Bob J.

I have been on fluther for a couple of years now. I haven't left simply because I can't find another website that is comparable. Visit this site if you just want to: muse about philosophy, talk about the meaning of life, get into a religious debate, or congratulate each other on being on the site for a long time. In this regard, it is not so much a Q & A site as it is a discussion site.

Fluther is NOT the place to go for answers regarding technology or a specific field of expertise. E.G. If you ask a question about a new motherboard, chances are your question will go unanswered indefinitely.

Reasons to use it:
Ad-Free
Great Aesthetics
Some good people

Reasons NOT to use it:
Favoritism
User-base is overwhelmingly Liberal (Which is fine if you're Liberal)
User-base is predominantly Atheist (Which is fine if you're an Atheist)
Moderation is extremely strict (to an annoying degree)

I'm not sure how this site became so popular because the concept seems ludicrously simple; but maybe that's just what people want. It has an incredibly sleek interface that couldn't be easier to use and everyone seems to be on it. The only reason this site loses a star for me is because I don't know why I would ever use it personally.

You should probably use Twitter if you're an aspiring youtuber or you do something where you're trying to build a fan base for some reason.

REASONS TO USE
[1] Sleek. Easy. Simple.
[2] You want to build a following or a fan base
[3] You care what celebrities have to say

REASONS TO LOSE
[1] Personal preference

Great site overall. I would like to see some design changes so that it doesn't look so. Simple and non-artistic. On the surface it just looks like a bunch of links. Sort of like a search engine's results. For this reason I bypassed it the first time around and didn't go back for some time. I kept hearing of reddit on various other websites though and had to come back for a closer look. As it turns out, reddit is a very addicting, content driven site that I could browse for hours. And it will probably become part of my weekly routine in some form or fashion.

There is a boatload of content and it is safe for work. I don't think it's necessary to describe what the site does as anyone curious can learn more quickly by visiting. It clearly has good reviews already.

REASONS TO USE:
[1] Boatload of content
[2] Simple navigation system
[3] Has the "addiction" factor (you'll see what I mean if you visit)

REASONS TO LOSE:
[1] Minimal ads and slightly boring interface

I have no reason to dislike this site. I recently switched my default search engine to duckduckgo.

When searching for something you get a little snippit of information about it at the top (whether it is a definition, or just an interesting fact). Below you are shown one page of results (quite honestly you don't want to have to look through 14 pages to find what you're looking for anyway). By clicking on "more links" at the bottom you see all the other things the engine found not displayed on the top of the list.

REASONS TO USE:
[1] Tired of google
[2] ad-free
[3] "DuckDuckGo does not collect or share personal information."

REASONS TO LOSE:
[1] Doesn't have "image search" capability yet

Let's start this off with a quote directly from the site itself:
"Vocaroo is provided in the hope that it will be useful, however we don't accept any responsibility for anything that happens ever (be it a result of you using this service or not). If nuclear war occurs because a Vocaroo message gets lost in the ether, it's not our fault. Disclaimers are wonderful things :)"

Vocaroo.com is nifty. It is an incredibly straightforward and simple way of sending your voice to other people. You can send it to their email address or download the audio file direclty from the site. It also provides you a couple of different ways to post that sound on the internet.

It really depends on the user how much use you will get from this site. Personally, I won't use it much as I rarely need the capability of sending my audio to someone without using other tools I already have.

It would be a great thing in the future if they could add some audio effects of some kind to your recording. We'll see!

It is, however, completely ad-free and couldn't possibly be simpler to use. There are a couple of bugs, but as addressed in the very first quote, they already realize that.

REASON TO USE:
[1] You want to send a voicemail to someone's email address or just record/listen.
[2] You want to post a recording onto your own website
[3] Simple interface.

REASONS TO LOSE:
[1] Bugs during the development process
[2] If you have no need for this service

Obviously this site is very professional. It is a networking and quasi-social site revolving around your professional persona. The only reason it gets 4 stars instead of 5 for me is that I don't know that it actually does anything for me.

