Permies is the best social media platform on the internet

Where on the internet can I find such a wonderful group of people as we have here?

Where on the internet can I find a "Be Nice" as the only rule?

Where on the internet can I find folks posting their projects with pictures that keep me entertained?

Where can I find subjects that I want to learn about elsewhere?

I like the high number of very smart people here, who talk intelligently about useful things.

It's okay to revive old threads - permanent content

It's also okay to ask really basic questions that have been asked 36,000 times already and no one gets mad.

I don't believe I have ever seen a question asked that was so weird no one here could answer it, or at least could help figure out what an answer might be.

The site is focused on actually doing stuff instead of wasting time complaining about the problem.  

I love that it's inclusive, and that the be nice rule and the inclusivity combine to help folks feel safe in expressing things they might fear being laughed at or derided about, elsewhere - especially for people who don't (yet) know what they don't know, in whatever they're asking about.

I LOVE the great minds and innovation to be found, here!

I love that I don't have a "feed" that is loaded with more ads than content.

I LOVE the fact that not only is positivity encouraged, but is the focus!

r ranson wrote:It's also okay to ask really basic questions that have been asked 36,000 times already and no one gets mad.

Not only do users not get mad, they give you *really* thoughtful and supportive answers!
(Remind me r ranson, for the 10th time, when am I supposed to harvest nettle stalks for fibre?)

On Permies, you're allowed to question a concept and not be told "that's the way it's always been done" or "because you wouldn't want to look different."

PSM 406: Thanks to the volunteers, publishing standards, and structure, people of many, many diverse perspectives are able to discourse in a productive, respectful way.
PSM 407: Trouble-makers tend to self-prune.
PSM 408: I love the way permies amasses a big mix of ideas and allows the cream to rise to the top.
PSM 409: Meaningless Drivel: It's neither meaningless, nor drivel.  It means there is a place for everything: art, literature, philosophy, the mundane.
PSM 410: The Cider Press.  I like that religion is off-limits in the general forums, but sometimes I wanna talk about theology or get on my soap box about . . . stuff.  And it's nice that there is a place where, if I am willing to get pelted with apple-cores, I am permitted to do so.

r ranson wrote:The site is focused on actually doing stuff instead of wasting time complaining about the problem.  

This is #1!

Also I like the perennial nature of the site - If I want to go back to an article I saw years ago it'll (almost always) still be there. I don't have to wade through loads of rubbish to try and find it. Also, you don't get fed posts according to what some algorithm thinks you ought to see, it's just in a simple chronological order.

Maybe social media users will find that video funny, but honestly, I found it a really sad commentary on the modern world...

I think I'll just stick with permies!

I got on Permies to connect my gardening soul to  other gardening and back-to-the-landing souls. That was only a month ago. And what I discovered since then is summarized really well in this thread. I know a lot of time and energy goes into making Permies a pleasantly fun and informative place to be. Moderating a Facebook group years ago almost drove me nuts, so I gracefully departed, not just from moderating but from the group. The people who must loudly and incessantly prove and promote themselves at the expense of kind cooperation are somehow absent from Permies. That is definitely by design. Wow, what a great community!

The first time I saw Permies advertised was some years ago in "Permaculture" magazine. I thought it wasn't for me as it was USA based. Fast forward to a couple of years ago and I decided to find out more. Although I am not a great social media user, I am so glad I decided to join as I have found my tribe. I discovered that there were people from all over the world which gives me information and insight into different cultures, working methods and outlooks on life. Why did I wait so long to join? I don't expect to travel far from my home in reality but by the wonders of the internet I can be part of your plans just as much as you can be part of mine, wherever we are. We do not all have the same aims and experiences but then that has nothing to do with being in different countries - my next door neighbours here don't understand why my garden isn't neat, tidy and pruned to within an inch of its life although I hope to tempt them with garden produce.
Thanks to all who keep Permies going. Please know that you are valued and appreciated. Keep up the good work!

PSM 411:  Permies is the only safe place on the internet to talk openly about Comfrey.

I myself used to follow a lot of homesteading people in Instagram. Then I found Permies. After that I didn't have a need for Instagram anymore, I stopped using it completely and felt a lot better. The algorithm stuff for getting you hooked in it is horrible and I used to use so much time just swiping down the feed. It was awful.

But when I found Permies.. Permies hooks you with the amazing content and community. In a good way. In Instagram most people are just "followers" to people, but when they come to Permies they are a part of community. That's what people need.

I was initially worried about the premise of the OP. I don't view Permies as social media. And if all the people come from the other "apps" won't they bring the problems of the other apps with them? The ickiness?

Then I thought about it some more.

Those types of people would wither and die here because they wouldn't get the type of compost they need to thrive.

The ones who stayed would quickly become interested in permaculture and homesteading (and related topics).

So, it is a self-filtering system precisely because of Paul's moderation philosophy based on the terrible experiences he had elsewhere.

We are gentle people. And we expect others to be gentle when they're here.

And we talk about permaculture and homesteading. All. The. Time.

It's awesome. And it's bent on world domination.

Now, to get more people to act the way they act on here, out there in the real world. ;)

It would be a much nicer place.

j

Apparently this is fb now

r ranson wrote:Apparently this is fb now

Heh, I wonder if they asked an AI image generator to deliberately create those examplel of really bad AI images.