There are many aspects of the virtual communities concept that intrigue me. For example, now that communication often takes place over a computer, what kind of effect will that have on face-to-face interactions? Will the act of making conversation with an actual human being become a less and less frequent occurrence? It seems as though in virtual communities, those people whose talent lies in writing, rather than speaking, may have the advantage. This has not always been the case in everyday life, where dynamic and forceful speakers often have the edge. Now that networks are allowing people from all over the world to meet, what are the implications of this? There have been many examples of the good things that can happen, but what about the not-so-pleasant occurrences? It will be interesting to see if the positives outweigh the negatives.