What is this site about?

Some questions require a certain experience or a particular skillset, which Google does not provide. Sometimes your question is obscure and you’re not sure how to frame it within the context of an algorithmic search engine. You could probably find those sorts of answers via Google, but if someone here just happens to have the matching specific or expert knowledge, here it’ll be answered much more quickly and often with more insight than a search hit can afford.

Also, try having any kind of two-way discussion with Google. Philosophical questions do not have “correct” answers.

More simply: Why didn’t you ask Google for your answer?

It’s about opinions more than it is about answering questions.

so I got to come to this site all the time to ask questions? or do you have any other convenient ways?

This site used to disallow google-able questions. They since have rescinded that position.

It’s biggest redeeming factor would be the experience of the members in whatever field is asked about. You can sometimes get a good discussion going, but that’s harder than it should be.

Just prepare to be modded. It happens to everybody and it happens a lot.

I hear Bendrew is working on a way to sync your thoughts with the website, but it’ll be at least another month until that’s ready. For now, you’ll have to use computers like the rest of us.

It’s about people asking questions and getting answers, sometimes on opinion questions that can’t be googled.

other times, it’s about goofballs coming in and asking dumb questions.

go figure

If you can’t see a point to this site when you can easily get what you are looking for by googling it, why don’t you just google what this site is about?

Oh, you must have clicked “I’m feeling lucky.”

I definitely cloud have googled about it, but then I wouldn’t have experienced on how the site works.

I don’t really know either… all I know is that I am pretty much addicted and love seeing my points accumulate. It is like a game I play with my mind… and all the LURVE!

It’s all about atmosphere. I wrote the following in response to another question:

When I log onto fluther, it feels like I just walked into the local warm and cozy diner. Bendrew is there to greet me at the door with a smile, a big “good morning” and a copy of the newspaper. The aroma of frying bacon and fresh coffee fills the air as I look around and see the usual friendly familiar faces with a couple of strangers in one of the booths. I order the usual (tall stack of pancakes and some coffee) and settle into my seat just outside the direct firing line between Blondesjon and eponymoushipster. As usual Astrochuck is running around like the six year old he is, throwing out bratty but very clever quips. I glance over to Harp, who as always provides a calming influence. All my favorite friends are here sharing stories, experiences and knowledge. In one corner, the discussion is about politics, in another it’s religion and across the way its all about relationships. Suddenly one of the strangers, now feeling comfortable among the group stands and says, “I have a question perhaps you can help me with: Is oral sex really sex and if I do it with someone other than my girlfriend, is that considered cheating.” We all bust up in uncontrollable laughter. Yup, another day of learning and laughing and sharing it all with good friends.

I just answered a computer question. I use what I recommended. I think that is nifty.

so how does this site differ from yahoo answers or say mahalo? Those sites have been there for a while..

This site is a place where they give you free cookies everytime someone likes what you have to say.

Yahoo answers sucks balls. Just sayin’...

@sachinjsk There was actually a big spat between this site and Mahalo. Apparently, Mahalo was ripping off and creating doppelgangers of member on Fluther. You can read about it in the blog. Somewhere in the archive.

The difference between Fluther and Google is like the difference between reaching a recording and reaching a live person when phoning a company for help. The main difference between Fluther and most other Q & A sites is effective moderation. We have a group of very dedicated volunteer moderators that remove trolling, spam, personal attacks and general stupidity. There is also the fact that the more you use the site, the more it ‘learns’ what types of questions it should send to you.

Oh! I forgot to mention the community! A great group of people, always ready to lend a hand. Welcome to Fluther.

@augustlan ; You beat me to it. I LURVE this community! :-)

Fluther is fun! It’s as simple as that. I mean look at the answers one gets. Some are knowledgeable, some are interesting and some are so moronic it is almost scary. Where else can one learn so much about the human race?

If you want a smaller community where you get to know each other better; if you want a place that attracts a lot of really intelligent people; if you want a place where people really try hard to be useful to others; if you want a place that works hard to rid itself of trolling and stupidity and other bad influences; then fluther is for you. If you just want practical answers to practical questions, stick to Google. This is not for you.

fluther is a smaller community where you get to know each other better. It attracts a lot of really intelligent people. People really try hard to be useful to others. It works hard to rid itself of trolling and stupidity and other bad influences.

Other sites don’t pay as much attention to assuring that the interactions between users are polite and helpful. Fluther actively works to rid itself of trolls, non-answers, and ad hominem attacks.

This site has developed a set of core users who often provide (sometimes excessively) complete answers. We are not afraid of long questions and long answers the way other sites are. We are not tweeting. We also are not in competition with each other. We cooperate, and build on each others ideas. We answer questions for love (as well as lurve), because we like thinking about things.

There are a lot of people here who actively care for other members of the community. It is an excellent place for people who are experiencing issues that keep them from meeting others in the real world. We get people to get care for themselves when they might need it instead of trying to play doctor or shrink. We express concern and we follow up on each other when a person disappears for a while.

We resist ranking each other. We do not want to create petty jealousies or cliques or anything that causes people to feel worse about themselves. I suppose this sounds like some kind of fake positivity place, but I assure you that we are far from that. People talk straight, and they often tell the truth—all of it. We get into the meat of a lot of issues, kind of like a seminar at a college.

This place is safe to be who you are, for the most part. It usually takes a while before people realize they can talk about what they care about, and they don’t have to get over on anyone or debate or win points.

A larger portion of our community listens. Sure, we have debaters and we have people who try to stir up fights, but we also have a critical mass of people who cooperate, and we have moderators who are making sure it stays that way. They care about the community, and they work to make their decisions as transparent as they know how to do (which is not always enough for me, but they really try).

I’m not the kind of person who puts up with stupidity and bullshit. I’m not interested in that. There is plenty here for me to be interested. Plenty of people I look forward to hearing from. There are even a number of people here I would trust the care of my children to, and I have not met a one of them in person.

@daloon….Excellent response. Hell, round three is also on me and if Carlsberg would export the stuff, I’d buy and split a bottle of Vintage No. 1 or 2 with you (600 total bottles produced, nearly $400 a bottle, artist hand stencilled and signed lithographic print makes the empty bottle worth $100, jet black color, expresso-like foam, flavors of vanilla and cocoa/mocha….I keep the empty…you arrange for a driver). Until then, my next Heineken is in your honor.
See ya….Gary/wtf

@whatthefluther Know what I’m thinking?

ROAD TRIP!

Now what’s the address of that pub?