I used to be a print magazine type of guy and I shit you not, I thought CNET was a website for hardcore computer enthusiasts. Then I chanced upon Anandtech and other sites that went beyond what PC World and CNEt had to offer - and it was easy to tell Anandtech was the best. And I figured if I had computer questions, I would have better luck here than the Computer section of Bolt.com's message boards (remember Bolt?). Then I discovered that while I was hot shit on Bolt.com, I wasn't quite as advanced as I thought compared to ATers.
Also, around the same time I was developing an interest in US politics and how Americans view the world. P&N seemed to have a lot of traffic and I found a lot of threads pretty interesting and educational (lol). I figured a forum full of well-educated computer professionals, college students and geeks would have a decent sampling of rational, open-minded and logical people.
And then I was inundated with the lulz.