Topic: Online Communities

John C. Dvorak recounts a story from the 1980s involving a controversy he sparked in a PC Mag chat room regarding IBM's OS/2 operating system. After facing escalating hostility from the networked group, a friend at IBM advised him to apologize. Dvorak notes that the apology immediately diffused the situation, teaching him the danger of networked social groups.

A discussion on the inevitable collapse of online communities references the early days of CompuServe and the "PARTI" (Participate) system. A specific instance is recalled where a major community dissolved after a prominent member was arrested for drug dealing, shattering the group's trust.