Sure, I can network to my heart's content - but I'm not finding job listings there. Sure, I can read lots of industry related articles but I can read those at a number of sites. Sure, employers can read my profile information and send me messages if it fits their bill but they can do that at most job sites.

It's a very solid site with a pretty sleek and easy-to-use interface. I would bump this to a 5 if the actual job listing functions were a bit more robust.

REASONS TO USE
[1] Interface is simple and easy to use
[2] Professional substitute/equivalent to facebook - you can avoid all the facebook drama
[3] It can, potentially, teach you a lot about your own personal, professional persona

REASONS TO LOSE
[1] Not a very robust job search utility
[2] Pesters you to add more to your profile even if it's finished and requests to get into your email to find contacts to add (repeatedly)

This is the worst kind of evil there is: Evil disguised as something good. A wolf in sheep's clothing.

When I first saw SiteJabber and started reviewing I thought it was different. I thought it was great. I thought it would improve the internet.

I've been proven wrong by finding lots of "spam" reviews that tilt and sway the stars to either side of a site's review ratings. It's fine if you follow certain reviewers who have proven their merit. But I now can't fully trust the overall rankings of webpages on the site.

After years of using the site: this is my last review. Farewell to the few decent reviewers out there. I will not participate in something like this. It's time for a better internet.

Tremendous idea for a website. It is youtube meets stumbleupon in a way. Without registering you can still choose a channel and watch tv.

The difference between this and television though is that the content is chosen by other "curators". If you register and get connected to a few people that share similar interests you'll be able to sit back and watch videos without having to get up.

Videos appear to come from a variety of sources including youtube and crackle.com.

Alternatively, similar to stumbleupon, you can choose certain subjects to follow and you will be shown a list of videos matching that subject.

It is possible to hook the site up through your tv as well, making this the telvision version of netflix.

There are, unfortunately, the same floating style ads on many of the videos.

REASONS TO USE:
[1] Wide variety of content
[2] Television for free catered to your interests
[3] You want to become a "curator" yourself

REASONS TO LOSE:
[1] Minimal ads, but they exist
[2] You prefer traditional tv

Average. Everything about this site is average. It is predominantly filled with puzzle style games, monopoly, mahjong, etc. I can't give it any less stars because some people may get some enjoyment from the large collection of puzzle style games. For me, however, there is no need to return to the site.

It is your typical program where there are lots of games to play and they sucker you in by letting you obtain "badges" for game accomplishments.

REASONS TO USE:
[1] You love puzzle/board games

REASONS TO LOSE:
[1] Annoying ads

Great resource for researching anything related to the bible. This site has dozens of versions and translations of the bible, audio versions, reading plans, devotionals and a lot of other things.

There are advertisements, but they aren't so intrusive that they prevent you from enjoying the site.

REASONS TO USE:
[1] You need a readily accessible bible reference
[2] You want to see different versions of the bible
[3] You just want to read the bible

REASONS TO LOSE:
[1] Minimal ads
[2] You hate bibles.

Unique site that has funny pictures, videos, and jokes. Very minimal ads and a simple interface make it easy to navigate. The reason I wouldn't give it five stars is because while it has a lot of content you won't find in other places, some of that content can be offensive.

REASON TO USE:
[1] Funny material
[2] Virtually ad free
[3] Incredibly simple navigation

REASONS TO LOSE:
[1] Some offensive material

Absolutely dreadful. Swamped with advertisements, the occasional pop UNDER advertisement and links to a slew of completely different sites. This site barely registers 2 stars because if you can survive the horrid interface and link/ad fiasco you may find some fun little games. But it's not worth it. There are plenty of superior alternatives.

REASONS TO USE:
[1] Some decent games

REASONS TO LOSE:
[1] Pop-under advertisments
[2] Any link could lead to another site with no warning

Interesting site that is definitely worth a look. The idea is that you tell stumbleupon what you like and it will scour the web and find sites it thinks you'll enjoy. Over time, as you like or dislike the sites that it shows you, it is supposed to "learn" what you like the most and continually refine what it shows you.

