New FML site continues familiar tradition

“It got a lot of negative feedback,” Packin said. “So I never posted again.”

Today, Packin said he does not read the webpage very often, but he added that he noticed that it lost a lot of popularity after the site’s crash in May.

Last month, the domain name PrincetonFML.com was re-launched under new management.

The new site, which is linked to the pfml.me domain run by Ash Egan ’14, Raymond Zhong ’14 and Jason Adleberg ’14, has several key differences from its predecessor, including infinite scrolling and a calendar that allows users to view posts from specific dates.

According to a moderator of the new Princeton FML website, who was granted anonymity because moderators of the website do not identify themselves, the new website is unaffiliated with College FML and was started to give students a familiar venue to anonymously vent on Princeton life.

“Princeton FML provides a way to talk about the Princeton community and experience it in an anonymous way without risk of judgment,” the moderator said.

Not only are current members of the University community using Princeton FML to vent, but prospective students are also using it for information on campus life.

Nabeer Khan ’15 said when he was accepted to Princeton, he found Princeton FML after a Google search.

“When I read it, I was scared that Princeton would be all work, no play, because that’s what a lot of the posts are: the amount of work people have and not starting it before,” Khan said.

The moderator said he is not worried about the site dissuading prospective students from attending Princeton, adding that he was amused when a freshman on an Outdoor Action trip he led this year said he had already begun reading Princeton FML posts.

“It is clear that this is a place where we come to vent,” the moderator said. “Plus, posts often end with ‘My Life is Great.’ It is not entirely pessimistic.”

David Jacobowitz ’16 said he first read the site after being admitted to the University, adding that while he thought it was interesting, he did not think it was representative of student life.

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Though it may not be the most complete and accurate reflection of campus life, the moderator said that he thinks the site has staying power.

“As new class years come through and discover Princeton FML and start to experience Princeton and make their own discoveries on campus, there will always be source material,” the moderator said.