then realize that I just don’t really care that much about it anymore and delete the answer.

So I dunno, I figure I could just leave the account here, but the last time I deleted it it was purely so I didn’t get distracted by it. I don’t really care about the guidelines changing or the site redesign, I just sometimes worry about the amount of time I spend here, but that is getting to be less and less. I just don’t really have any reason to keep the account, but at the same time I don’t have a reason to delete it. Whatever.

I almost left Fluther about a month ago. Every answer was a boring and obvious one-liner. All the questions were striking me as either banal or desperately trying to prove how ‘witty’ someone was. I felt like I was stuck in a room full of middle school students that were hopped up on Red Bull.

First I questioned if I was really upset about Fluther, or something else in my life. Why was I ignoring the good and only concentrating on what I didn’t like? So I answered those questions and decided to stick out the wave. I’m glad I did. I’ve recently made new friends here and that makes me smile. If I had given in to the urge to leave I would have missed all that.
About the ‘new’ Fluther:
I like the separation and how there are areas for jokes that won’t completely overlap the serious questions. I like seeing people who haven’t been active for a long time, finally feel that their question will receive honest, factual and helpful answers. Not every question should have joking in it, I feel. Not every question needs to have someone from left field make a quip about their situation.

I try to remember that the person asking the question has the say of what input they would like. Now, instead of them getting frustrated by non-answers, they have a section where their question is ‘safe’. For those of us who are in the mood for a more relaxed Fluther experience- there is the social side.

Plus, I can still joke in the General area- I just need to integrate it into a real answer that involves something more than me showing off my incredible wit and sexy brain.

No, I’m not leaving Fluther. If anything- this makes me want to stay.

BTW, I’d like to add that none of my issues with Fluther have anything to do with the technical site changes. I think the founders are still doing a great job running things. Thumbs up to them.

I left. Deleted my account. A few weeks later I begged Auggie to let me back in.

Tiny quick question:Does deleting yoru account mean all your lurvre goes away? Stupid question, I know. But I thought I’d ask real quick.

@py_sue No. I was able to get all of mine back.

Painful musical interlude (with kittens)

@dverhey Thanks, I wasn’t sure. Danke :)

I’ve considered it, especially when we are inundated with a swarm of rude assholes now and then. The friendships that I have made here are the only thing keeping me from deleting my account.

My garden and my family are keeping me from Fluther these days, not the changes here. I lurve you guys!

I guess as close as I come is just not wanting to be on the internet at all for a few days.

If anyone is listening, I want rootbeer.

@jonsblond I’ll take the butterscotch. Ooh- or the mystery flavor!

@gemiwing You had me at butterscotch. :D

I call grape!

I’ll take the sour apple!!

@wundayatta I was being sincere. I didn’t want anyone to take what I said in the wrong way. So if you felt as though I was being a bitch in any way, I’m sorry and that’s not how I meant it. And I should also rephrase what I originally said, so, I really don’t understand some of the reactions I’ve seen.

i’ve considered leaving the internet in general for the most part. i probably never will, but i’d be a lot more productive and healthy if i did.

I marked this a GQ because it seems like something flutherites want to talk about. I’m sorry to see some really valued members leave or take a break.

To answer the question. I’ve taken breaks but only due to life, nothing to do with fluther. I do know that when I came back after having LO things were a bit different. I find it harder to find my friends, my “enemies”, the regulars. I really liked recognizing names when I answer a question and thinking “haha of course they’d say that”. I really liked the debates, the jokes, the banter. It seems harder to find these days and that makes me (sad?). But I don’t want to leave b/c even though it’s harder a lot of you are still here! To me fluther has been about the social aspect, the intelligent conversation, the great characters. The moves toward a more basic Q/A approach are not my favorite but there you have it.

Been there, done that (see my profile for a very brief summary of the events). Left because I was tired of the uneven enforcement of the rules and all the cliques. Came back after someone said something about the site and I got curious. The rules seem to be much more evenly enforced. Haven’t been modded once XD

Still pretty cliquish, though, but I can live with that.

Having said that, I’m not all that wild about the changes, but if I could make the Social section my default, I’d be cool with them.

I ain’t leaving.

Yes, I did. Though at the present moment, the changes are not bothering me so I wouldn’t leave for that reason.

I considered leaving before I deleted my old account. I was fed up with the hypocrisy and double standards of the regular users here, I was being condescended to because of my age (nothing new), and I had just had enough of it. When I first came up with the idea of deleting my account, I was going to leave for good, but then after a little while, I planned this new account and then decided to just replace the old one with this one.

No problem I’ve ever had with this site has even been because of question quality (something I just don’t give a shit about and I’m not sure why, but I just don’t. I’m not bothered by “bad questions”. They pretty much elude me).

My problems that caused feelings of wanting to leave were always with some people getting modded and others not for the same thing, insults being allowed when the person being insulted is “unpopular”, and condescension, hypocrisy, and overall rudeness from the users.

