Online Communities

People CAN be a part of a community online.. because:

Online communities consist of many different components, where a majority of them are relatively similar to real life communities. The one component that may separate some online communities would be location.
Many online communities are local communities, where people can meet online and in real life. While other online communities, cover a wide variety of locations, where people can't really relate on local things but rather on their common interests and dedication.
Many online communities share common interests. It's what keeps people interested in the community, and makes them WANT to provide to it. You can say that the sense of belonging is also a big reason as to why people would want to be in, if not, stay in a online community. If people really like chatting with you, or like your contribution then it gives you a reason to stay. The structure of an online community is based around the rules, laws, and regulations. Like real life, the online community has rules that users and members must abide by, or else suffer penalties. Communities both online and real life need to have loyalty among members of the community. Without loyalty, theres nothing tieing people down and keeping them committed to it.

Online or real life, a community is a gathering of people with shared interests, committment, and locality.