Bullying, rumors, and suicide. These are just some of the outcomes that formspring users get caught up in. Everyday people are verbally abused in the use of this site.

What is it exactly? Formspring is a question and answer-based social website launched in November 2009. The site allows its users to set up a profile page from which anyone can ask them questions.  The questions can be asked anonymously or they can be visibly sent from another formspring account. Users can however choose to disallow anonymous questions and have the ability to block selected people from asking further questions.

It was founded by Ade Olonoh in Indiana. It all started because Olonoh saw that his co-workers were using forms to ask other co-workers questions. He called it formspring because of “form” which reflects the act of crafting a question, and “spring” to reveal the response. He focused on making sure formspring was a simple and fun way to ask and answer people’s questions. In just 45 days, the site had one million registered users. Formspring also allows people to post different things. Users sometimes post crude and awful gossip, other than asking questions.

“Why express your feelings through typed words when you can express them with love,” says sophomore Coleman Ricard.

However, people don’t exactly express their thoughts or feelings with love. Some people have a lot less than love feeling for others.

“Formspring is stupid. All people say is that you love them or hate them,” says junior

Adriana Lowry.

Since the website is about asking dumb questions, posting false information, and loads of gossip, some people don’t even sign up for one. A recent comment left on a users profile stated, “(name) is so poor and has nothing at all and needs your help to give her your clothes and stuff that you don’t want. Help the poor girl. Her parents don’t care and don’t love her.” Many people have deleted their accounts because of the hate on formspring. 

“It’s useless and dumb that people just judge other people,” says junior, Melanie Hood-Pittenger.

Online comments have lead to real life consequences.  In February 2010, a massive fight broke out at a school in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania as a result of formspring comments. Another incident ended in a suicide in West Islip, NY. This person was bullied by insults through formspring. As a result, many students in the West Islip area decided to boycott the site.

Formspring may be a fun site at first but once its users realize what it is really about, many of them opt out.