Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum attract a lot of attention from people all over the world. But, for some individuals, it can be hard to find a good starting point to get involved directly with the community. Luckily, Ethereum users have plenty of sources to choose from, including various sub-reddits, forums, Slack rooms, and much more.

Forums Are An Ethereum Enthusiast’s Best Friend

An online forum is an excellent platform to exchange ideas and information with like-minded people. The Ethereum community has no shortage of such places, as there are a plethora of forums users can refer to. First and foremost, there is the Ethereum Community Forum, where most of the discussions will take place on a daily basis.

With different categories to choose from, Ethereum enthusiasts can browse the forum and find relevant discussions around various topics related to the Ethereum ecosystem. Being part of a community also means engaging in conversations, and the simple registration process only take a few seconds to get you started. Lots of various enthusiasts congregate in these forums; with mining discussion being one of the most popular topics there.

Ether Forum is a viable alternative to the official forums, albeit it is lesser known. Some good information can be found on this platform as well, though, depending on what one is looking for. The technical discussions are also worth checking out for those who have some pressing questions that need to be answered. A variety of informational sources such these are key to building a robust understanding of the current initiatives the Ethereum community.

Last but not least, there is the ETHForum. One may argue there is no need for three forums on the same topic; but diversification is a key component in decentralization :). ETHForum is the least popular of the three so far, but it can still be a good resource for novice users trying to get as much info as possible.

Reddit Sources Galore

Often referred to as the “frontpage of the internet”, Reddit is an invaluable source for Ethereum information. The /r/ethereum subReddit is the place to be for all general information regarding this cryptocurrency. There is also a handy starter guide that will be very useful for beginners.

Similar to Bitcoin, there is a very strong focus on trading Ether (the token behind the Ethereum network). A lot of people want to buy or sell ETH on a daily basis; /r/EthTrader can useful for gaining insights that can be valuable for novice/expert traders. This is the place to be for most recent happenings affecting ETH market; with new content posted on a regular basis.

For those users looking for more information about popular Ethereum-based projects, such as The DAO, there are dedicated subReddits too. Everything related to that project can be found at /r/TheDAO; and /r/ethdapps is another one to keep an eye on as well.

Gitter and Slack Communities are abundant

New and innovative messaging platforms cannot be dismissed here, especially Slack. This is a team-oriented social platform with integrated chat and file sharing functions. It is no surprise many technology and cryptocurrency enthusiasts find themselves using Slack nearly every day. The Ethereum community has taken a liking to Slack as well, and there is lots of good banter and information available there for novice and experienced users.

Augur Project Slack: https://www.hamsterpad.com/chat/augurproject

Ether.Camp Slack: https://ether-camp-friends.slack.com

MakerDAO Slack: https://makerdao.slack.com

Gnosis Slack: https://gnosis-pm.slack.com

TheDAO Slack: https://thedao.slack.com

Gitter is another site that focuses on developer discussion and collaboration similar to Slack. You can find a lot of in-depth technical discussions here if you’re a programmer looking to get started on developing on the Ethereum software stack.

Currently, the primary active Gitter rooms are:

https://gitter.im/ethereum/cpp-ethereum

https://gitter.im/ethereum/pyethereum

https://gitter.im/ethereum/go-ethereum

https://gitter.im/ethereum/mist

https://gitter.im/ethereum/web3.js

And of course, Twitter

You can’t forget about Twitter when it comes to realtime discussions about Ethereum. Some of the most interesting discussions happen on Twitter, but you have to know who to follow in order to get the most enriching information. We’d suggest following a few of these top influencers for Ethereum on Twitter to get you started.

Twitter Accounts:

“@ethereumproject”, “@VitalikButerin, “@LilButerin”, “@AugurProject”, “@DECENTRALca”,”@diiorioanthony”,”@joeykrug447"

Local Meetups.com meetups in your area

You can always contribute in real life too! There are hundreds of meetups for Ethereum evangelists happening all the time, all over the world. You can view some of the them on Meetups, here: http://www.meetup.com/topics/ethereum/

Podcasts

On the train or in the car and want to learn more about blockchain technology, Ethereum, and what’s new in the bitcoin world? You can also listen to some great discussions on Ethereum and other crypto related projects at http://thebitcoinpodcast.com. And, on Google Play here: https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/Imfi27anluoe7sckwb7yeejwv6q