I read loads of Newsgroups. They are cheap to download and read offline and you can think about any reply you want to make before sending it off . If you stay subscribed to the same group for a few months you get to know all the regular people who post to it as friends ( or sometimes enemies ) and some of the local or talk groups hold occasional events where you can meet up in real life.

These are some which I have been subscribed to for a long time:

free.uk.talk.l-b.newham  - All about the local area of Newham where I live  

uk.media.radio.archers -  The Archers ( Radio 4 ) newgroup known affectionately as UMRA . One of the nice things about umra is that there are occasional barbecues, outings and holidays

free.uk.nature.ponds  -  Frogs , toads, bogplants and everything aquatic. FAQ coming soon...

alt.fan.capt-beefheart   -  Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band, not what it once was.

uk.food+drink.misc   -  All about eating , cooking , shopping and drinking .  There is also a group specifically for Real Ale  but I had to set up my own mailing list for discussion about Cider.

I also set up a group for the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band  for which I host another FAQ

Then there is a whole sub-hierarchy of groups under free.uk  , and the campaign to establish uk.local.borsetshire which has now been launched, under controversial circumstances. For more information about that one see Wayne Foley's uk.local.borsetshire FAQ