Forums

I read Comment is Free quite a lot but never post. I find it quite unpleasasnt on the whole, and, like you say, quite aggressive. I just don't think the blog/comment format achieves very much. Enzo.. www.thedevilbetweenus.com

Often forums are the biggest waste of time ever invented; cyber pencil sharpening! I have spent some time on a well-known anarchist site and a surer way to convince oneself that our cause is lost I am yet to find. I gave that one up, but still visit the QPR message boards to indulge one of my other passions. In fact the QPR message board is generally very friendly. I think forums which are about practical matters and on which people share specific knowledge or experience can be very useful. I occasionally use forums about car mechanics and also about sustainable land-use (permaculture) & have found both to be well worthwhile. Arguing about politics or philosophy really must be seen as just for fun - at best to sharpen one's wits.

Like Enzo I read Comment is Free but never post, for exactly the same reasons. The really dire ones are the local press comment forums - at least my local paper's is beyond belief. It basically comes down to 1) bash the council 2) bash the foreigners 3)bash the gays 4) if you can't shoot 'em, hang 'em, flog 'em and birch 'em 5) bash the council again, just for good measure. There are times when I think freedom of speech is an overrated pastime...no, not really, obviously. Just now and then.

I think once the forums get as big as something like Comment is Free then the debates usually get a bit too narky for me (and I'm happy to participate in reasonably aggressive debates). I find the comments on The Sun's one entertaining but the crossover between them and the spoof comments in The Viz is quite worrying.