However, those are rarely problems for me. The vast majority of the time, everything is fine and I will probably not be creating a new account leaving for a long time. :)

I have been active on fluther for less than five months and have seen many changes even in that time. I have never been tempted to close my account. There are enough people whose participation I value that I would not willingly deny myself the pleasure of being in their company.

@Kayak8 :: I don’t write the rules or even understand most of them. I was simply pointing out that this isn’t a new thing. I have a idea of why it might be the the policy but I want to keep that to myself.

I have hovered my mouse over that button about a thousand times, but then the collective wouldn’t get the benefit of my wonderful expertise in many areas. ~
if I did ever leave I’d hope that no one made a huge fuss about it and fawned all over my choice and devoted multiple threads about why I had gone or changed my user name or shit like that.
Fluther is a question and answer website. If you need therapy, pay for it and leave it off this site.

One more stupid question. When you search for a profile and it comes up as that “page is not here anymore” does that mean it’s gone?
I’m sorry. I’m still not used to certain parts of the site and I thought I’d get a quick answer on this thread.

@py_sue It means they deleted their account or they were removed by the moderators. Don’t apologize. Some of us will answer you without giving you a hard time about who you should contact with your questions.

@jonsblond Thanks. :)

@py_sue :: That happens when a user is banned or deletes their account. Everything is still there it is just that the userpage gives that response and the person can’t contribute anymore. But everything is still there. I deleted my account last summer and Andrew turned it back on and everything was the same. Lurve kept getting added while I was gone too.

But there is no guarantee that they will turn your account back on so think about it a bit before you click the button.

Well, it’s late, again, and I’ve been up reading Fluther questions again when I should be sleeping.

I’ve resisted posting my personal feelings about things like this, but since Fluther is, at its core, intensely personal, why not.

I’m not going to remember everyone who said everything because I’m exhausted. One thing that struck me about this question was the comment that talked about how for us (the founders), it’s not really personal, it’s business.

Which is funny to me, since it’s true; it is a business. It pays my (meager) salary. And I can’t speak for Ben, but this site is extremely personal, for me. I gave up my career for the site—and seven years if you count the three years I spent getting classically trained in an art that I can no longer practice.

Have I wanted to leave Fluther? Absolutely. It’s been over four years of agonizing over copy, dealing with flare-ups and squabbles; dealing with an overworked mod team who are angry about double standards, volunteers who quit in a huff, people who hate the moderation. There have been many times where I think, you know, it’d be a hell of a lot easier and more profitable to just stop moderating the site.

And then, there’s a question like this. Or I get a response like this.

And I remember why we built Fluther: because we deeply believe that there needs to be a place to help each other—not only by sharing knowledge, but also by sharing it in a way that affirms our humanity. I think that’s what daloon said about Fluther in an old question—it’s affirming.

I’ve approached Fluther like a director in a play—because I firmly believe it’s the best model for artistic collaboration. I had a friend talk about how each director leaves an imprint of themselves on the play—that you can see the director’s body in the work. I think that’s true of Fluther as well—in that we’ve tried to give of ourselves to the project, and not just see it as a ‘business’. It’s affected the way we’ve governed the site.

I understand the fear about the change, and how it can feel isolating or jarring. It’s not just personal for me; it’s personal for all of you as well.

About the changes:
When Lisa (augustlan) first suggested social to me after seeing how well Meta was working, it was a few months ago. I’d been thinking of how to deal with the fact that questions were increasingly derailing for over a year—we’d thought of a few solutions, from threading responses to having a checkbox for off-topic responses, but nothing felt right when we prototyped it.

I had been frustrated with how hard it was for the moderators to be consistent.

But most of all, I had an experience like @gemiwing. I didn’t want to use the site anymore because I was tired of the responses I knew that I’d get—but each time I’d practice moderating a few questions with stricter guidelines, I’d see a response on the “New York Style or Chicago Deep Dish” question and have to defend my home pizza’s honor. There had to be a balance.

The crowning moment, though, was when I continually showed the site to people who I knew were perfect for Fluther—intuitive, caring, curious people—and they kept saying “oh, it’s all right, but it’s just a bunch of people fucking around.” One talented six-year-old telling jokes is phenomenal, but an army of clones quickly makes the site impossible to use. Couple that with a seemingly boundless influx of poorly-worded teen-angst questions (there really is no end, is there!) and the mounting tensions still carrying over from the AB migration…

We needed to make a change—and the team rallied behind it. Richard expertly implemented the guidelines and most of the changes while Ben, Tim and I continued work on Federated Fluther. And, as gemiwing noted, I have seen people on the general section that haven’t been posting in a long time.

Yes, there will be long-standing members that leave. We knew that going in to this change—and of course, ‘people are leaving because of X’ has been a supporting argument in Fluther debates for the last two months (I just used it!). And of course, it breaks my heart.

