After publishing, I decided it would be a good idea to join the community of several websites catering to self-published authors. It seemed like a good idea to network with other authors, seek advice and support, glean wisdom from more experienced authors, and potentially help each other market our works.

What I found surprising was the relative lack of community I found within these communities. They largely serve the same purpose as a cluttered bulletin board in some dingy third-rate English department. People wander in and out, affix an (often poorly constructed) advertisement for their book, ignore everything else on the board, and never return.

This is not how communities work.