Online communities to foster real life connections

Steve Rubel writes about communities – online or offline, virtual or real, and there is one key point that I really agree with:

This is just the beginning, however. The most exciting moments will come when online communities are increasingly used to foster offline connections. That’s the big idea behind Meetup.com, for example, and why it’s thriving. It’s also why eBay Live and Gnomedex (and soon Techcrunch 20) are very successful events.