Table 3.

Qualities that made the communities conducive to empathy (perceptions derived from interviews with people with the health conditions).

Elements	Breast Cancer Care forum	Motor Neurone Disease Association Forum
Support	Source of information (a repository), expertise, help, advice, emotional support, saying what I needed to hear, a means of survival	Help, advice, assistance, finding the answers, friendship, usefulness, support (a support group), a lifeline
Community spirit	Comforting, welcoming, warmth, human contact, checking up on people	Warmth, caring, peaceful, sensitivity, give one another a cuddle, hope
A space to go to	A safety net, picking people up when they are down, a place to go in dark moments, sharing problems	A space to share, an outlet
Tone	Noncritical, nonthreatening, supportive, nonjudgmental, respectful, positive	Nice people, core people, jokes and banter, positive, respectful, but at times it could be contentious
Understanding	Unique understanding, understanding that mental well-being is important	A unique understanding, sharing the same boat