Categorizing the ‘general section’ as a bunch of lazy google searches completely misses the point. And no, money has nothing to do with us allowing ‘googleable questions’—it’s because many people, like my parents, don’t know how to use google very well, and I’ll be damned if my mother ever says to me again, “oh, I don’t want to use your website, I’m afraid they’ll just tell me to google it”.

Will there still be new questions like pancakes, frizzers, or cake, (or one-word stories?) Of course—that’s a huge reason for the Social Section!

Will the Social Section become a haven for the teen-angst demographic? No. We’re still moderating it.

Will Fluther continually evolve? Yes. We have to. This, like any piece of culture, is ephemeral—and it must change.

Which brings me to my most important point: Above all else, don’t piss off the CIA, because

Removed by Fluther Moderators.

you understand the site better when you read some of the comments made on this question. Someone mentioned, not happy with the great influx of new users! All of us at one-time were new users! Many people from AB came over here…most are gone. Why…you figure!

Also, someone mentioned one-liners and middle school children! These are human beings that come here…not all, are eloquent writers! Including your’s truly!

Personally, if they are going to take all the fun out of the site and it’s a site for only the eloquent and gifted…well, i know the rules! i can stay or take our marbles to another play- ground.

Just one more thing…i make a lot of one-liner comments to put humor into the situation. Astro is/was much like that…that is who we are! Each of us has something to offer. Seems to me that should be respected.

@andrew Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I have not seen more honest words written in a forum Everybody here should read this and I would be happy to see you copy and paste your post to the Fluther blog so they can

After yesterdays fiasco, I’m adopting a survival strategy. If I choose to answer a “General” question, I will push the “stop following” button immediately after answering. I have a tendency to get into off-topic discussions and, even though I use “whisper” for that, it seems to be verboten under the new regime. So it won’t be possible any longer for anyone to discuss my answer with me within that question string, as I’m no longer “there”. It’s the only way I can stay here without feeling harassed.

I know the mods are just doing their jobs; but the absolute nature of the off-topic ban should have been more carefully explained. It won’t happen in future, as I no longer follow “General” questions that I’ve answered.

It’s sad that I have to do this, as many times I’ve come up with better answers after reading subsequent answers from others, or have been able to write helpful summaries; no longer. Such is life.

Oh Andrew – I almost forgot how much I love you! Now I remember. That was beautifully written, kiddo.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land got-cha…well, i speak my mind…some don’t like it! so be it…i’m not leaving..don’t want to give a few here that satisfaction. loll..most people here are pleasant and live and let live. Some want it back like it was…from our experience with AB, we know that is not going to happen. Most felt that way when we came here. Probably being too sensitive on my part, but there is room for everyone. not just the gifted and talented! that would leave me out Captain!

After having a question modded last night because it was “too egocentric,” I have officially considered leaving Fluther. I was with Bendrewim and was a dedicated jelly until then, but “too egocentric”/ Seriously? That is just silly and sounds a bit like an excuse to get rid of a question that didn’t sit right with someone.

In case you are wondering, I posted a question in meta where we could put our goofy answers to questions in the general section. Truth be told I had a feeling it might be modded but never in my wildest imaginings did I think it was “too egocentric.” My question is, does this mean the “does he still love me?” questions are going to be modded from here on out? I would argue that a pretty good percentage of the questions on this site are egocentric and I was kind of under the impression that is one of the reasons for a site such as this. I am disappointed. As much I as I hate to say this about my beloved Fluther, maybe my beloved AstroChuck is on to something.

I had more answers modded yesterday than in my entire previous time on Fluther. In future, if I answer a “General” question, I hit the “stop following” button immediately after. That way I don’t get drawn into off-topic discussion; but it also means that I will no longer be giving expanded answers, discussing the topic further or providing summaries. Anyone wishing to discuss my answer will find…silence.

@andrew THAT information about Google searches was helpful, I hadn’t thought of it in the context of seniors as most of what I was seeing was kids. Would we get modded for recommending helpful search terms to better enable to help the questioner find whatever it is they are seeking? Is posting links to search results seen in the same light? (In other words, are we encouraged to do the searches for people and to post the links?)

I didn’t mean that the site is all about business and that it’s not personal. I meant that the site changes aren’t a personal slight on anybody, and that as a business, changes like these need to be made so it can survive. Not that you guys don’t have any personal stake in it. I hope it wasn’t perceived that way because then I look like a butthead :\

Judging by the support I have received this morning, Fluther is all about community. Even with silly moderation, it is the friends I have made that will keep me here. I love you guys!

It would be nice to have the option of “unsubscribing” from the General section. Killing off my sense of humor is a time-consuming process.

@andrew Thank you for such a thoughtful, honest answer. I have never really looked at this site from the owners point of view. You have given me food for thought today, and I will think of your point of view before complaining anymore. I do love coming here, have made many friends, (supermouse being one) and don’t want to be disappointed with the changes.

