I was fascinated by Usenet, having grown up so isolated, but I was too scared to post. I was at university, and I think my biggest fear was that fellow students there would see my posts and take them as an opportunity to bully me.
I was, and still am, very introverted and, around people I don't know well, very reserved as well. I found that first AOL and USENET, and then the web provided a safer space, where just that veneer of anonymity was enough of an excuse to engage more readily, and with people whom I knew, based on the literal names of the communities, would share at least one interest, LOL.
Glad to see you eventually found avenues for self-expression.
trying to combine helpfulness and knowitallness
I'm not sure where you get that idea M0DESTGOD
Yeah, that handle got retired REAL quick. I believe there was a Braveheart inspired email address on Juno dot com, followed by a couple of philosophy themed ones in college, then I finally settled into things related to my name or sort of inscrutable nothingburgers.
MODESTGOD would be eager to let you know, however, that he was in on the AOL thing early enough that no zero was necessary. 🤣
I believe there was also a guild in the original Neverwinter Nights, "Zen and the Art of Battleaxe Maintenance" that attracted newbies for a couple of weeks until they realized that they should join proper guilds, and while I can't find them, I presume there was something Star Wars related somewhere.
Share a story, ask a question, or start a conversation about (almost) anything you desire. Maybe you'll make some friends in the process.
RULES
Casual conversation communities:
Related discussion-focused communities