In a fit of vanity, I googled my first CPAN module about a week after uploading it. Google had indexed this thread referring to it. I set up a user account to reply.

At the time, I was on a project where work was sporadic, but one had to be seen to be at ones desk. So I got into the habit (pun intended) of spending time at perlmonks. This became a self reinforcing habit as I found so much that was new and interesting, and got help from so many smart people.

Finally, IIRC, I clicked on a homenode button, typed in the CB to explain, got into conversation, and got hooked there too.