Rob Reynolds offers a valuable perspective on the whole how do you define ALT.NET riff in his "What's Your ALT.NET?" post:
Passion. I love what I do and I get very passionate about it. I love to argue about the best way to go about architecting a system, learn things from others and teach others about the ways of the pragmatic developer.
He frames the question perfectly, IMHO. Improving your craft as .NET developer is a personal experience. There's no one way; we're all considering different questions as individuals in this postmodern world we live in. We all have different viewpoints, needs, and experiences. That's something to consider and respect moving forward.
Great post, Rob!