We all crave connection. And when we want to bring people together, the easiest option is to spin up a group chat. It feels natural — everyone’s already on their phones, and the barrier to entry is basically zero. But if you’ve ever tried turning a Slack, Discord, or WhatsApp group into a real community, you’ve seen the trade-off — speed and convenience come at a cost.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://blog.discourse.org/2025/09/why-your-community-needs-a-home-not-just-a-group-chat