@SuperMouse that is what keeps me here (most of the people).loll..not all!!!!...with my poor grammar and all my shortcomings!

Good God! My head is spinning. @andrew your post was awesome. I now get it a little better than I did. BUT, I still have issues here. I’m not going to bore everyone by repeating them, as I’ve stated my opinions before. I’ll just hang back & watch, I guess.

As far as the constant ragging on the AB people, I HATE that. I’ve become very close friends with several who were in that influx. There’s many of them that I’m glad they’re here.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land “Killing off my sense of humor is a time-consuming process.” No one should be trying to do that. I STILL say, if we can’t have humor here, then I WILL be gone, for sure. I’ll just stay in the ‘social’ section & see how it goes.

@jbfletcherfan have to agree after reading it again, well-said by @andrew ! You see the passion he has for the site and the tough decisions that are made for the site as a whole, not just for a few individuals!

Never read any of @andrew‘s stuff before, he is a cool guy! Believe me folks, NOT sucking up…i say what i believe…and mean it!

Come one folks…where is the love!

@jbfletcherfan The current rules on “General” questions are forcing me to act in a way that I consider rude: answer then “stop following”. Almost all of my normal, friendly (whispered) exchanges were modded yesterday. I didn’t realize that we aren’t allowed to go off-topic, even in whisper. Perhaps the whisper option should be removed now, as it no longer serves any purpose. I wish that had been made clear before implementing the “new regime”, I could have saved the moderators trouble. I forsee a shrinking General section as members tire of the restrictions.

What will happen when people stop putting their questions in the “General” category? Will questions be arbitrarily assigned there?

lol..excuse me…tried to edit..

come on folks…where da love not lurves…loll

everyone join hands and have fun today!

@stranger_in_a_strange_land: Oh, it absolutely serves a purpose. I think, from my understanding, if you answer a question in “General” you can inject a little bit of humor if you wish, as long as you legitimately contribute an answer. For example, if you posted a question in General asking the names of the four Beatles, I could answer:

“John, Paul, George, and Ringo. but Paul was supposedly dead so who knows the real name of the fourth Beatle!” and it wouldn’t be modded away, because I answered the question.

If I just said “Paul was dead, so who knows the real name of the fourth Beatle!” it would be modded because it makes no attempt to answer the question.

Granted, my example of whispered humor wasn’t really all that funny, but I’m sleepy. You get my drift.

People in charge, can you confirm this for me? Or have I misinterpreted?

I very much doubt that I’m going to be commenting in the general section. I’m seeing something that I didn’t notice yesterday. I’ve been clicking on the ‘social’ & it doesn’t stay there. It automatically goes back to ‘general.’ It may be a little thing, but it’s more clicking back & forth. sigh

Please keep in the ‘one liners’. I don’t know what we would do without @BoBo1946 bringing some lightheartedness into the serious questions. We all need to lighten up sometimes, and perhaps bring a smile to our faces.
After all we are not here to depress ourselves, but to join in with a group of people who can bring some good into our lives (and some happiness)!!

Is it my imagination, or is it the more experienced (in life) people around here who have the most problem with the elimination of humor on the general questions?

Please don’t give me that (by now) old canard about humor being allowed as long as you answer the question. One only need look at @poofandmook‘s example above to see a beautiful example of how the humor is ruined by have to add something serious. The rule says humor is allowed, but the conditions under which it is allowed essentially make it impossible to introduce any good humor.

What really surprises me is that it is mostly the young folk who support the reduction in flexibility here. The only people who seem to understand the long term implications of these changes seem to be gray heads. The world seems turned upside down to me. We are no longer in the 60s and 70s—or rather, the legacy of that time has been completely wiped out. Feminism is gone. Anti-establishmentism is gone. Free love is gone. Anti-sexism is gone. We’re dinosaurs, now. Perhaps it’s time for us to lay down in our mudslides and turn into the fossils we seem to be.

@jbfletcherfan :: I’m the opposite. I have visited the social section about 10 times since the change. I prefer questions about how to solve problems. I don’t really want to read what people think about abortions. I came here to get a problem of mine solved and a stayed to help another person solve a problem. Fluther is so fucking far from where it started out I don’t even think of it is a QandA site anymore.

It is a forum where people Phrase things like a question to advance their agenda.

@wundayatta: Initially, I had the same reaction as you. I’m notorious for “answering” a question with a perfectly fit movie quote, and I can’t do that anymore. I do that in real life too, so that’s going to be a hard habit to break.

But I would rather have a little humor than none at all.

And the real reason I’ve come to accept the changes is that, like I said elsewhere, I asked a question several days ago that I really wish I’d asked after the changes were implemented. some fool bastard said something really nasty, snarky, and sarcastic, and due to the nature of the question, it was even more rude than it may have been intended to be. Had I posted that under the new changes, garbage like that wouldn’t have been allowed on that thread.

