I agree that any community of smart people with a common interest will have some hackers, but I would think that the goal of that community is to master the common interest, and not "hacking" itself. For example, I assume that the goal of a community based on road bicycles would be to become extremely knowledgeable and handy with those road bikes, and not necessarily to become proficient in the versatile art of "hacking."
I think you bring up a great point though! Clearly identifying the common interest around which a community is built is a prerequisite to getting the smart, motivated people to work hard to make the community successful.
Thanks!
An example I can think of, which might not make sense to you, is that "gifted homeschooling" groups tend to be ripe, when handled right, for the kind of atmosphere you describe. But then you cannot discuss "just anything" -- some folks will be very sensitive about what topics get brought up and parents are inherently more conservative than other groups. I think this is true because "gifted homeschoolers" are frequently dealing with 2xE kids -- kids who have issues and just don't fit in -- yet the emphasis is on two positives rather than on the handicaps and other negatives. It's tough to package a community for dealing with serious issues without it becoming a place that reinforces the negative self-image that is typically bound up in such problems. I think the idea itself of "gifted homeschooling" forums is a neat hack that gets around that issue. So far, I feel I have failed to adequately replicate it in trying to reach out to others in a positive way for various serious problems. :-/
Interesting example about gifted homeschooling. Serving the community and being mindful of their interests, for sure, can make or break a community.