Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, getting hyped for the start of the NBA season, Lance Armstrong getting stripped of his Tour de France titles, or Apple continuing to cut off Samsung as a parts supplier, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
As I mentioned to RPadholic smartguy the other day, I’ve been thinking a lot about the various Internet communities I belong to and how they compare to Internet videogame communities. Obviously I can’t be objective about videogame communities, but for the most part I find them pretty excellent. There are a lot of nice people that love talking about games and I’ve read loads of informative posts by them (you guys and gals are the best of the bunch!). Of course there are trolls and nuisances and racial slurs thrown about, but in my experience that’s mostly the work of young and stupid gamers. I’m not excusing it, but I understand and will naively assume that they’ll grow out of it.
Using videogame communities as a measuring stick, here’s how the other communities I play in compare. Naturally, I’d love to hear about the different communities you participate in and how they’re different from gaming nerds.
Tech: In general, the tech communities I play in are civil and informative. Commenters are mostly mature and I’ve learned a lot from them. AVS Forums is a particularly wonderful place that’s mostly free of stupidity. Tech conversations get exasperating when it comes to mobile phones. The Android vs. iOS discussions often devolve into Fandroids vs. iSheep arguments. It’s almost as bad as PS3 vs. Xbox 360 flame wars. Aside from that, the blogs and forums I read are mostly fun, interesting, and civil places.
Boxing: As much as I love boxing, I’ve come to the conclusion that many boxing fans are morons. Promoters, sanctioning bodies, and cable networks make it difficult to be a boxing fan. People that post in boxing forums, like Doghouse Boxing, almost make me want to stop watching the sport. The thing is, boxing isn’t that popular and there aren’t many places to discuss the sport in detail. Doghouse Boxing has some great posters, but it also has an alarming number of idiots that spout all kinds of slurs, can’t string together intelligent sentences, and don’t know how to carry a civil conversation. Too many of the threads there devolve into flame wars between Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fans (FloMos) and Manny Pacquiao supporters (Pactards). These discussions are worse than any PS3 vs. Xbox 360 flame war I’ve seen.
Vaping: I’m really enamored with the vaping community at the moment. The crowd at E-Cigaratte Forum is really knowledgeable and supportive. With vaping tech moving at a rapid pace, it’s great to have lots of people that are familiar the various parts and mods. Since everyone that posts is a former cigarette addict, the environment is really encouraging, especially to newcomers. It’s all about helping people find the right gear and juices that will help them quit tobacco smoking forever. I’m going to write more about this in a future Vaping Diary.
Now it’s your turn! When you have a chance, please tell me about the different Internet communities you participate in and how they compare to videogame communities.
Arstechnica: Love the community and quality of the work and commenting. Truly educational.
Broadbandreports.com: a bit biased and the community is full of geeks and actual technicians.
League of Legends: Best multiplayer game of all time and the best for spectating. The community is the epitome of a troll though. I tend to just put everyone on ignore.
Fitness: I’ve found that this community for the most part is very nice.
I’ll let you know how the AICPA is shortly.