What are virtual communities? Virtual communities are groups of people who share common interests and needs who come together on-line. Most are drawn by the opportunity to share a sense of community with like-minded strangers-regardless of where they live. But virtual communities are more than just a social phenomena: what starts off being a group drawn together by common interests ends up being a group with a critical mass of purchasing power-based in part on the fact that in communities, members can exchange information with each other on such things as a product's price and quality. So is America Online a virtual community? AOL is too broad in focus to really be considered a virtual community. But within AOL there are fledgling virtual communities that are more targeted at specific member needs, like personal finance, sports, or health issues. Motley Fool is a good example of a virtual community in AOL, but there are also hundreds of other emerging...