Illustration by Luigi Savino
Getting help from an Internet stranger is a pretty surreal experience. You open a browser tab with beads of sweat trickling down your brow, and find your way to a support forum in hopes that your burning question will be answered by some noble human who has more knowledge than you.
Illustration by Luigi Savino
A safe environment for women seems like an anomaly on the Internet these days, but at The Mary Sue, the community of readers is showing us how it’s done.
One of those readers is JustPlainSomething, a regular commenter who geeks out about nerd culture with a healthy dose of comics, movies, television, and games. An unabashed feminist, she is representative of the type of inclusive environment for women that The Mary Sue cultivates every day. She also deserves serious Internet points when one of her comments spontaneously sparked a meme that the TMS community quickly adopted with fervent enthusiasm. More on that later.
Illustration by Luigi Savino
We're in the midst of another exciting movie season this summer, with surprise hits like The Guardians of the Galaxy and Boyhood. At Badass Digest, you'll find a community of passionate movie junkies obsessing over the latest box office or movie trailer releases, delving into pop culture, cult classics, and more.
Illustration by Luigi Savino
Okay you guys, I’ve found a real gem for you this week. Emma Hager is a frequent commenter on one of my favorite sites, The Man Repeller. She’s a real standout in their community, and I think you’ll easily be able to see why. She’s the smart/cool chick you want around to give it to you straight about your clothes, your boyfriends, your insecurities, and hopes and dreams. And she’ll do it in the nicest way possible.
For real though, I think we’ve found your newest girl crush. Read on and try telling me you don’t want to be her friend.
Illustration by Luigi Savino
So, you may have heard that there’s a football game this weekend. In honor of the single day in which over 100 million people get together to watch football, we’re featuring one who actually talks football most other days of the year, too. Underdog is a big Denver Broncos fan (lucky him, this year!), and spends much of his time sharing his knowledge, and debating others, on It’s All Over Fat Man (the story behind the community’s name is brilliant — you can read more on their site).
Illustration by Luigi Savino
Mommyish is not your typical parenting site. And LiteBrite, a rad commenter from their community, is the embodiment of their commitment to fresh and open dialogue about what it takes to be a modern parent. Whether she’s commenting on sex, pregnancy, relationships, raising kids, or the occasional story about baby teeth necklaces, LiteBrite is a commenter you want around. Her personal anecdotes lend depth to her opinions, and allow her authenticity to shine through as brightly as her name suggests. Plus, she’s a roller girl. And let’s be honest, a woman who knows how to throw an elbow with a smile is going to be a sparkling addition to any community.
Illustration by Luigi Savino
Commenter Hamish Lamont is exactly the type of person you want as part of an online community. He’s measured and thoughtful, but doesn’t mind a little healthy debate. He holds a deep appreciation for the things those around him are passionate about — in this case, motorcycles. As a rider, Hamish views building a motorcycle as the ultimate form of creative self-expression. And his site of choice to discuss this creative outlet is Bike Exif. Read on to see why.
Illustration by Luigi Savino
This week, we turn our spotlight on Inconspicuous Detective, a frequent commenter on Listverse. His favorite site covers a wide range of topics (from gun control to Voodoo to the artist Banksy), and you’ll notice that Inconspicuous Detective’s thoughts and opinions are just as varied. He takes inspiration from an unlikely source: detectives. Inconspicuous Detective lauds them for not just their knowledge, but their wisdom. He draws particularly from two characters that make a rather odd couple. Read on to find out who they are, and don’t forget to share where you draw your inspiration from!
Illustration by Luigi Savino
Our second Commenter Spotlight features NightOwl, a frequent commenter over at xoJane. We’re especially pleased to be presenting NightOwl this week, as her favorite community, xoJane, has just received the distinguished FOLIO Award for Best Online Community. XoJane is one of my favorite places to find authentic, generous and funny women sharing their thoughts, and NightOwl is one shining example of why the xoJane community is deserving of this award.
Illustration by Luigi Savino
We’re excited to introduce a new, regular series to the Community Blog — Commenter Spotlight. We’ll be featuring commenters from communities across the Disqus network. Each Commenter Spotlight will include a custom illustration (a loose representation of the commenter’s avatar and top-visited community), a 5-question profile, and a fun, extra section called “Up-vote or Down-vote?”. This last part is pretty straightforward: we ask the commenter if they would up-vote or down-vote 5 subjects, to give you a little sense of their personality (in addition to the profile).