How would you categorize the types of questions that we see on fluther?

I thought I wanted to avoid the champion rabbit jumpers questions but changed my mind after watching these bunnies. This is a national pastime, it turns out, in Denmark, if anyone cares.

You mean like “General”, “Social”, and “Meta”?
Sorry, couldn’t resist.

Hmm… maybe “computers”, “DIY”, “health”, relationships”, “politics”, “spirituality”... gee, the more I think about it, if we tried to do this there would be far too many categories. Don’t you agree?

I try to avoid anything to do with relationships, but I don’t think there are other categories I avoid. There are lots of specific questions within those categories that I avoid, though.

“Here’s an essay I wrote in the form of a question”
“I want to see my name come up, and this is sort of a question.”
“I actually need to know something.”
“Tell me I was right and he was wrong.”
“This should upset some people…”
“I need me some lurv.”

In my head, I categorize them like this:

Problem solving questions that have relatively finite answers (“How do I repair my toilet”, “Does this word belong in my resume?”)

Opinion questions that have infinite permutations (“Why do Republicans seem so unpleasant?” and “How do you prove that God exists?”)

Baseless questions that have no real answers (“Does he still love me?” “What does this dream mean?”, oh, and game questions)

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Homework,
Dream Interpretation,
Troll Bait,
Self Congratulating Award Based,
Smart Assed Answers Welcome,
General.

There’s really only two as far as I’m concerned: NSFW and SATF2A (Social After The First 2 Answers).

I don’t know how many there actually are but I like the “I love the sound of my own opinions” best of all!

And really I do and my dogs do too.

1
2
3

Does this random nonsense [insert dream here] mean anything?
Are [atheists, theists, conservatives, liberals] kidding themselves?
How do I fix this [insert piece of technology]?
[Insert demographic], what do you think about [insert opposite demographic]?
[Insert situation]. What do you think?
Plz send me teh codez.
Follow me.
Am I pretty?
Advise my relationship for me.
The Jelly Below Me part 1005.

Problem Questions
The Material Possession Category
Technical questions about how to get something to properly function, learn how to use, or repair, if possible. A computer program, car parts, some gadget everyone owns except for me. These also include technical questions that ask for advice and comparison when it comes to carefully selecting some material possession.
Presented by Ren and Stimpy.

The I have no Soul Category
Questions about dreams, relationships and other assorted topics affiliated with every day life issues. These can also include spiritual conflict, psychological confusion and anatomically incorrect anthropomorphic fuckery.
Presented by Thrillho.

The Suck your Lawyer’s Dick Category
Questions that seek assistance with petty business dealings, such as court cases, divorce, probation, living situations and finances, child custody, permits, doing your taxes and how to run your own speakeasy and not get charged for calling it ’‘Duke’s Titty City’’.
Presented by huge anuses that grow on walls.

The Ew Gross What is THIS Juice Category
Medical based questions that involve everything from sexual hygiene, diseases, stomach problems or Anthrax, which would be best left asked to a doctor.
Presented by Dr. Giggles.

The Pet Sematary Category
All questions that seek help about pet ownership. What to feed a pet, how to take care of a pet, what to do for a sick animal, what kind of pet to get, the list is endless. Beware the MicMac Indians, and respect your animal, please. :)
Presented by Marmaduke. Marmaduke rocks.

The Calvin and Hobbes Category
Homework questions. Some seek outright answers (although a lot more commonplace on AnswerBag) and some ask for leads, advice and sources.
Presented by horny schoolgirls.

The Stuck up a Butt in a Rutt Category
Questions that want to learn about addictions. Smoking, drugs, drinking, gambling, and other less typical/popular addictions. People asking for help, advice and assistance, either for themselves, or someone close to them.
Presented by Hagar the Horrible.

Discussion Questions

The Why is this Goat Standing Next to Me Category
Questions that explore life, existence, paradoxes and ideas that all relate to the subjects nobody can actually ever answer. They take many shapes and forms, from asking what a Mobius Strip is to wondering who would win in a fist fight; Maslow or Darwin.
Presented by some guy named Orange Simao.

The I use Bunsen Burners to Smoke Weed Category
Questions of a scientific nature, which explore and seek knowledge on weather, biology, mathematics, Harry Potter, physics, space and space exploration, necromancy and bisons being all cruel.
Presented by David Suzuki.

The Political Advent Category
Questions about political matters, from the past and current events. Who will do what, how will it affect us, what is your opinion, and who really shot Tupac.
Presented by how hot Michelle Obama is.

The 300 Category
Everything that relates to the existence of God, or the lack thereof. This section has its own sub genres, as well. Do you believe, why do people believe, why do you not believe, why don’t people believe. It explores a great spectrum that has encompassed mankind ever since either God created us, or ever since the Big Bang got sick and threw up.
Presented by…I denno, Dr. who.

The The Truth isn’t Out There Category
This is like the God section, but about ghosts, aliens, fae, otherkin, and whether or not Wudayatta is actually Ron Jeremy.
Presented by Atari.