Definitely a great time waster and you may "stumbleupon" something interesting.

The site (once you are signed in, etc) turns into an unobtrusive bar at the top of your screen which you use to like/dislike or stumbleupon other sites.

REASONS TO USE:
[1] You're bored and want to explore the web
[2] You would like to enjoy only a certain type of site
[3] You want to join a community of others who share similar interests

REASONS TO LOSE:
[1] You prefer to browse on your own

Again, a very clean site with negligible ad presence. If you are in the mood to enlighten yourself and learn, or fill in the gaps on a college course you are taking, this is a free site that can help you.

Open Yale Courses are offered, not for college credit, but simply to learn. I took a 1 hour class on classical music that was very interesting and informational.

REASONS TO USE:
[1] You enjoy learning
[2] Negligible ads

REASONS TO LOSE:
[1] You don't like to learn.

If I could, I would give this site 4.5 stars. The half star would only be removed because there isn't a great deal of content. The catch is that there isn't a great deal of content YET.

This site is very clean, smooth and entertaining if you would like to pick up a new coding/programming skill or refine an old one. It is very interactive and ad-free. I will be bookmarking and visiting frequently, anxious for new classes!

REASONS TO USE:
[1] You would like to learn how to program
[2] You would like to brush up on skills you used to have
[3] Clean, ad-free

REASONS TO LOSE:
None.

Simple. Free online application that allows you to edit photos and images. Contains all the basic layering and adjustment tools. If you register for the site you can save your projects and templates as well.

REASONS TO USE:
[1] Free
[2] Contains all the tools for basic photo editing and creation
[3] Allows you to save your work online

REASONS TO LOSE:
None.

Etsy is a solid site that has been around since about 2005. The site itself is clean, navigable, and easy to use. Several of the reviews here on SJ have been about specific sellers - that's not what this review is about.

Like several other online sales sites - each vendor/store is a separate transaction. You are dealing with a different person each time. Look at the star ratings of each store before you buy and leave feedback. Most sellers will want to protect their reviews and ratings and provide you with great service.

This site is heavily craft specific and has a niche following. If you make handmade items you probably already know about it and/or use it.

REASONS TO USE
[1] You like to make/buy handmade items
[2] Clean, sophisticated, easy-to-use
[3] Lots of great person-to-person stores/vendors

REASONS TO LOSE
[1] You are unable to understand star rating systems
[2] You are a compulsive buyer who does no research before you purchase

This site won't "wow" you. It doesn't have a very sleek interface and it's a bit hard to navigate sometimes. It's been around for quite a long time and not much has changed since it started. That said, there is a LOT of music to listen to. It's original music. You can buy music if you like. It is functionally sound.

If they updated the site with a sleeker, more modern interface, it would go up to 5 stars for me.

REASONS TO USE
[1] Lots of content
[2] Original content

REASONS TO LOSE
[1] Interface is a bit clunky

I look forward to further exploring this site. It offers children's books in various translations. The idea is that you supplement your language learning in the same way you learned your own language as a child.

The site allows you to look for a book based on quite a few different categories and dozens of different languages as well.

REASONS TO USE
[1] Supplement your language learning
[2] Easy to use interface
[3] Ad-free

REASONS TO LOSE
[1] You can't read (wait. Nope. They have picture books too)

My updates:
There are a lot of toxic people on imgur for some reason. They will be quick to downvote even basic pictures from new users. They will also post inappropriate comments quite often. The interface itself is a bit clunky as well.

My original review:
I cannot add anything special that wasn't posted on the previous review. However, I can concur with a lot of it. Imgur is a very simple site that allows you to either register or sign in using Twitter, Facebook, Google, or Yahoo credentials. Everything about the design of the site is sleek and simple.

It is yet another thumbs up / thumbs down site that will allow you to browse a boatload of images from users across the world.

REASONS TO USE:
[1] Fun to browse vast library of images
[2] Ad free

REASONS TO LOSE:
[1] You prefer another image browser site