Reverb 10: Day 7

Today's prompt:

Community.
Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?
(Author: Cali Harris)

Several years ago, I used to listen to a podcast called Wingin' It. This was one of the first shows I knew of that let people listen to a "live stream" of the podcast as it was being recorded. I tuned in every Saturday and many of the same people were in the chatroom. As the regulars got to know each other, we began to follow each other's blogs and podcasts, befriend each other on other services like Twitter, and even have Skype chats deep into the night about various topics. I really felt like I was part of a community then.

My participation in online communities has been somewhat stagnant in 2010. Farpoint Media stopped recording Wingin' It in 2008. For a while after that Twitter was a place to keep up with all the Wingin' It listeners. It was new and small and felt like a chatroom that I could carry around on my phone. Now Twitter is more of a news feed for me. I've tried other social networks, but sites like Facebook don't really click with me.

I'm not sure if I want to get more deeply involved in an online community. Some would say that I spend too much time with my fingers on the keyboard (where did I put my knitting?).On the other hand, I do miss Poetry Thursday; it ended in 2008 and you may still see some of my posts for that under Creativity. If I did decide that I wanted to build up my online presence, it would most likely involve sites to which I already belong and that have a connection to my offline pursuits. I've been a member of Ravelry since its 2007 beta launch, but I rarely post in the discussion forums; same thing with Goodreads. Those sites have been more for me to keep up with my needlework and reading than anything else. I've also been writing Sunday Salon posts on my book blog for about a year, but lately I haven't really been visiting other participants as much as I did in the beginning. Those are the places where I would start looking for my new online tribe.