A community is a group of people that:
- Have a vested interest, and shared participation, in a common purpose
- Assist one another (thus accruing social capital)
- Congregate in a common location. They have a "sense of place, locale, or boundaries".
- Have identified leaders, recognized through their contributions to the community
A community is not a site or a physical meetup. Rather, these are the virtual and physical manifestations of a community.
A community's chance of success increases when:
- The topic experts or owners (if they exist) are active within it
- New members feel welcomed and all members feel supported
- High-value contributions are rewarded