@zigzackly
I visited Geocities pages a lot but didn't see it as a social thing.
Tried IRC but could really get into it.
Mailing lists were the first among these that I actually participated in. I think I saw them described in a local language (#Tamil) magazine, and the idea of groups organized at multiple levels (comp.lang.xyz) fascinated me, so I checked them out. And over time built up the courage to ask for help and participate in discussions.