I had a really good evening last night, and it reminded me about the importance of decent communities for any technology innovator, social networker, or internet publisher.

I’d watched all my friends playing Rainbow Six: Vegas on Xbox Live for the past month or so, but hadn’t had any time or cash available. It was only when I received it as a Valentine’s Day present (What a girlfriend!), that i was able to rejoin my best online mates.

And it was a little strange, after a month or two of enforced separation. But within minutes we were laughing and joking as we shot terrorists, and got killed ourselves.

The more you can encourage users to feel like your technology enables them to hang out and have fun with their friends, the better response you’ll get. Make it simple, intuitive, and friendly. And above all, make it work. That’s why I’m an Xbox fan boy, not a PC gaming fan boy.