Join In

The biggest eye-opener for me was my exposure to something I had thought was e-hype: the development of on-line communities. Some of the hobbyist sites have done a masterful job of making it easy for us to do something that we are all driven to do—talk with like-minded people. For example, look at some of the discussion forums at Wood Central (www.woodcentral.com) or Badger Pond (www.wwforum.com), two of my favorite woodworking sites, and you are sometimes as likely to see messages congratulating one of the participants on the birth of a child as you are to pick up tips on furniture design. (Don't have time for that kind of personal nonsense? Don't read it. Well-designed threaded discussions make it easy for you to scan the subject matter at a glance before deciding which discussion to view.)

Or check out the down-to-earth discussions about investing at Motley Fool (www.fool.com). The people who follow this site have decided that they, not professional money managers, can make the best-informed decisions about how to invest their money. Read the comments in a few of these discussion groups, and you may never buy a mutual fund again. (Don't know anything about investing? Don't worry, you don't have to contribute. It is perfectly acceptable to lurk on the sidelines if you wish, reading the contributions of others.)

But if you truly pursue a site that follows an interest of yours, you will likely soon be jumping in with your own opinions and questions. That's the fun of it!