Best of the Dark Side: 13 Most Useful Goth Communities

1. BatLady

Goth homemaking, similar to FlyLady but with a darker touch. Going strong for eight years now, I'm proud of her! Daily tasks and reminders to keep your house in order. Not really a "community" since it's one-way postings and you can't post back, but a useful resource nonetheless.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BatLady/

2. Boo Advertising

An LJ community where you're encouraged to advertise (but not spam) dark artists.

http://community.livejournal.com/boo_advertising/

3. Dark Flea Market

A great place to find cool stuff for sale whether it's on Etsy, eBay or directly from the person. I wish all the people spamming every goth community with their off-topic ads would just post their goth for-sale items here instead!

http://community.livejournal.com/darkfleamarket/

4. FogeyGoff

Originally an eldergoth hangout, this isn't really a "community," as nobody is chatting or participating here. It's devolved into a place to post ads for goth music, concerts, books, etc. It doesn't seem full of spammy Etsy or clothing ads. Instead, I'm finding it a good place to keep up with recent goth events and trends.

http://community.livejournal.com/fogeygoff/

5. Dark Victoria

Fabulous resource for fans of the Victorian era. Not just all ads for clothing, either!

http://community.livejournal.com/darkvictoria/

6. Goth DJs

Rather than a networking resource for goths, this mostly is a bunch of ads for various shows and concerts. That's still pretty useful info though, so check it out if you like goth music.

http://community.livejournal.com/goth_djs/

7. Goth/Industrial at Yahoo!

A Yahoo! group with lots of active members, news and updates on goth music and events.

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/Goth-Industrial/

8. Gothic Babes

One of the oldest communities out there. Still going strong years later, and still fun to look through.

http://community.livejournal.com/gothic_babes/

9. Gothic Decor

Heaven preserve us, here's finally a community with lots of on-topic discussions, no ads, and people asking and answering questions for each other. Goth home decor.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gothicdecor/

10. Kawaii Noir

A well-moderated community (they delete spam!) focusing on the appreciation of all things sinister and "dreamy cute."

http://community.livejournal.com/kawaii_noir/

11. Living Dead Dolls

A very active community for collectors of Living Dead Dolls

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/livingdeaddolls/

12. Crafty Goths

Clever goth crafters show off their cool creations here, usually without a "buy this!' plea.

http://community.livejournal.com/craftygoths/

13. SteamGoth

An LJ community for goths who enjoy steampunk.

http://community.livejournal.com/steamgoth/

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As I created this "Best of" list today, it struck me how communities have evolved (and frequently changed) on the net. Goths used to communicate primarily through regional mailing lists and alt.gothic.. then through Yahoo Groups (which now is overrun by spammers), then Tribe.net and Livejournal...

Most of the Livejournal communities I looked over in my links list today are dead, rarely posted to, have missing moderators, and are full of spam.

Where are people talking *about* goth, sharing and communicating (not just advertising) today. Is everything now on Twitter? Facebook? Elsewhere?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

-Carrie Carolin

Dark Side of the Net