Roy, Abhijit. "Online communities and social networking." Virtual Communities: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications. IGI Global, 2011. 74-83.

This essay delves into the concept of online communities, a phenomenon enabled by the rise of the Internet which contrasts with the suburban communities formed due to the development of highways in the mid-20th century. It starts with a definition of "online communities" and explores various typologies, highlighting the motivations behind joining these communities. The discussion extends to how marketers forge social bonds to strengthen relationships within these communities and the strategies companies employ to build and manage them. The essay wraps up by considering how online communities can be leveraged for social networking, their research implications, and potential future research directions.