> In the event of a real emergency, preppers will be a convenient source of resources and supplies to be exploited by whatever roving bands are marauding the landscape. If you nerd out on preparedness, you're just increasing the chance that the local Blood King will turn your skull into a goblet when he comes looking for the stash of canned goods you bragged about online in the Before Times.

That's why meatspace social networking is part of prepping for some people: they recognize that, if there is a collapse, the way to survive isn't just to have stuff for yourself, its to have a well-prepared tribe. To be (well, hopefully kinder and gentler than the title sounds, for most preppers who take this strategy) the Blood King, rather than worry about him.