Opinion Questions

The Coke or Pepsi Category
Questions that explore everyone’s favorite things. Movies, games, fetishes, books, clothing, music, the sub genres of all those things, and more. These also spawn the sub category of exploring these things further, such as, what the hell happens to a Paladin in Dungeons and Dragons if he kicks over an urn that had some dead guy inside. The answer, nothing.
Presented by some food mascot that no longer exists.

The I don’t know what Feces are but They Smell like Shit Category
Questions that explore social, political and global happenings, but concentrate a lot more on opinion, surprise, repulsion, admiration and relief, and how much SOPA sucks. These are not knowledge based, in many cases.
Presented by KFC.

The What are You for Halloween Category
All the questions that present themselves as a hypothetical situation, but most certainly have a source somewhere. ProTip; I’m not actually considering joining a sect.
Presented by this should probably be in Problem Questions.

The Not So Fucking Wright Category
Questions of a sexual nature that don’t ask for technical advice or help. Curious minds want to know; what’s your fetish, what happens if I insert that there, has this kind of fart ever happened to you, and what creepy sex related thing are you a specialist in, and that you think I’ve never heard of.
Presented by Master Splinter.

Scenario Questions

The Zombie Apocalypse Category
Fluther is filled with questions about the end of the world for some reason. How many granola bars can you hoard until December 2012, what would you do if zombies decided to rape you, and many other survival based question that range from the purely fantastical to the frighteningly realistic.
Presented by Roch Thériault.

The What are You for Xmas Category
Just like the Halloween Category in Opinion Questions, but these are clearly not actually looking for help on anything. What would you have done if this dragon showed up, what would you do if you won a million dollars, and where would you move to/travel to if you weren’t afraid of weird insects and butterflies that look like flying faces.
Presented by your local beer garden.

Fluff Questions

The Mansion Party Category
I don’t think I need to explain this. But it includes pinball machines, boarded up windows, thrones and The Adams Family. And free beer.
Presented by a bunch of pirates.

The I’m Tired of Working on this Answer Category
Any question on here that actually isn’t a question, but also does not contain any arguing. Game threads, nonsense threads, spam, what did you have for dinner last night. Seriously, that shouldn’t even allowed to be a question. I don’t give a fuck what you had for dinner last night, and I also don’t care what you’re wearing, or not wearing.
Presented by Skeletor

Everyone, I respectfully ask that for maximum efficiency and clarity you all tag your questions in accordance with @Symbeline Berserker’s guidelines.

And as such, I am pleased.

Did anyone read all that? I sure didn’t.

I did.

I just looked at askville, wondering why they kick people out.
Categorically, our questions are more intelligent than the average bear.

@Symbeline Did Wundayatta hack your account?

No kids, that @Symbeline @beserker is more brilliant than a supernova! And maybe even a supermodel, for all I know.

Don’t forget, while I would dearly love to claim credit for that (best post ever for a data geek), I’m simply too lazy to work that hard and I’m probably not even creative enough.

@digitalimpression if you didn’t read it all, you missed one of the best posts ever! Although, given your man cred, I’m not sure you would have understood it. But take a crack at it again, and if you have any questions, I’m sure someone knows enough small words to explain it to you.

@Symbeline I loved it! Thank you so much! If there’s ever a fluther convention, you have to turn that into a play! Cast of thousands!

You could google it, but go ahead.

Kvetch away my friend, we’re listening.

What you wanna know about this place?

-What is your favorite fill in the blank Q’s.

-I’m going to say something controversial, but I want you to tell me that it was OK for me to be mean or rude to someone else (but if you don’t then you can F*ck Off!) Q’s.

-I’m going to say something controversial, and not cite any facts about my statements (which I believe to be true) but I want you to agree with me and not cite any facts that go against my beliefs. And by the way your opinion doesn’t matter Q’s.

-I’m going to say something controversial about something that I have done that’s either illegal, or potentially very dangerous. I want you to tell me how funny and cute I am, but I don’t want you to tell me that what I’ve done is potentially harmful to me or anyone else, or else I’ll get into a flame war hissy fit with you!!! Q’s.

-What does this dream mean Q’s.

-What’s your favorite recipe for this dish Q’s.

-How do I fix this technical problem Q’s.

-Relationship problem Q’s with really good, informative details about the particular problem.

-Relationship problem Q’s with really bad, disjointed, un-clear, repetitive, long winded, confusing details about the particular problem Q’s.

-Q’s that seem to be asking one mundane question, when they are really a cry for help Q’s.

-Q’s in which the OP gives clear and concise details about a situation (usually a relationship Q or a work related Q, or problems with a relative or friend) and they tell us exactly what happened, but they still claim to be totally confused about what actually happened or what they should do next, even when it’s very obvious.

-He said he doesn’t love me. What did he mean when he said that? Q’s.

-Q’s in which the OP asks a complex question, but does not want a complex answer, even when it is warranted Q’s, and then makes a snappy comment in the details section about not wanting a novel!!!

-Q’s about religion and beliefs in God, with the assumption that we’re talking a Christian God_ Or Q’s about religion and God that don’t take into regard that there are other religions and belief systems about deities.

