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.
Users have no idea who is lying and who is telling the truth.
The Israel channel, as an IRC, also represents a virtual community for all of the same reasons. When I first joined the Israel IRC channel, I was completely intimidated and hesitant to contribute. However, with the help of the other users, I quickly learned how to navigate my way through the channel. I made friends with people from all over the world, and we shared our experiences, our opinions, and our thoughts. My adventure with the IRC was a learning experience and an interesting and fun way to communicate with strangers with whom I share a common interest and whom I would never have otherwise met.