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via Joel on Software's Building Communities with Software
The social scientist Ray Oldenburg talks about how humans need a third place, besides work and home, to meet with friends, have a beer, discuss the events of the day, and enjoy some human interaction. Coffee shops, bars, hair salons, beer gardens, pool halls, clubs, and other hangouts are as vital as factories, schools and apartments
it brings up the question "Are Social Networks, Media and Software the new third place?"
Where do you go to assuage loneliness or boredom? Do you open twitter? Swing by Facebook? Is email a third place? Is IM?