After reading @andrew‘s response, I totally understand the point of the changes. I understand completely that they were of course designed to make the board better. I also agree that there were entirely too many jokey, silly answers to serious questions. I would like to make clear that I have no issue with the new changes. I also know that once everyone gets used to them, Fluther will be a better place and I sincerely appreciate that.

I do however, stand by the issue of having a question modded because it is “too egocentric.” I do not understand why that was the reason for my question being modded. When I posted it I wondered if it my be modded because it seemed to be mocking the changes (which it absolutely was not, it was just a goofy idea to make people smile). The way it was modded made it impossible for me to edit it for reposting and my question was sent to the great beyond. Wow, this answer makes me sound incredibly egocentric! lol4rl!

@wundayatta I am a gray head (too much gray for my taste thank you very much) and – this may sound redundant – I am not overly concerned with the changes. I believe that in the long run we will all learn to work with them and Fluther will be better as a result. When I think of the potential benefits of the social vs. general split, I think back to an answer I received to a question about my shoes staying tied. It went something like this “the grease from your hair drips down and causes them to come untied.” I think I know what the responder was shooting for, but that isn’t funny or helpful and does a good job of pointing up the reasons for the change.

@johnpowell Good point. I don’t want to read about abortions, either! That question inflamed me so much that I had to stop following in a hurry. This whole thing is a snake pit to me. I don’t know how to feel, how to think. Aarrgghh…........ Calgon, take me away!

My problem is the complaining about changes when they just happened. You have to give things time. The rule of thumb is to “not judge a book by its cover” and we can apply this rule to the internet as well. There are always growing pains when changes take place. Asking a question about boycotting a section because you don’t agree with the rules is immature. You have complaints? Voice them to the moderators and owners. Let them know how you feel but realize, in the end, they will do what is best for the majority and not just bend to your complaints or threats of leaving the site. The definition of overreaction is “an excessive reaction; a reaction with inappropriate emotional behavior”; in my opinion the immediate reaction of hating the changes, leaving the site because of them and/or desiring to boycott a section fits the definition. In the end it’s all what we deem as inappropriate. It would be a shame for members who have been here for years to decide to leave an internet site over changes they deem as bad.

Maybe it’s because I’m new, but I don’t get what the big deal is about having the two areas. If someone wants real help with an issue and they don’t want to be insulted for asking a question or they don’t want a bunch of one-liner snarky comments about their question, I think it’s good for them to have a place to go (unless that’s not the purpose of this site at all and in that case I’d just suggest a disclaimer that says “If you only want serious answers to your question go somewhere else”).

@Seaofclouds there really is not a big deal..you would be very correct!

@johnpowell

Debate questions are just as valid as any other kind of question. To be honest, I came here more for what the “social” section is now. And I’ve always answered questions like that more than I have answered serious “problem solving” questions. I’m an argumentative opinionated person, that’s what I like to do. This site caters to people like me and people like you. I don’t see why that’s a problem, but oh well. No matter what this site does, it’s going to be a “problem” for someone.

@andrew I know it’s been said but great response! Thank you for being so thoughtful and for founding such an awesome site!

I’m sure you know it already but I’ll say it anyway. Just keep in mind that the reason people get so heated over Fluther changes is because they love, or shoud I say lurve, Fluther.

The events of the last few days have caused me to feel uncomfortable here. If I were to stay, I’d always be asking myself “should I talk to this person, or is this somebody I’ve pissed off?”. Probably better to leave. I seem to have worn out my welcome.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land Seriously, I doubt anyone has paid that much attention to your comments on the changes to Fluther to be pissed off at you or to hate you. If you want to stay, then stay. If you want to leave, leave, but don’t blame jellies that “could possibly” be pissed at you.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land I agree with @chyna. You are entitled to express your opinions here. It is not a popularity contest despite Lurve points. No one should urge you to leave and no one has to beg you to stay. Decide what suits you and do that.

I officially take back what I wrote this morning about considering leaving Fluther. I will not be leaving. The feedback I received on my post of this morning illustrates perfectly why I love this site so much. I expressed bother about something that didn’t feel right to me. I didn’t do it in the most subtle or tactful way, but I did it. Within a couple of hours I had received support from several people on this board, all of whom I value and respect immensely. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart, I truly appreciate it.

@wundayatta, curious observation:

The only people who seem to understand the long term implications of these changes seem to be gray heads.

My own view seems to be 90 degrees out of whack with the poles I see here, more regimentation and division versus freedom to post humor. To me, being buzzed by verbal mosquitoes is just as annoying as being in the path of hyperactive flyswatters.

I don’t regard the wise-cracking one-liners as humor. Occasionally they are funny or well done, but most of the time they are discourteous, attention-seeking showoffery that contribute nothing but noise. I never liked them in the classroom, I never liked them in meetings or at lectures, and I don’t like them here. I see their purpose as being to get laughs at the expense of the person who is speaking or of the discussion that is under way. For some reason (is it television sitcoms?), people seem to think that given any opening, the thing to do is go for the cheap laugh, regardless of the situation and regardless of the effect it has on people who are not interested in having their attention hijacked by a clown.

