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User:LUUSAP/Fluther.com

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Fluther
Screenshot
Type of site
Q&A
Available inEnglish
URLwww.fluther.com
RegistrationYes
LaunchedOctober 2006
Current statusActive

Fluther is a free question-and-answer (Q&A) website with some of the features of a social networking website.

Users submit questions to the user-base and answer questions posed by others. It is intended to be a resource for those looking to either solve a problem or generate a discussion. Once submitted, questions are routed toward users that may be able to answer them. In turn, users are encouraged to answer questions relevant to their own fields of expertise[1][2].

Fluther uses a jellyfish as its mascot (specifically, “Dr. J”, a jellyfish with glasses). The site's name itself is derived from the term for a collection of jellyfish[citation needed]. Fluther users are often referred to as "jellies".

Fluther was created by Ben Finkel and Andrew McClain.[3][4]. It launched in October 2006.

Operation

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Fluther revolves around questions and answers. Simply put, Fluther allows users to answer the questions asked by others and ask questions of their own. Questions of two varieties are accepted on Fluther. Users may either "solve a problem" ("I need advice about…", "I need a suggestion about…", "I’m curious why…") or "start a discussion" ("What’s your position on…?", "Has this ever happened to you?").

To be as effective as possible, questions are directed towards those who are most knowledgeable about that particular subject. Users specify their "fields of expertise", and any question related to these subjects is brought to their attention.

In addition to viewing the site on a normal web browser, Fluther also offers a mobile version of its site to smart phone users. Users can also subscribe to an RSS feed of recently asked questions or follow the site’s Twitter feed. In addition, an IM “bot”, named Flutherbot, is available; it alerts users of questions that may be of interest to them.

Community Characteristics

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Moderation

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Fluther uses a moderation system enforced almost exclusively by members of the site. When a question or comment is left on Fluther, users have the chance to "flag" it if it fails to meet Fluther guidelines. Doing so sends a notification to moderators of the site who can then take appropriate action. Questions that are moderated can be edited to meet guideline; comments that are moderated are removed completely. The Fluther moderators are personally selected by the site's founders.[5]

Lurve

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“Lurve” (a slang term for the word “love” popularized in the Woody Allen film “Annie Hall”, expressing something stronger than love) is a point system used by Fluther to signify the amount of positive contribution a user has made to the community. Users attain lurve when others feel they have provided a "great answer" or asked a "great question".

Awards

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In addition to Lurve, site participation is rewarded with various "awards", given to users who accomplish a particular task or reach a milestone. In keeping with the overall theme of the site, awards have been given nautical titles.

Awards and recognition

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  • In December 2007, Fluther was included in Webware's "10 great Web site designs/redesigns of 2007".[6]
  • In February 2009, Fluther was nominated for a People’s Choice award at the 2009 SXSW (South by Southwest) Interactive Conference in Austin, Texas[7].
  • In March 2009, Fluther was nominated for a CNet 2009 Web 100 award.[8]

Funding

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In September, 2009 Fluther was awarded $600,000 in seed money by a group of venture capitalists based in Silicon Valley[9][10][11].

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Get Answers in Real Time on Fluther.com - A Questions and Answers Platform « Tech Blog of Global and Indian Companies". Gajeebo. 2009-12-29. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
  2. ^ "Fluther: Resistance is Futile". AppScout. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
  3. ^ "Making Long-Distance Partnerships Work". New York Times. April 24, 2008. Retrieved 2010-01-11. Ben Finkel works in San Francisco for Fluther.com, the online knowledge sharing start-up that he co-founded. He and his partner, who works from Los Angeles, rely heavily on communications technology. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ "Question & Answer Men". Brown Alumni Magazine. September/October 2008. Retrieved 2010-01-08. Finkel and McClain's latest project is Fluther.com, a combination social networking and Q&A site powered by its users' expertise—think Wikipedia blended with Ask.com, a dash of Facebook to personalize the mix, and a humorous design that makes the whole package both hip and winsome. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Fluther Guidelines". Fluther. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
  6. ^ "10 great site designs/redesigns of 2007". CNET. 2007-12-20. Retrieved 2010-01-08. Fluther. Got a question? Avoid the mean green of Yahoo Answers and check out Fluther's soothing aquatic-themed questions and answers site. Besides having a jellyfish mascot who wears glasses, the design is wonderfully simple, and pulls you into reading what others are talking about right away. The site's iPhone app ain't too shabby either.
  7. ^ "Introducing the SXSW Web Awards Finalists..." SXSW.com. 2008-01-01. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
  8. ^ "Webware 100 2009". CNET. Retrieved 2010-01-08. Lets users ask questions and get them answered by an online community. Features asking via IM and viewing responses coming in in real time.
  9. ^ "Andreessen backs Q&A site Fluther - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:". Bizjournals.com. 2009-09-25. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
  10. ^ Kincaid, Jason (2009-09-24). "Fluther Raises $600k From Top Valley Investors For Crowd-Sourced Answers". Techcrunch.com. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
  11. ^ "Crowdsourcing company Fluther gets some big-name backers | VentureBeat". Digital.venturebeat.com. 2009-09-25. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
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