Kathy Sierra-adjacent startup and social media writer Tara Hunt blogs about social capital, community, startups and the future of work.
HN commenters link it for posts on social capital and social networks, and for a 2007 post whose comment section turned into a heated argument.
Basically a blog post was written, http://www.horsepigcow.com/2007/02/04/more-on-higher-purpose/ and there was a pretty big argument started in the comment section. Kathy compared some commenters as mean kids.
Chris Locke started a website called mean kids in response to this to attack people.
Kathy received death threats. She skips a conference, and the police get involved. Soon the media picks up on the story.
part1:http://www.onebyonemedia.com/the-sierra-saga-part-1-dissecting-the-creation-of-the-kathy-sierra-blog-storm-4/
part2:http://www.onebyonemedia.com/the-sierra-saga-part-2-big-bad-bob-and-the-lull-before-the-kathy-sierra-blog-storm/
part3:http://www.onebyonemedia.com/the-sierra-saga-part-3-who-are-the-real-culprits-in-the-kathy-sierra-saga/
people involved:http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/news/2007/04/kathysierra
It is, but not because of the technology.
http://www.horsepigcow.com/2008/02/23/social-capital-and-the-influence-of-social-networks/