Gosh, how many Johns are there? I am not John. Woohooo... But I'm hearing what you're all saying.

Yea, online communities ARE community of a sort, but very much lacking from the kind of community we experience with the locals. And yes, touch has a lot to do with creating a deeper sense of community. (Loved the "piece" by the way.) But I think that in addition to touch, some other things that create more depth of communal relationship are time spent together, doing things together, eating together, helping one another with physical needs, and just being in close proximity with one another in the good times and the bad. Online, we can choose to go away when we wish, or not be there if we're just not interested. When we're working together side by side, we must deal with one another's idiosyncrasies whether we want to or not. So, the online community can be helpful and enriching, but far from satisfying.

One thing I keep asking myself is: Am I spending so much time online that I neglect the community around me? It is often so much easier for me to sit and type in the comfort of my own home, I struggle to get out to be with people. Not so good. But, if the sense of community I get here is satisfying some need in me (to talk with people from other frames of reference with different perspectives I might find helpful)...this is some level of important communication.