Moreover, even if you dislike that sort of clowning, you can see that some people have a knack for it and some don’t; most attempts fall dead.

To me this behavior has nothing in common with humor. If I could wave a wand and make all of that crap disappear, I would.

But real humor, choice wit, clever plays on words, ironic juxtaposition, reversal of expectation, absurdity, light-hearted deflation of pomposity and exposure of hypocrisy, all the things that bring a hearty laugh and not a derisive sneer, delight and surprise instead of mockery and sarcasm, a tickle instead of a jab, those are wonderful and should never be banished.

Unfortunately the world is not and never has been ready to agree on what constitutes appropriate humor and what is out of line or simply lame. Humor is even harder to define than art. You just about can’t make rules about it. One man’s poker face is another man’s hysterical giggle.

And that’s why I would prefer to see no rules respecting humor.

Instead of a “General” and a “Social” section (and just looking at the questions under what’s labeled “Social” right now is making me gag), what if we had a “General” and a “Serious” section? We could have guidelines that apply to all questions and then additional guidelines for the serious questions—with a distinguishing rule expressed positively (“Helpful and informative responses only”) rather than negatively (“No joking or unhelpful responses”).

What I understand, thanks to my gray head, is that you can’t make a law for every situation. You can’t legislate morality or courtesy or respect. And you can’t ever make enough rules to prevent things from going wrong. The more rules you have, the more enforcers you need, and the more rulebreakers you create.

You need principles that are clear enough to be simply expressed and understood, practical enough to be applied in everyday use, and elastic enough to cover situations you hadn’t anticipated, while being able to flex as needed in view of specific human circumstances.

I still believe that what keeps things going well in an environment such as this is the culture and not a legal code. Fluther is not, after all, a society to be governed, nor do its rules actually affect people’s real lives. It’s a voluntary association for a loose common purpose, or perhaps more than one, that needs structure in order to function well but that would be undone by an expectation of too much conformity. It need not (indeed, cannot) be governed democratically, but it should be administered fairly. The attitude of the participants, more than anything else, influences the experiences that people have when they come here, and they further the attitude they find. Ill will, ill intent, and harmful behavior should not be tolerated, but there should be a great deal of room for difference.

We should bear in mind, each of us, that our words and behavior deliver a message beyond themselves. They say “I think it’s all right to act (speak) like this here.” And if no one challenges it, then others conclude the same thing. That’s how rudeness, nastiness, and overt animosity spread. That’s why one broken window in a declining neighborhood leads to other broken windows, one abandoned lunch mess on the table at work leads to other piles of garbage, and—lordy!—one empty champagne glass left on the buffet table leads to an unappetizing collection of other used glasses and lipsticked napkins alongside the platters of food. Yes, someone does have to do the repairing, the disposing, and the clearing up, and the speed and clarity of the action are a message too. It tells us what is and what is not acceptable here, and thus we learn the culture. We learn or we do not stay.

I am sorry that I have not kept better notes. The History of Fluther would be an interesting book, with the right writer. Ahem^^.

The censorship moderation really annoys me sometimes, and I’m ocasionally tempted to go elsewhere. But overall, Fluther is better than any other Q&A site at the moment (though I still have a bit of loyalty left to Answerbag), so I’ll stick around here. Now that they’ve separated General from Social questions here at Fluther, maybe the mods will have a little more respect for freedom of speech in the Social area.

@Jeruba! Thank you. your above comment is eloquent and so helpful. GA * 15

To all those who so frequently engage in moderator bashing:
Please remember the moderators are volunteers who care enough about fluther to promote the most constructive and humane environment for others who participate here.

They are not censors. I strongly doubt they have some antidemocratic agenda designed to crush other peoples freedom of speech. Sure, being human, they can make mistakes. They bear no malice to those whose questions or answers they challenge.

The moderators should remove personal attacks, posts containing obscenities (without the NSFW tag), spam, etc. But when a thoughtful post is Removed by Fluther Moderators for some anal reason (as happens way too often here), it’s annoying and frustrating. And I don’t know what else to call it but censorship. Of course, it’s their site, and they have the right to run it any way they want to. I’m not complaining or bashing anyone—as I said, I like Fluther ovarall and I’m sticking around. But I calls it as I sees it.

@HungryGuy

”“We are merely vessels for the guidelines, interpreting their will.” ~ Andrew

…again, the recent changes do not bother me as much as the reaction of some to the changes. People in the terminal ward have problems, these minor changes should not be a problem.

And I am still not sure which fluther forum to use to discuss the definitive differences between its and it’s. It’s confusing in its choices.

Part I will dissect the medical reasons for the reflective use of the apostrophe by the right-hand ring finger. Nature or nurture?

And where would volume two (You’re and your; their, they-re and there) belong?

