In an effort to identify the characteristics that define successful practice in building online community, the author reviews the allnurses.com website which claims to be the largest global online community of nurses. The site was founded in 1996 and boasts thousands of members from across the world. Eight important features; shared purpose, trust, guidelines, humor, flexibility, accessibility, expert facilitation, and storytelling, are identified as factors which contribute to the highly active and sustained community of nurses found at this web site.