To open our workshops about creating online communities, we at Beeline Labs start with an exercise that asks people to reflect on what it was like to be part of a real world community or group that they loved — could be anything from a summer camp to a college group to  a sports team.

After people share what was great about their group experiences, we explain that those same attributes are what make online communities great.  The magic is the experience with people, not the technology/venue, not the number of members or the amount of participation or activities.

Here’s what people at the Web 2.0 Expo/New York loved about their real world groups and communities:

• Shared purpose and experience
• Trust
• Feel like it’s safe place to share
• Respect for differences of opinion
• Passion for purpose or vision
• Friendship
• Ability to take or give
• Cool place to hang out
• Failure-free zones
• Excitement of finding diversity in a common group
• Openness of people in group
• Constantly something new going on
• Affirming: being part of group adds to your own identity
• Opportunity to learn
• Common ground rules respected by all
• Common problems
• Thrill of achieving something big together
• Initial investment, emotional or monetary, needed
• Good coordinator of leader