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MetaFilter! It's an old-school text-only community blog that's been around since 1999. I love the variety and depth of posts on the front page, and the AskMetaFilter Q+A section is super useful.
Metafilter has some good conversations and unique content for threads.
From the same era, and with similar interesting levels of content was kuro5hin.org (aka. corrosion , Now offine) and everything2.com (a massively interlinked set of nodes created before wikipedia).
What's the difference between this and any other link aggregator, like the one we're on now?
It's an organic community, small enough and long-lasting enough that it's easier to get to know people as people instead of as names on a screen you'll see once and likely never again. The admin team is similarly small and easy to talk to, not an algorithm or a faceless corporate enforcer. The mods are paid professionals funded largely by community donations. The site is also in the process of transitioning to a non-profit management, so less risk of selling out or enshittifying itself. I like the posting and commenting culture -- text-heavy, minimalist style, and a wide variety of topics often deeply researched and explored in lengthy posts by people passionate about the topic, rather than 24/7 outrage-bait headlines and viral videos. And the subsites are really fun -- I mentioned AskMeFi, but there's also a place to share one's music, personal projects, discuss media, organize meetups, etc. I also appreciate how the mods and guidelines take a strong stance against bigotry and microaggressions -- hate speech and spam are virtually unheard of. Very refreshing when the bigger platforms seem intent on pursuing growth at all costs and minimizing administrative overhead. Overall, a cozy, human-scale community that seems more and more like a throwback that we should be moving back to.