Thoughts On What Makes This @Audioboo #Community Flourish

Like so many others, I'm pondering this question which has been circulating for a couple of days now. As someone who has always made friends with a very diverse, wide-ranging group of people, & yet found it extremely awkward combining them in the same physical place out of concern that they would have nothing in common, I am intrigued by the concept of so many people, who truly are vastly different from one another, choosing to come together & interact in a forum like this one. I can only attribute the success of this community to the fact that we are all forced to not just listen, but actually "hear" one another without being hindered by those physical things which may potentially bias us in person. Audio conveys so much depth when we pay attention; it really does feel like the great equalizer.