One important feature which is more subtlety influenced by real life is the auto read list. As described in A Short Introduction to Plans' Features, the auto read list is made up of plans specifically chosen by the respective user. When the plans on an auto read list are updated, they show up and can be viewed. On average, there are 48 plans on an auto read list (Planlove v 2.4.2). Out of the respondents, 68% chose to further refine their lists by "tiering" them in some fashion – or simply put, dividing them into either two or three categories: list 1, list 2, and list 3. It is this tiering in particular that reveals the influence of real life. Of the 68%, almost all who did chose to divide it by how close they were to those people in real life. Some chose to divide it by individuals and groups or by how interesting a plan's content was on average, but most chose to do it by their relationship outside of Plans. Just like cliques in real life, people can decide how frequently they interact with someone virtually. Clearly, many relationships within Plans start on the outside world and are heavily influenced by it.
The dynamics of online communities are less understood than those in the real world, but one real world principle may prove useful to this study. In his book The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell describes the factories of Gore-tex. Gore-tex made the conscious decision to limit their factories to no more than 150 people because of research that shows that this is the largest number of people who can form a cohesive community (Gladwell 182). Only 159 users cross this magical 150-person line in the size of their auto read lists (Planlove v 2.4.2). Using this same principle, it would appear that the majority of Plans users interact with a manageable number of plans so as to not lose track of personal identities and details. Assuming that each auto read list defines the main sub-community for a user, this would make the maintenance of a community likely.
By no means, though, do readers limit themselves to plans on their auto read list. While their auto read list may contain plans which they regularly read, 83% of respondents said they "read plans of people you do not know because of plan love given to them by someone you do know." In the Plans community, this act is known as "plan surfing." One user described it as such:
Through plan surfing, users are exposed to conversations outside of their virtual "cliques" and to people they either do not know or do not have on their auto read list. While plan surfing may be more comparable to a lunch-time conversation with a new acquaintance, it still reinforces the "criss-cross web" that makes for a community.