There are lurkers, as well as people that come in to a cyber-community site to annoy. But as mentioned before they do not make up part of the community. These are often issues which the conventional media would never cover. And this is what is the underlying point that people such as Hauben, Howard Rheingold and Amy Bruckmann make to show that these communities are real and valid. This willingness to assist each other and work together to make things better is vital.
Meliorism seems to be the key purpose.
Communities do serve different purposes in a sense, that is why you belong to some and not others. But for the most part, there is a common foundation that exists in a cyber-community. They all serve the needs of the individual or at least attempt to, as well as meliorism. Ideologically, community within cyberspace appears to emphasize a shared belief in the principles of free speech, individualism, equality, and open access the same symbolic interests that define the character of American democracy. Experientially, community within cyberspace emphasizes a community of interests, usually bounded by the topic under discussion, that can lead to a communal spirit and apparent social bonding.