Facebook Groups
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Facebook groups can run hot and cold. I think it depends a lot on how they're set up, how well they're moderated, the specificity of the membership's interests, etc.
I guess all groups are like that on some level. But artistically-inclined Facebook groups seem to have gone the same direction that old Google+ groups went, and where DeviantArt has gone in some ways: the more they embrace a wider demographic of experience, the less pertinent and relevant they become to those who aren't necessarily on the low-to-mid-range of the learning curve...
The SVS Forums seems to have escaped that paradigm, luckily. I have to wonder if it may be the nature of the "old-fashioned Forum" user-interface that seems to be less and less common for a lot of social media sites. You have to really be actively looking to participate on Forums--it's not a passive thing in a lot of ways. And that weeds out a lot of the more flippant, less-caring, less-invested participants. I think it has elevated the quality of the conversation here significantly.
I used to be a proponent of FB groups, but now... Not so much. The quality isn't worth the cacophony anymore.
There are some relatively "newish" options, for finding groups of like-minded individuals. Discord is probably the trendiest social media phenomenon that has a substantive place in the diaspora, and there are individual artist-centered groups/communities popping up there all the time. All the Discord "servers" (i.e. groups/communities) seem to have different flavors and different features (some including voice chat for videogaming or monthly challenges, etc).
One in particular--Discord for the Arts--has a significant SVSLearn cross-membership.
The thing that separates Discord groups is that they are invite only. You can't just search and join. They aren't "public" groups in the traditional sense. They skew toward the younger demographic, so most of the legit working professionals are in gaming/rpg/concept art/animation/comic art and have robust personal followings, and use Discord in conjunction to their Twitch streaming channels and Patreon bases to augment their personal project income streams outside of their DNR contracts.