Unfortunately, they don't have the dimension that off-line communities have. However, as they tend to be very transaction oriented, in certain respects they can exceed the functionality of real communities. My friend, Dick Sclove , has been doing some of the more interesting work on the value of virtual communities. Communities evolve, grow and mature under the pressure of circumstances that require these virtues. These virtues are required for us to grow and mature as individuals, also.
Cultures evolve through their risk takers, and recruiters definitely qualify as that.
Their investment is rarely in the status quo. They thrive on change. A problem that many risk takers experience, however, is because they see their investment as different than that of the majority, they may not feel connected. This perception is not the reality. The reality is that they have unique and highly defined skill sets that allow them to perform a function essential to the well being of a community.