Wow! I missed a whole lot this afternoon, while I was
ignoring this thread!
It strikes me as a little true that there are popular people on this forum, and all forums, but what is different here is that joining the forum is elective, and high school was mandatory. So, in some ways people who are joining, or perhaps people who are staying in this forum, have already decided that they like the company at least a little. Of course, alliances form, and there is some hazing, I think, so that is similar to high shcool, and also similar to some jobs I have had.
I think is is fascinating to witness the social dynamics on a forum, and how people fall into roles: class clown, best-dressed, most congenial. I have a friend who studies at Berkeley, and she writes on social networks. I have always wished she would write on the social dynamics on forums. Here is a link to the academic writing she produced about the social dynamic on sites like Tribe.net, or LiveJournal.
http://www.danah.org/papers/
oh yes, in high school, we signed our notes, LAKS (Love and Kinky Stuff) - so 80's!