@gailcalled Your funny! (I know, it’s you’re).

@chyna:—I no you no. I am going out to cease the day.

I’m going to loose my mind if you guys don’t stop you’re bad jokes.

It’s much adieu about nothing.

@galicalled Perhaps not to the owners of Fluther. Read Andrew’s lovely and passionate manifesto earlier in this thread. It made a lot of the reasoning clearer to me.

OMG, U no siesing the day is defanitley a good idea. Carp deem! LOL. ~

@janbb: I did speed-read it. Dealing with serious medical issues with my mother leaves me only with the glib one -liner.

@Jeruba I’m in total agreement with you. But

“Instead of a “General” and a “Social” section (and just looking at the questions under what’s labeled “Social” right now is making me gag), what if we had a “General” and a “Serious” section? We could have guidelines that apply to all questions and then additional guidelines for the serious questions—with a distinguishing rule expressed positively (“Helpful and informative responses only”) rather than negatively (“No joking or unhelpful responses”).”

is pretty much what we have right now. Do you feel

“Feel free to use your own voice. Humor and sarcasm may be used, but only in conjunction with a legitimate answer to the question.”

means that humor is banned in the General Section?

@andrew – Actually, I think it would make more sense to name the two sections “Social” and “Serious.”

@andrew I’m having fun on Social!!

@andrew, no. I’m not one of those who think humor is banned. But I’m not defending the useless and opportunistic one-liners and attention-seeking jokes either; as I said, I find them as annoying as tight restrictions and wouldn’t miss them if they all vaporized. I do say that I can’t see any sense in making rules about humor at all because application is always going to be a matter of subjective judgment.

I see this as negative guidance in the General Section: “Unhelpful or off-topic responses will be removed here.” Positive wording would be something like this: “Only helpful and informative responses are welcome here.”

The difference between the structure we have right now and what I’ve just suggested is which is the default or “if not otherwise specified” category. I was proposing increasing the stringency of guidelines for serious questions, so that otherwise they’re more relaxed, as opposed to reducing the stringency and otherwise they’re tighter. The result might be the same, but I think the feeling is different. “Social” is not really an accurate descriptor for the looser category, whereas people do understand “serious” to mean “Don’t screw around here, ok?”

“Feel free to use your own voice” does not sound like something we should have to be told. It implies that this is a privilege that is being granted and that can be taken away.

This reminds me of some anecdote I read or heard about the Haight Ashbury in the 60s, where the one predominate group of idealists who migrated there to affect societal change got miffed with the other predominate group of hedonists(?) who migrated there for the sole purpose of reveling in the big party. Which group was more right? Is it inevitable that these disparate interests coalesce in proximity and vie for the same space? If so, how should that govern our collective response?

Everyone should be treated with respect and as an individual. Some can make more sense with one line than some can writing a book.

Also, some can get so focused on your commas, grammar, etc., and miss a very good message!

Sure, there has to be some rules and regulations to keep the site clean, but there is a such thing as “OVERKILL!” sorry, large caps was applicable!

In closing, sometimes, get the impression that people’s writing is more important that the person! Find something wrong with that equation. Remember a mod here giving @Christian..(think that is his name) a break on his writing because he was from another country and did not know English that well…kind of like me! loll That really impressed me…Some members here really “murdered” the guy with mean-spirited remarks, that should never happen. Enough said!

@Bobo1946:—There are non-arbitrary reasons for commas. Remember the polar bear who eats, shoots and leaves?

If anyone mentions that English is not his or her second language, we-the-picky treat the writer with gentleness, compliments and tenderness.

Except for @pathfinder (check him out on the search menu).

@gailcalled got’cha! and well-taken!

@BoBo1946: That’s a generous remark. Thanks.

we have our moments! Welcome.

@BoBo1946: Are you welcoming me? Check my profile.

you said thanks and i said welcome…will check it..

? went over my head!

I have said elsewhere that I find the way the distinction is being made between the general and social categories is throws some people off. I think the wording Jeruba suggests would cause less of visceral hiccup in people and it makes expectations clearer.

@Jeruba I hope your response to Andrew is not dismissed and some of your wording is reflected into any future tweaking.

Here’s an instance of a question that seems to be very much affected by the new policies.

The jocular wording of the question (“Hooh. Good God, y’all.”) and the mention of “actual or theoretical” signal an invitation to a mix of answers. We could have had a lot of fun with it, thinking of things we’d use a little dose of antimatter for. That cheesecake from yesterday comes to mind. It’s the sort of question that might have gone on for dozens of responses and attracted a lot of banter, perhaps with a little hard science stirred in. The OP is an experienced user and knows what to expect from fluther.

But it was posted under “General,” and so it gets the straight-face treatment. We can only speculate about all those “removed” answers.

Did a question about antimatter belong in “Social”?

I don’t want to digress onto a debate about the OP’s intentions. If we really want to know, we can just ask Kevbo. The point is that I think we have lost clarity here, and in the process we have also lost character.

