I've reached the point on BA where it seems like I recognize at least one or two names ("names") no matter the forum I visit here. Some caveats: I don't trade, and I don't spend too much time on the International boards generally. But even there I see some folks I know. This has me wondering--how many of you cross-pollinate? If you are an active poster, do you generally stick to a particular board (one region or a specific hobby), or do you prefer the more general reach of Beer Talk and other wide ranging forums? Of course, this response will be skewed, as it's appearing in Beer Talk! and I'm sure @Todd has some data wizardy that knows the whos and wheres already. My hunch is there's a group of generalists, there's a group of specialists (regions, traders), and there's a small but active group who floats around and appears everywhere. Personally, I do read everything in the General category frequently, including coffee and spirit threads in Other, along with Cellaring, Breweriana, and the Pacific (primary), Northwest, Great Lakes, and Southwest threads. (And that's with not traveling for the past year.) I think I've posted at least once in every section I've named here. What's most wild to me is that a thread I started in December, 2016, in the Great Lakes forum, asking about NEIPAs in Michigan, still remains active!
Other Specifically "Other Beverages" ... as in What Whiskey Are You Drinking Now? And all of the other whisk[e]y-related threads. It's a fun group going on in there.
General--Beer Talk, Beer Advocate Talk, News, Comments, Other... I also have a look at the more regional forums like the European one, which is sadly hardly active. At some point I enjoyed reading brewariana, haven’t checked it in a while. Other for OT discussion, other beverages are a cool crowd too.
Interesting main page threads, NW forum threads, WBAYDN and NBS threads, and NBS BIF threads. If I look at other regional forums, it's mostly out of boredom. The Kiribati forum is really sloooow.......
I don’t bother with the regional forum or the trade forum that one in particular is a whale hunt nothing more. Mostly the Beer Talk and what interests me. Imo if the guys in the trade forums would be open to more locals they’d find a world of great beers they’ve never heard of before.
I find myself just scanning the list of the 20 threads in the "Join the Discussion" list for something interesting. I know I am probably missing out on other good threads. (Whiskey? ohhhh!) I learned to recognize names and on-line persona mostly from WBAYDN but I have not posted there in a couple weeks.
Spend most of my time in the New England and Mid-Atlantic forums. Come here a little bit and go to the dormant South-Atlantic one every once in a while.
