There is a marginally active #nlnog (irc.nlnog.net) and fairly active #networker channel that I lurk on despite not speaking Dutch - but they are mostly European. I am on several Slack groups that are DNS-focused. There is the DNS-OARC Mattermost. I do sort of prefer IRC - Slack becomes quickly fragmented into "helpful" topical sub-groups that I never have the time to look at - one layer of categorization is plenty. Discord is walled garden. Social media is barely functional for conversations - it is a broadcast mechanism. Email lists are also functional but have been dying out in favor of... nothing. I am on some IRC channels dedicated to very narrow subjects (all OSS-related.)
If someone wants to champion an effort to re-invigorate an IRC channel, I'd probably be there. I just looked at the Freenode #nanog - three other participants. I'm not even sure if that was the server/channel that I had used in the past, so pointers welcome if there is a more lively channel. As with all open platforms, keeping the really off-topic chatter down is a challenge. It drives people away. Also, there needs to be some minor gatekeeping, otherwise #nanog would become "I can't print - is the internet down?" I have no answers on this issue, though. JT On 20 Aug 2025, at 17:39, jim deleskie via NANOG wrote: > I haven't been on IRC in a long long time. Damn I'm old. :( > > On Wed, Aug 20, 2025, 8:36 PM Mark Prosser via NANOG <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> I was chatting with some industry colleagues recently and I realized >> that various sectors of our industry are not "online" in the spaces I'm >> online. >> >> Perhaps there was a time when most of us were on mailing lists & IRC, >> but now the communities seem fragmented and behind walled gardens >> (Mainly Discord and Slack .. the latter is deleting our messages faster >> and faster). >> >> Personally, I'm subscribed to several discord groups (including NANOG), >> several slack groups, a few mailing lists, IRC (I'm not on that often >> these days), one or two Matrix groups, IETF Zulip... >> >> This quickly becomes cumbersome and I find myself mainly in Packet >> Pushers & NAF Slack groups -- while being "reachable" in other places. I >> feel like I'm missing out on conversations outside of the few bubbles I >> participate in. >> >> Where do you spend most of your time, outside of this mailing list? Why >> do you like it there? What kind of folks hangout there? >> >> Warm regards, >> >> -- >> Mark Prosser >> // E: [email protected] >> // W: https://zealnetworks.ca _______________________________________________ NANOG mailing list https://lists.nanog.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/IFZG43KRVPVGAGHJYJJXNJA2U3TWH7VV/
