www.Fark.com is a moderated headline news site, updated every hour,
that links to news and stories of interest as they
happen from all
parts of the globe. Founded in 1997 by a mysterious, brooding figure
known only as Drew, Fark aims to present the news when, where and how
it happens, regardless of how witless or inane it may be, because no
matter what it is, it is surely important to someone, somewhere.
Obviously, Drew--whoever he is--is surely doing something right,
because the site received more than 400 million page views in 2004
alone.
Its readership is actively to discuss and comment on news stories
in the site forums, to chime in an opinion or inject an opposing or
supporting point of view at any time. Anyone with internet access, an
opinion of their own, a desire to be heard, and a thick skin is welcome
to join in--but if you are easily offended, if you overly sensitive and
find your feelings are easily hurt by the opinions of others, then
leave it at the door. Its members represent a cross-section of internet
users from around the world and from all walks of life, and as a
result, discussion threads tend to be irreverent in the extreme and
occasionally can become rather heated. However, even the most firey
argument can frequently bring forth unexpected insight into current
events, nothing is ever taken personally, and the
moderators tend not
to allow flame wars to devolve to the level of
personal attack.
Although anyone is free to read the forums, posting to them
requires site membership, but the basic subscription is entirely free.
Members may post to the forums, take part in photoshop contests, make
personal contacts with other members, and submit links to news articles
for approval to the moderators. And for 5.00 USD per month, users can
subscribe to Total Fark, gaining access to the full list of news
stories which are submitted, among other perks. While some site content
may be objectionable by local standards, no one may post comments or
photos to the forums with obvious graphic language, gratuitous full or
partial nudity, graphic content, or anything involving minors in an
adult situation, and those who try to do so will be banned. The same
goes for messages encouraging patently illegal activities, obvious hate
speech, public or private information, empty comments or comments
reposting something that was deleted for any of the reasons above. Fark
prides itself on being generally work-safe. As long as these guidelines
are followed, the sky's the limit.