Ask HN: What niche interest do you have which doesn't have an internet community

5 points·lainon··7 comments

Do you have some niche Hobbies or interests you haven't found a community on the internet for so far?

Maybe there are HNers sharing your passion.

My issue with niche interests is not that there aren't communities out there, but that they tend to be fragmented. Facebook/Reddit attract a lot of users, but tend to generate poor discussion and long-term engagement. Specific forums and communities are much better in my experience, but much harder to get going and keep going. So overall I feel like there's a lot less discussion than there potentially could be.

I have a niche interest in coffee and coffee shops, but more for the culture itself. Historically, cafes were hotbeds of intellectual discussion, debates, and political movements. Nowadays most online coffee forums are just gearheads comparing technology and flavors.

Wouldn't an online community for that be a community dedicated to "intellectual discussion, debates, and political movements"? I'm confused about what you're looking for exactly.

Maybe, but something that combines offline and online discussion would be ideal. Meet once a month at the cafe to have a discussion in person, then have it continued and expanded online.

All of my favorite niche communities were absorbed by Reddit and Facebook.

This seems to be the unfortunate truth. And if I was looking to join a niche interest, I'd go to these sites because that's where the people are. Only exception is for in person meetings, where I'd look to Meetup or Eventbrite.

Logic (exclude lesswrong)

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