-Q’s in which the OP asks for opinions, but then accuses posters of “attacking them” when a valid answer is given, that puts them in a bad light.

-What do you think of this political situation Q’s.

-Q’s about Zombies.

-What should I do in this city fill in the blank Q’s.

-I’m bored, what should I do Q’s.

-Who wants to play fill in the blank game Q’s.

-How do I lose lots of weight fast Q’s.

-Do do men (or women) always do this Q’s.

-How do I get this boy/girl/man/woman to love me/date me/think I’m cool Q’s.

-I’m hosting an event, can you help me with the planning Q’s.

————————————————————————————————

OK, so for me I simply cannot answer any of the technical Q’s, because I’m a techno-phobe/dingbat.

I always check in on the food related Q’s, but this week a couple of them stumped me, because I’d never heard of the dish before, or in the case of crêpes the preparation for them was too daunting and way out of my league. Or anything that involves fish, I haven’t got a clue.

I love anything to do with planning events and organizing things.

I always look in on the relationship Q’s. Lately I’ve walked right back out. Some of them seem so depressing and filled with un-expected details, that I can’t even fathom a way out.

I love the “favorite things” Q’s, because I got lots of favorite things and love to wax poetic ‘bout dem tangs.

I tend to drop in on the dreams/horoscope Q’s just to point out that things are not always as they seem, or how we want them to be.

I tend to shy away from political Q’s. because I know my stance, and there is no way in h*ck that I can persuade anyone to believe anything other than what they already believe. And those Q’s invariably end up with a bunch of bickering and ugly accusations.

I don’t mind chiming in on the “What did he mean by this statement?” Q’s, because I’ve been around the block a few times and heard a lot of bullshit, so I’m at an age where I can usually figure out what people (usually men, at least in these Q’s) are actually trying to tell you. Men usually don’t ask those types of Q’s about women, because they tend not to care about the actual meaning, or they didn’t even hear what you said in the first place.

I like most of the let’s play a game threads, except for a few where I simply cannot figure out what the rules or details of the game are. Am I supposed to pick a word based upon what the Jelly above me said, or start a new category quoting an author, but not a TV show???

I tend to look through the peephole of the Q’s that appear to have been written by under-aged users that are asking outrageous or controversial Q’s just to see what mischief our youth is up to these days, then thank my lucky stars for young Fluther users such as @Milkyway, and @Katethegreat and @Mariah and @Symbeline. It warms my cockles : ) But just what is a cockle anyway?

Thank goodness, a few months back @Downtide explained to me what a Winkle is. But I digress…

I read @Symbeline and think the best part is the query as to whether @wundayatta is really Ron Jeremy!

That is so strange it actually struck a chord and now I am wondering it too, could it be, does anyone really know, is he that flexible at the waist and is his….........no stop, the mental image of wundy in that position is just too much for me.

@wundayatta Wow. So mean. Thanks for that. And a big shout out to the other 5 people who just loved @wundayatta‘s insults. You guys are the best.

“please…somebody validate my mental illness.”

@digitalimpression I thought you’d appreciate it. That’s why I kept it short (for me, anyway)—make sure you didn’t miss any of it.

All in the spirit you intended your remark, of course.

Preschool
High School
Workplace
Home Life
Animals
Religion
Politics
Ginormous Ego
Tech Help
Fuck Fluther
Fuck You
Fuck Me

@wundayatta I’m sorry I didn’t catch all that. I only understand grunting noises. You are far too sophisticated and intelligent to reduce yourself to communicating with me. In that spirit, why bother making the attempt ever again?

Also in that spirit (upon further reflection) there’s really only one type of question that might be labeled: “Ends-in-pointless-squabbling”

NSFW… And then the rest

Symbeline Brilliant, just brilliant. I am awestruck!

Can you predict the future and, if so, would you please fill us all in on what is going to happen next?

What can I cook tonight that takes no effort at all with what is in my refrigerator?

What profound things has life taught you in 20 words or less. (I don’t have all day after all)

What is the meaning of the universe in 20 words or less?
(What? You mean 20 words is not enough??! )

If God really exists why did he let my team lose in the Super Bowl?

Which animal is more evolved, the donkey or the elephant?
http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0881985.html

Have you ever noticed that:
History repeats itself?
People are mean?
Life is beautiful, but damn hard at times?

What song ,movie, book is this?

What is your favorite fetish, color, food, movie, song, state of consciousness?

Aren’t we all so brilliant? Let’s give ourselves a pat on the back!
(Well, aren’t we??)

C’mon, let’s just all have some fun with this, ok??? OK???
seriously

When is Lindsay Lohan going to get her shit together?
seriously

@Earthgirl You should ask @Kardamom. She’s got her observation down way more than I do. :D
I just get all my facts from Skeletor, but my DeLorean is on the damn fritz at the mo.

Symbeline Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me, I meant to voice my appreciation for Kardomom“s answer too!
I simply don’t have the patience sometimes to write what I am thinking and then I read your answers and I think, ok, she covered it, Yay! Kardamom!!!

@Symbeline and @Earthgirl Ah shucks…

blushing