Online communities have the potential to overcome the limitations of time, space, and scale that exist with offline interactions. For example:

• Individuals with rare medical conditions can receive social support from others who have the same condition, even if they live in different locations and can access support at any time, not just during scheduled meetings.
• On Ravelry, knitters can share patterns with far more people than they could connect with in person.
• Freelancers can work remotely from other countries through Upework.
• Students from different schools can collaborate in 1Cademy research communities.