buhagiar said: this topic of truth in online communities is a very interesting one. For the past two years this page (http://www.metafilter.com/newuser.mefi) has greeted anyone who wants to become a Metafilter member. Only once, for a short period, have I seen a different page taking on new members. (?) After two years, I'm not sure I believe it anymore. I'm starting to wonder if perhaps what is really going on is that the owner of the site doesn't actually want any new members, but is afraid to do so for fear of getting adverse publicity. (10/03)

In a slightly different vein - internationalisation. Despite the fact that any site can be viewed from anywhere in the world (China's firewall notwithstanding), some people in online communities really dislike having to deal with posts from countries other than their own, and either ignore them, or actively discourage them.
For example: Have a look at any story on Slashdot that has anything to do with Australia. Likewise kuro5hin and Metafilter. huh. ---