If your post wasn't so awesome and, therefore, didn't encourage reams of digital responses, I would have read every word and been much more prepared for this comment. But it was. And it did. So I'm not. You'll have to forgive me if I reiterate some of the sentiments of your other commenters.

Now then, I'd like to say a word or two about Community. I'll make this short. This thing we're doing here, it's an amazing ice-breaker.  If by some chance I ever travel to the vicinity of Normal (literally or figuratively), I would not hesitate to have a cup of coffee with you and I wouldn't feel the slightest bit strange. I feel like I know you KT. Of course, that's great for this online community, but how does that help local communities?

Good question. I'm an introvert by nature. My wife is the social face of our family. Always has been. Over time, that only gets more and more true. But here's the thing...because of my interaction with you and a few other particularly gracious and wonderful people, I have been emboldened. Since moving back to Colorado in December, I have attended 3 meetups, where I actually interacted with other people, face to face. In person. Where they could see me. AND...I started my own group (www.DenverLikemind.com) and have had the chance to get to know some really fantastic people (tomorrow is our 3rd meeting :) ). 

In other words, connecting here has allowed me to connect elsewhere. To feel the warmth and fulfillment that comes from the bonds we're building online, gets me excited about taking it to the next level and creating those kinds of bonds in my own community, with people I can see and hear and touch. I think this is true for so many people, and if I had this tool available to me when I was 15, I think I would have gone out into the world MUCH more confident and anxious to connect. Think about the social experiment that is High School. Do you think THAT is a good model for community building? 

It wasn't for me, and it took connecting with people all over the world to bring me back around to what I firmly believe is the natural human state. Namely, the desire for communion with others. Here, there, everywhere.