Welcome to the FAFOFAQ
What are the member types?
How do I navigate the site?
Why would I comment on Chat instead of the Open Spigot post?
Is any subject off limits?
How do I add media to the site?
The members seem hostile to …
Will you admit you guys are really …
Is the site moderated?
Do I have to make a donation to be an Author or Subscriber?
What are the member types?
You can be either an Author or a Subscriber. A Subscriber may participate in comments and chat. Authors may also make new posts. If you are currently a Subscriber, you can request a boost to Author status if you plan to contribute new content. Drop me an email. Visitors, or those who are not logged in, may read but not create posts and comments, and cannot access chat.
Authors have access to additional features to allow them to compose new posts and be notified about comments on their posts.
How do I navigate the site?
Desktop computer, or landscape tablet: Posts are found on the left. Chat is located on the right.
Phone: Recent posts start at the top. Scroll past them to get to the Chat area.
A post is created by an Author and is an article that consists of a title, featured image, and content containing some combination of text, images, videos, and animations. Authors and Subscribers may submit comments on posts. If you create a post, please include a Featured Image – nobody likes looking at blank white space on the home page. If you add a featured image, it will show on the home page and also will display at the top of the post itself, so you don’t need to add it again to the body of the post.
The topmost post on the home page is the “Open Spigot” sticky post, and contains freeflowing discussion on any topic. All other posts are topic-specific and discussion should pertain to the post topic. You may “Like” a post, a particular comment, or both, to show your approval or agreement.
The FAFO Chat, located on the right, is a live stream chat feature allowing real-time, interactive conversation. The default Chat channel is public, but you may also direct message with one or more individuals and have a private chat with that person or persons that is not publicly visible. Just make sure when you submit a chat comment that you intend for a private discussion that you are not on the public channel!
Why would I comment on Chat instead of the Open Spigot post?
The Open Spigot post allows for threaded conversation and persists indefinitely. The Chat gives more immediacy, is not threaded, and will only persist until it is replaced by newer chat. It also allows for private conversation channels.
In practice, Open Spigot is a better place for ongoing topical dialog on a subject, while the Chat is a better place for a quick question or observation about the site itself.
Is any subject off limits?
Not really. The main purpose of the site is to have a laugh at the consequences of deliberate (and usually public) stupid behavior. This is a pretty rich and endless source of material. However, there is plenty of room to discuss random topics from the news and make social commentary on diverse subjects such as politics or religion. There is plenty of overlap in all of these areas.
Do not engage in personal attacks, doxxing, deliberate humiliation of private individuals, or advocating violence or illegal activities. Do not do anything that will cause problems for your fellow members.
Do not violate copyright laws. Copyright material must not be used without the permission of the copyright owner, outside of “fair use” doctrine as defined by the US Copyright Office. Each contributor is individually responsible for their content and for following the law. The “fair use” doctrine provides for non-commercial use of “limited portions of a work including quotes, for purposes such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, and scholarly reports”.
How do I add media to the site?
There are various ways to add media (e.g., images, animations, video) depending on where you are adding it.
If you are constructing a new post, you may add media from files on your device using the media manager:
You may insert a GIF animation by clicking the GIF button:
For example:
You may add a video by pasting its YouTube URL:
If you are commenting on a post, you may insert an image by clicking the paperclip and locating the file on your computer. Note that a comment requires at least some text before it can be submitted, even if that text is as simple as a single period character.
If you wish to insert an image that is not on your device, but is somewhere on the web, you do not need to save the image to your device and insert it with the paperclip. Instead, you can simply insert the URL for the image into the comment, and once the comment is submitted, the URL will be replaced with the image. This is the preferred way to add non-original images to a comment, since it does not consume storage on our server.
To insert a video into a comment, locate the video on YouTube, copy its URL, and paste it into the comment. When the comment is submitted, the URL will be replaced with the video.
To insert a GIF animation, click one of the two buttons on the right of the toolbar. One button is for Tenor and the other for Giphy:
If you want to add media to Chat, it has its own tools for doing the job. You can insert a video by simply pasting the YouTube URL into the chat.
To add an image into the chat, click the image icon and select a file from your device:
You may also add an image from the web by simply inserting its URL into the chat text. After submitting the chat, the URL will be replaced by the image.
The members seem hostile to (conservatives) (Donald Trump) (religion) (antivaxxers) (…). Is there no room to advocate for such things?
It’s not that the members are hostile toward particular targets. It’s that they are hostile toward foolish, irrational or illogical behavior that endangers people, society, democracy, or the health and well-being of the planet and its inhabitants. So, to be frank, there is no room to advocate for such things. If you feel you have something to say, by all means say it, but be sure to demonstrate the application of rationality, reason, and critical thinking skills, otherwise you may find yourself pilloried and shunned.
If you want to advocate for nuttiness, there are approximately 10 million sites on the internet where you can do that. You don’t need to do it here.
Oh, and yes, Donald Trump is a deeply disturbed individual backed by a zombie cult of deplorables, enabled by crass political opportunists, and protected by an army of professional grifters. There is zero room for debate on that subject. Like everyone else in the USA, I have friends and relatives who have voted for the PAB, people who may well be otherwise likeable and intelligent, people I may love. But they’ve got this subject dead wrong, and as an existential threat to the world, the time is long past to be gentle on the topic.
Will you admit you guys are really Democrats / Leftists / Liberals / Socialists / Communists?
I can’t speak for any other members, but speaking for myself I can say I am not a Democrat. I’m not a member of any political party, never have been, and never will be. I vote for the person, not the party. As it happens, that rarely turns out to be a Republican, but that’s not my fault.
Communist? Hardly. I’m retired now, but held executive positions and owned two successful small businesses. I’m a capitalist, but one who understands that capitalism, like a militia, needs to be well regulated. Not because capitalism is bad, but because the nature of the human species makes any unregulated system dangerous and corruption-prone. (Of course, the regulators themselves may be dangerous and corrupt, so we need to have the means to regulate the regulators!)
Socialist? Socialism is not a dirty word, even if the concept has been abused by dictatorships, any more than democracy is a dirty word for being abused by dictatorships (DPRK, anyone?) I care less about labels and more about pragmatic and effective public policy.
Leftist? Liberal? I dunno. Not really sure what those mean. I always considered myself fiscally conservative (i.e., try not to waste money whenever possible) and socially liberal (i.e., mind my own business whenever possible).
I’ll let others speak for themselves.
Is the site moderated?
No, but it is policed up to a point. It’s not moderated in the sense that you can use naughty words and be frank, if you wish. But do not post pornography, personal attacks on members, or advocate violence or violation of the law. This is a site for adults, and it is expected that we can converse like adults and be tolerant like adults.
There is a significant international membership, so try to contain your xenophobia. I would guess at least half of the members are female, so try to contain any chauvanistic impulses. No hate speech. You can be provocative, just don’t be a jerk.
Do not post copyright materials without permission. If you quote articles from other sites, use short excerpts and provide proper attribution.
You know, basic common sense.
Mainly we’re here to enlighten, be enlightened, and have fun. If your behavior counters enlightenment, or takes away the fun, you will wear out your welcome quickly.
Do I have to make a donation to be an Author or Subscriber?
Of course not. This site is a not-for-profit, non-commercial endeavor. There are no advertisements or paywalls. Donations are appreciated to help offset the modest cost of operation, but certainly not required. Some can afford it and some can’t, but all are equally welcome.
Sounds kinda socialist after all, doesn’t it?