The Many Faces of Plurk
It is marvelous to see the variety on Plurk, and the uses to which the site gets put. The first astonishing diversity is the people of Plurk. I have Plurk-friends from many places, many races, and many different spaces. It is about as not-conformist as you can get, with engaging movers, D.C. geeks, fascinating poets from New Jersey, writers from Philadelphia, mothers from everywhere, and even little green amphibians from Kansas.
If anything, the conversational threads are even more diverse. We talk about our kids. We talk about sex, religion, and politics. We REALLY talk about food. We talk about helping our fellow human beings when they are in need. We talk about our everyday lives and some of the extraordinary things that happen to us. We bitch and moan and complain one minutes, and are looking for a drink, a date, or a cigar the next. We all help each other out when we can.
This diversity in people and subject matter is the true backbone of Plurk. Sure, the interface here is nifty, and the proprietors are outstanding, but it is the diversity of the people and the possibilities that keep us coming back. This is the same thing that Twitter was aiming for, I suppose, but Plurk kicked up the interactivity several hundred notches and manages to connect people one on one, and in groups, better that Twitter will ever manage to do.
As you wander through Plurk, enjoying the people, the diversity, and the interactivity, remember to thank your deity of choice (or the vast and awesome uncaring random universe) for the marvels of Plurk. There is nothing else just now even remotely like it. The connections made here could change your day or your life. The people you meet may come to mean a great deal to you, more than you would have believed possible when you signed on for membership.
I’m KDFrawg on Plurk I love this place and the people in it.




July 13th, 2008 at 11:13 am
It really is amazing, isn’t it? Coincidentally, I read this plurk immediately before your post: http://www.plurk.com/p/1buhe
It’s true, I’ve met more interesting people via Plurk than anywhere else on the net. Making friends, following them and seeing their friends who seem cool, and so on.
I try to keep my friends around 50 to actually keep it a quality experience, but I still get to interact with so many more through comments and such. Great article, Frawggie.
July 13th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Well I couldn’t agree more. Even if the interface if at first daunting (which it was for me for a day or two) it is worth adjusting to it for the benefits are tremendous. Just last night a plurk went out about a fellow plurker who was saddly hositalized, and the community came up with money in a very short time to get her the care she needed. I was amazed by the responses. I have also made some new friends, met fellow poets who I now have on my blogroll and discussed just about everything. Great post Plurkdaddy.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
I totally agree. So many websites end up catering to the tech/nerd culture (because, well, people on the internet are likely to belong to it) but there’s so much more that people can talk about.
July 16th, 2008 at 5:08 am
When you mention that Plurkers can be found from so many places it made me want to share my diversity experience. Where else could a mostly-housebound woman from Ohio, USA, become true friends with people from Hawaii, Alaska, England, France, Sweden, Finland, Israel, India, Malaysia, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, in addition to cities across the continental USA and Canada? And that’s just so far! I don’t sleep well at night and Plurk gave me access to make good friends from different time zones around the world. Through our conversations I’ve even gotten a bit of an education about their cultures. Mostly I’ve gotten a lot of laughs and a lot of support (and some really good book recommendations). Thanks, Plurk, I’m having a wonderful time!