In Steve Silberman's "We're Teen, We're Queer, and We've Got E-Mail", he discusses the ways in which the web fosters a community for gays. He makes very good points about the origins of the communities online and the ways in which they are helpful to members. I believe, though, that Silberman's points can be expanded to a whole slew of other groups of people.

For instance, Silberman gives an example about a lesbian student who was considering suicide but was saved by "a phone call from someone she knew online" (page 223). There are an unfortunately high number of people who consider suicide every day. However, with the availability of the internet, these people have a place to go to talk about their problems and get help. Kali, the girl who Silberman mentions, was a lesbian and belonged to a gay community online, but when she considered suicide, she entered into a new category of people with new avenues of help and support. This is one of the beauties of the internet- the ability to move in and out of different communities with a few keystrokes. You can go from getting homework help to therapy in a matter of seconds, and the amazing part is that there is help for everyone.

The "long tail" exists even within support networks. For example, there are some very rare yet very serious diseases that many people can not get help with at home because either the information isn't available or they don't know where to look for it. Online, however, these people are able to contact people with similar conditions and share information and strategies for dealing with the disease. The support networks online do not even have to be human! Take webMD for instance- people can go there, input symptoms, and have a database of information specific to their case available at their fingertips. It's free, easy, and people can do it in the comfort of their own homes. Being able to browse anonymously also allows some people to search for support and information that they wouldn't seek out in the real world for fear of embarassment or harassment. It also gives a voice to those who feel that their voice may be ignored for some reason or another in real life. Silberman touches on this when he says that "Kids can challenge what adults have to say and make the news" (page 223). In a world where everyone exists solely as words on a screen, everyone is truly equal. This equal footing allows people of all races, genders, cultures, and ages to come together as one and discuss pertinent issues, and through this equality, "[correspondences and friendships begin] that would have been unlikely offline" (page 224).