For many, BitcoinTalk is where the Bitcoin community is. It is a website meant to host free discussion of Bitcoin and related topics. It is operated as a service to the community, and all profit is reinvested into the forum and the community. It was started in 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto, the original creator of Bitcoin. It is now managed by Michael Marquardt (theymos), Martti Malmi (Sirius), and Stefan Thomas (justmoon). Donated funds are managed by theymos. Since 2009 it has proven itself to be THE place for information on Bitcoin and the cryptocurrencies sphere as a whole. Everyone sees the forum differently. Here is what some of its users think: 

User SilverVigilante: “It is where problems can be dealt with and discussions can be had bringing together diverse bitcoiners.  It attitudinizes the movement and is a sort of open source historical record. BitcoinTalk is an unedited open source history book on Bitcoin on lots of coffee. A LOT of coffee. Or tea.”

User acoindr: “It is important because Bitcoin, being decentralized with no leader, obviously needs some way to establish direction. Bitcoin doesn't work if everyone just does their own thing. There needs to be some sort of cohesion. One million equal forks means no value for any fork.

User theymos (moderator): “The free and open discussions on this forum help individuals and the Bitcoin community achieve Truth. Everyone has some wisdom or knowledge to contribute to a discussion, and everyone who reads the discussion and gains that knowledge gets closer to the Truth. This is much more effective than having truth dictated by a handful of moderators or voted on by an electorate.”