[z3t4]

The best way is to get a bunch of people to answer messages for you, and filter out personal insults. Also you do not need to read the news, it's possible to live under a rock and still write the best software. If you want to talk to other like minded, conferences are nice, and also IRC, there's always nice guys lurking there and if you write something interesting they will wake up, just be patient.

Then there are community management, everything you say or write can be used against you, and there are trolls trying to make you look bad. The community can be very powerful if managed though, thousands of people can achieve a lot together.

When you make something successful, people will love you, and we all want attention, so it will be hard not to become a public figure, but you're better off not to, because there will also be haters and if you make a bad move, those fans can easily turn into an angry mob.