After the flamers left the Israel channel, several people continued the debate, but they managed to keep it clean and respectful. This flame was similar to a possible fight that could erupt in a face to face confrontation. This virtual fight could have just as easily been an argument or even a fist fight in a real community. This is just one example of why I think that the Israel channel and the IRC in general is a virtual community. For this reason, I feel that the Israel channel is a virtual community.
People use it to communicate with, help, hurt, or meet other people.
They establish cliques of friends or enemies. Users must follow certain rules, and there is also an understood form of etiquette, just like in a real community. Leaders, followers, pessimists, optimists, shy people, and outspoken people all inhabit the channel together, as a community. However, several aspects of the channel are not similar to a real community. For example, no physical contact or visual cues exist to accompany the typed messages.