I, too, sensed a disconnect between the way that question was worded and where Kevbo put it.

@Jeruba You may think that, but threadjacking to talk about Ewan McGregor, without adding anything else to the conversation, doesn’t really ‘add character’ to anything.

Now, I can see how, since you can’t see what was removed, it’s easy to assume that there was some gem that was crushed—but that’s not the case.

If this were asked in the Social Section, everyone could chime in with whatever silly theory they want: “instant weight loss! teleportation! cure for acne!”, and like many Fluther threads before it, we’d get a lot of interesting theories about antimatter pancakes, and then maybe after 10 or 15 responses there’d by one lengthy response talking about the actual science behind it. Then there’d be a bunch of puns back and forth.

All of that is great! But the reason we created the general section is so people could have a choice between how much ‘banter’ there is on their question—and Kevbo’s question is about the science of antimatter, not about the creative uses that the collective could think of for it. There are many questions that are suitable for both areas, like this one. But the OP chooses what type of responses he or she is looking for.

There are several jellies who are quite successful at mixing in banter, humor, and wit with their answers in the General Section, just as Kevbo did with his question.

It’s not about squelching play, it’s making sure that we still contribute to the question, while we play, in one section of the website.

Thanks, @andrew. I understand, and I appreciate the explanation.

But there’s also the fact that the wording of the question and its placement result in mixed signals, regardless of the poster’s intent and regardless of what was removed. If we’re confused, we’re going to make a lot of missteps and get barked at a lot more, and I don’t think many of us enjoy that.

I think I have a new hobby.

Shamon!

hey guys and girls, it is fun in the social section…love it..“Let Freedom Ring…Freedom at Last!”

Think the changes are super..all the intellects can go the general section and us fun loving, wild and crazy guys and girls can “get naked, run through the woods, and bark at the moon” in the social section.

And no, I’m not drinking…lol

Some of us are both. Just sayin’

@kevbo – Include me in the hedonist camp :-)

—if you are a people person…you will really enjoy the social section! and, if you want detail and correct grammar, commas in the right place go with @gailcalled to the general section…loll..you got to love her!

think everyone with time, will love the changes…

[mod note:] Just to clarify, spelling and grammar standards still apply to all of Fluther- including Social.

@Dog Mwhah!

I’ll tell you one thing about the new set-up, it has created some pretty interesting debate!

@SuperMouse I don’t agree with that, and I’ll tell you why: it’s because… oh, erm, nevermind.

if you give @bob_ a sandwich, he’ll tell you the rest.

@poofandmook That’d be a start.

@bob_: Your price went up. Not fair.

@poofandmook Go get me a whiskey. On the rocks.

@bob_: my pleasure

D:

@Jeruba I hear that—though I think even more is the fear that you’ll be barked at which most people are chafing at.

As long as you contribute tot he discussion, it doesn’t really matter how many jokes or whatever you put in your response.

I want more questions like kevbo’s in General.

Also whispers. Omnomnomnomnomnom.

Edit: prepositions. I suck on them.

I think if you relax the rules in the social section, and tighten the rules in the general section, that’ll keep the overall “rule level” balanced, and make more people happy.

@andrew – I know it’s your site, and you write the guidelines that the mods have to follow, but is there any way you might allow the community to vote on the guidelines? With all due respect to you and your mods, the guidelines are overly draconian as they exist now. Most of us are rational people who care about Fluther and want to make Fluther better for all, so giving the community a say in the rules would go a long way toward that end.

@HungryGuy- To be fair, @andrew, Ben, and Tim have always allowed the community to voice its concerns on how it wishes this site to be run. Changes made to Fluther usually reflect that input. Not all of us are going to be happy with these changes (presently company included) but I’m sure they take our dissatisfaction seriously. Ultimately we just have to be patient and try to tolerate things are they are currently. I suppose there will be some tweaking going on. Nothing remains static.

Only once at the very beginning when I came over from wis.dm and was quite embarrassed about the behavior of a few of my fellow wis.dmers. I tried to defuse tensions, but soon I also became the target of one particular Fluther veteran. She was called dynamicduo and I thought she had crossed a line. In retrospect I’d say I learned an important lesson.

Well, now I’m very glad I stayed. I think the moderated approach is a huge success.

To this day I’ve asked 232 questions and 2 did not meet the guidelines. I’ve written 7594 responses and not a single one got removed.

@mattbrowne Very glad you stayed.

edit: present company included

They all come back. ~
;)

@chyna – What happened to dynamicduo? I think she’s a Canadian.

I have no idea. I miss her though.

She’s very smart and an excellent communicator. I just think the way she attacked me wasn’t acceptable. But I’m a very forgiving person. No hard feelings.

No it wasn’t. No one has the right to attack others and I can’t imagine that you would ever do anything to deserve it. I can only think she was having a bad day/week.