What is your favorite thing about the Community?

I happen to love our community... that's why my job is the best one on the planet! I'm not just saying that to be a mindless cheerleader, either. I have reasons!

Yes, we get our share of trolls, idiots, reprobates and well... you get the point. That's going to happen within any type of community online. Those children (in mental capacity, not age!) like to hide behind the relative anonymity of the Internet. They are trolls, plain and simple. I don't let them bother me. I simply dispose of them and go about my day.

HOWEVER

We have a fantastic core group of regulars on each of the different sites. Often, those people cross over. The chat room has a great "regular" group that I love to hang out with. The best part is that they are a very welcoming group... they welcome new people in like old friends as long as they are friendly, and not there to be a doofus. The same happens here, and on Geeks... that core group of regulars which continues to grow and evolve.

Sure, people are going to disagree with each other. I prefer it that way. This world would royally suck if we all agreed all of the time. Disagreeing in a respectful mannner is awesome. It opens your mind to new things that you may not have thought of before. You just never know when you'll learn something new, ya know?

Overall, I'm happy with our community and the way it's growing. I love to see the interaction between everyone, and the deep friendships that evolve. I know that if we all work together, we can continue to make our little corner of the world bigger and better. :)

I like when I am in desperate need of a question to be answered, that someone usually answers within 10-15 minutes. I also like the fact that you have the right to share your opinion (unless it contains vulgar content, where just like everywhere else is prohibited). It's also fun to be a part of it!

It keeps me up-to-date on all the latest news in tech. I doubt I'm a part of the majority of people on here, since I can't exactly watch the live stream much, but I do read way too many of the articles (Gonna blame this one on Kat! Bahaha), and I recently figured out I'm an IRC n00b when I finally got Adium to connect to the IRC chat. But I'm hoping to get more in-touch with the community through the chat, possible blog posts, and hopefully even more reading!

Oh, and the least favorite thing about the community? Even though you didn't ask? It keeps me up waaaaaay too late. Possibly Kat's fault too ;D

I'm not active on all of Chris' various websites (though I did finally get off my tail and create an account on Geeks,) but what I love most about the community Chris has created is its diversity of age and opinion. I especially like how many teenagers and young adults are active here (at least on *Lockergnome.net*.) It reminds me of the hayday of dial-up hobbiest Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) and the great discussions and exchanges one would have on a popular BBS or FidoNet Echo (think UseNet or, now, large online forums, if you're unfamiliar with FidoNet.) That's how I got my introduction to online communication, when I myself was a teenager and young adult.

Just like the BBS days, if you're active on one of Chris' sites you learn who the regulars are and it's cool to run into them elsewhere -- it chips away at the misconception that the Internet & World Wide Web are inherently impersonal, showing instead that they can foster people gathering into a virtual "neighborhood" or "family."

Above all that, it's a pleasure to participate in a community that teaches me something new every day. Like Twitter, I've found Lockernome.net invaluable at keeping my skills sharp and opening my eyes to new technologies and ideas.