The following are Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) at this website. The following brief answers – written by Fiona Broome – may help new visitors understand what this website is… and isn’t.

1. What is the Mandela Effect?

It refers to apparently real memories that don’t match the documented history in this reality.

At this website, people reported personal memories like those, in over 10,000 comments. Many of those comments are still at this website.

You can read even more – some in tremendous detail – are now in books that are free in Kindle Unlimited.

2. What causes the Mandela Effect?

That’s a complex question. I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all answer.

If you think you’ve experienced the Mandela Effect, I encourage you to watch this video.

Mandela Effect – What to do if your memories are different Have you experienced the Mandela Effect? Fiona Broome explains what people can do if they remember something from the past… but it seems like that event ne…

Then, after you’ve ruled out normal explanations – like human error and bad reporting – you may enjoy some of the theories mentioned at this website.

For example, some people think they briefly “slid” to an alternate reality, or we’re in a holodeck with a few glitches. Being a fan of science fiction, I appreciate the whimsy of those concepts.

Of course, there are other theories. In my opinion, some are better than others.

Right now, it’s all speculation. I’ve talked about that in many related articles.

Also, many of the best answers from this community were in comments at the Theories page. However, that thread grew to over 45,000 words and some scientific comments were very detailed. It wasn’t practical to keep those conversations online.

Now they’re available in a book you can read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited. (That book is also a 174-page paperback, if – like me – you prefer printed books.)

3. Why are some comments out of order?

Once the original HTML site became popular, this site was rebuilt on WordPress. Sometimes, the software lost track of which reply belonged with what comment. More often, people didn’t hit “reply,” but just posted a new comment. (That’s why those were added at the end of the list on that page.)

Also, when bandwidth became an issue, I started moving my articles and visitors’ comments to books you can read, free, in Kindle Unlimited. So, as you read this website, you may notice a few gaps.

4. Why don’t you use a forum or a message board?

This was never intended as a social site, though – for a while – it may have looked like one. My goal was to present fresh ideas, insights, and news related to Mandela Effect topics.

Commercial forums are better designed for focused threads, casual conversations, and social-style comments. I don’t – and never have – commented at Reddit, or any other Mandela Effect forum.

5. Why can’t I add a comment?

Around the middle of April 2016, I closed the site to comments, except for the very newest articles. And, even then, comments were open briefly.

Reasons included my own time constraints (since I manually approved all comments) and a dramatic increase in comments by trolls… and some of them were very clever. They sounded sincere, up to a point.

6. What are “markers”?

That’s a term from our early, whimsical, “what if…?” discussions in 2009 – 2010. We used that term broadly. Some people believe markers are related to a reality shift. Other than that, we’re not sure. Some suggested markers include red/blue changes, and the letters A & E.

Speculating in a “what if?” context, those markers could indicate access points or portals to other realities. They could be coded messages. Or, they could be just coincidental, and kind of fun… if you don’t take them too seriously.

7. Why don’t you post more articles?

For me, this site began as a hobby. During the first few years, this was a fun, speculative website for fans of sci-fi and quantum theories. Our discussions weren’t entirely serious. (That’s important.)

If you read those early comments, remember that many were flippant.

Then, the Berenstein/Berenstain Bears topic went viral, and everything changed. This website gained more attention and credibility.

I was delighted when people were having fun with this. But I was not thrilled when people made unhappy (and, in my opinion, incorrect) connections with conspiracy theories.

Others insisted the Mandela Effect is entirely “false memories.” (I disagree, though – obviously – misunderstandings, bad reporting, and memory glitches can be a factor. In fact, that might explain most of it.)

Meanwhile, I’m astonished (and often please) by how many related forums and websites are taking Mandela Effect concepts in new, exciting directions. Some are serious science; others are just fun.

In general, I’m pleased (and, admittedly, a little proud) to have been part of the early conversations. But, for now, I’m focusing on research and writing.

8. Do you think this is a conspiracy?

No, I don’t think the Mandela Effect is a conspiracy, though – starting around 2015 (or perhaps earlier) – I worried that the topic was being manipulated for social and political gain.

That’s when I asked visitors not to raise the spectre of conspiracies.

This website was supposed to be fun and speculative, and spark conversations among sci-fi geeks like me. I wish I’d made that clearer from the start, and I wish I’d been less accommodating when comments took a few conversations in unfortunate directions.

The memories are real. Our conversations are real. The phenomenon is real.

The answers…? I have no idea.

Some are more credible – and more fun – than others, but there’s no single explanation. And personally, I reject any assertion that “it’s all a conspiracy.” (However, I love the sarcasm of the related X-Files episode.)

9. Are you sure of your own memories?

Of course not. My memory is at least as fallible as everyone else’s.

And yes, I’m still looking for a reasonable explanation about the 20th century Nelson Mandela funeral I recall, and why so many details in my memories seem to match others’. (No, I’m not mixing it up with Stephen Biko’s funeral in 1977. That was a different era and I wouldn’t have seen it.)

That said, I think Many Interacting Worlds (MIW) and parallel realities offer the most interesting explanation for some “odd” memories, including my own.

Whether those explanations are credible is another matter, and in the eye of the beholder.

Honestly, the past is past. Unless it has a significant impact on my everyday life, now, I’m not deeply concerned with why people like me remember a few things we can’t explain.

Interested…? Yes.

Always looking for breadcrumbs that might explain some of those memories…? Absolutely.

But I’m not losing sleep over it.

10. Can you help me with my memories? I don’t know what to do.

I’m sorry, but no. My video (above) is my best advice. If you’re deeply troubled by your memories – or doubts about them – I recommend talking with a memory professional, a mental health professional, or someone sympathetic in the faith community. They can probably point you to more specific and useful resources than I can.

Then again, if you like the physics angle, you might talk – in real life – with any innovative and well-respected quantum scientists or professors near your home. They may offer interesting answers that could lead you to a new field of study.

I want this site – and the Mandela Effect topic – to be a springboard for a better understanding of memories, and an introduction to quantum studies and where they may lead us in the future.

11. When will you publish books about the Mandela Effect?

For years, readers have complained that the amount of information on this website is too massive to read, even at a desktop computer. They’ve asked when I’d publish a book.

And, for years, I’ve struggled to find time to maintain this website.

Also publishing books…? That seemed overwhelming.

But, late in 2019, topic popularity crossed paths with my reluctance to accept advertising on this site. Hosting issues nearly led me to remove the site altogether.

As of late 2020, tens of thousands of readers’ comments are now in a book series you can read, FREE, via Kindle Unlimited.

12. Can I copy your articles and post them on my website?

Not all of them, at this time. The contents of this website is copyrighted. See my legal notices. If you have questions, I can refer you to an attorney.

Meanwhile, as time permits, I’m adding some of them to EzineArticles.com. Here’s the first one: https://ezinearticles.com/?The-Original-Mandela-Effect-Article&id=10247519