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Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

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Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#291

Post by juujian »

donnfelker wrote: post #160

A fitness community. This could be either a BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) place or even a CrossFit gym. I've done both and while I'm not here to promote CrossFit, I am here to say that a group fitness class is awesome for meeting other people and finding a community of people that do something similar as you, but have absolutely nothing to do with your work. I workout with Police officers, Lawyers, Doctors, Dentists, Sta…

Yup. I joined a climbing gym. Hanging out with a lot of people both older and younger than you is refreshing. Not much shared misery though when it comes to climbing, always had a blast.

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#292

Post by uninformed »

irrational wrote: post #283
nostromo wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm prepared for this to be an unpopular opinion, but I'm glad my neighbors don't do this. I know my neighbors well enough. We check each other's mail when they're away and will help out in other ways. But I have lots of friends to keep up with outside of my neighborhood -- people I have a lot in common with -- my neighbors, not so much. If they wanted to talk with me each time I saw them coming or going, I would lik…

You would love my next door neighbors. They moved in the same week we did 2 years ago. We saw them when they first drove up and enters their garage (middle age couple). Since then, nobody has ever seen them. They never have lights on in their house at night. They never answer their door. They never open their garage and drive away. They never have packages or anything else delivered. They only way we know they are st…

Where does the trash come from?

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#293

Post by BjoernKW »

jamestimmins wrote: post #99
mydriasis wrote: post #28

I joined the Freemasons. It's been awesome, I've met a great group of guys and we talk smack and eat soup. Good stuff.

I've been curious about the Freemasons. What type of people do you tend to meet through it?

Basically, people from all walks of life, which is one of Freemasonry's benefits: It allows you to meet people you wouldn't otherwise have met and get to know their perspectives and points of view.

That said, since its self-proclaimed purpose is to make good people better and a Mason should attempt to become better version of themselves, you'll most likely find people who seek purpose and self-improvement beyond shallow self-optimization (honing your skills is very much encouraged, too, though).

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#294

Post by fn-mote »

slothtrop wrote: post #146
osdoorp wrote: post #114

Volunteering. And before you brush it out skeptically, like "oh yeah right, those people", it really doesn't have to be anything you don't care about. I volunteer at a boat house on the city lake nearby, just putting kids on pedal boats and kayaks. I don't even call it volunteering, I just love kayaks and water. It's amazing how your perspective of time and people and service shifts, when you spend some time being "i…

I intend to try some form of this once I have more leisure time. I'm a parent and I don't see it happening in the foreseeable future unless it involves my kids.

Fortunately, coaching sports for children begins about age 6 in the US and continues through 16+... so there is plenty available.

Scouting (girls or boys, in spite of BSA's recent settlement) continues to add a lot of value to kids' lives, and ime attract many people with a strong moral compass.

Robotics - the FIRST program. Mechanical, EE, or SWE experiences can let you work with teenagers in a very impactful way. This would not require as much of a time commitment as a sport or scouting group.

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#295

Post by kortex »

ativzzz wrote: post #171
kortex wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you find out about these? I hear about some by word of mouth but I'd like to accelerate the process.

I've found one by going to smaller EDM/DJ sets on weekdays and talking to people - it's not a huge crowd so people tend to chill and chat. Never ended up going to the actual event - it was more of a local burner/art event, but it was definitely a word of mouth kind of thing

Yeah, regional burns are definitely my jam. I guess I just gotta ask folks what other events they are going to whenever I'm at one. Yay network effects!

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#296

Post by lessright »

I've longed for a secular "church". A place to gather with the community on Sunday to listen to a non-religious sermon (the importance of self-control and techniques to help; the role emotions play in our lives, what they are, where they come from, and how to manage them), form smaller interest groups, and connect with people in the area. I believe The School of Life [0] tried this in London but I don't see any mention of it on their website today.

I've had luck with sports, specifically cycling. Check out Strava for groups in your area and just show up to a ride and introduce yourself.

[0] https://www.theschooloflife.com/

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#297

Post by neverartful »

antoinealb wrote: post #35
mydriasis wrote: post #28

I joined the Freemasons. It's been awesome, I've met a great group of guys and we talk smack and eat soup. Good stuff.

How does it work ? I always kind of assumed you had to be invited to join, that it was not something you can just go to and register ?

"To be one, ask one" is their common saying about how to join. There are 3 degrees (entered apprentice, fellow craft, and master mason). Typically, someone who wants to join a lodge will contact the secretary of the lodge to express their interest. The secretary should provide information on either 'stated communications' (regular meetings) or some informal event that would be conducive to meeting some of the members of the lodge. Once the person decides that they want to join a specific lodge, they should ask the secretary (or whoever else) for a petition. You fill out the petition and then the lodge will form an 'investigating committee' to meet with you personally to determine whether they would be willing to have you join. The investigating committee then reports their findings at the next stated meeting. The lodge then votes on whether to accept the petition (or not). After the vote, the secretary will notify the applicant and ask them to come to the lodge on a specific date and time for the initiation as an entered apprentice (the first degree).

If there are multiple lodges in your area, I would highly encourage you to visit all of them. Every lodge has its own personality. You might be a good fit for one lodge and a poor fit for another.

Disclosure: I used to be a card-carrying Freemason.

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#298

Post by neverartful »

jamestimmins wrote: post #99
mydriasis wrote: post #28

I joined the Freemasons. It's been awesome, I've met a great group of guys and we talk smack and eat soup. Good stuff.

I've been curious about the Freemasons. What type of people do you tend to meet through it?

It all depends on the lodge! Many lodges are struggling to stay alive and are desperate for new members. It's not uncommon to find a lodge of mostly really old men where they lose more (to deaths) than they gain from new members.

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#299

Post by baud147258 »

slothtrop wrote: post #146
osdoorp wrote: post #114

Volunteering. And before you brush it out skeptically, like "oh yeah right, those people", it really doesn't have to be anything you don't care about. I volunteer at a boat house on the city lake nearby, just putting kids on pedal boats and kayaks. I don't even call it volunteering, I just love kayaks and water. It's amazing how your perspective of time and people and service shifts, when you spend some time being "i…

I intend to try some form of this once I have more leisure time. I'm a parent and I don't see it happening in the foreseeable future unless it involves my kids.

Yeah, personaly I started volunteering when I realised I had a surfeit of free time. I ended with a nearby charity, tutoring high school kids from less privileged background; not necessarily the most fun activity, but at least I got to keep my basic mathematics fresh.

But seeing how much time kids take, I understand not being able to do that now; most of the people in the charity where I volunteer are retired.

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#300

Post by cgs »

Folk music. I've been playing Irish traditional music as a hobby for years and it has always been an excellent gateway to making friends with like-minded people.

Pursuing a hobby seriously and finding others who are also into said hobby is a great way to make meaningful connections with others.

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