Wired posts Apple Fans Pull for Jobs article on Apple community's overwhelming response to Jobs' illness.

« News of Steve Jobs' cancer operation has Mac news sites seeing record traffic, forums are bulging with unprecedented numbers of postings, and Apple is being swamped with messages of sympathy.

"Having anyone as well-known, respected and as popular as Steve Jobs announce that kind of news is going to cause an especially strong emotional reaction in the community he helped create," said Chuck Joiner, editor-in-chief of the Macintosh User Group Center, which represents hundreds of Mac user groups. "The sentiments are obviously overwhelmingly supportive. If anyone knew how they could help, they would in a second."

[...] MacCentral.com and Macworld.com, two of the most popular Mac news sites on the Web, saw high volumes of weekend traffic, online editor Jim Dalrymple said.

"The news of his cancer shocked the community," he said. "The outpouring of emotion to Steve and his family was so genuine, you could feel the concern from every person. ... I can't remember another event affecting so many people this way in the community."

The news prompted thousands of comments from Mac users on popular forums like IpodLounge, AppleInsider, and MacRumors.

"Screw the stock price! Just get well," wrote someone called Yuri on MacCentral's forums, expressing a common sentiment.

"After the news of his surgery broke, I surfed around just reading all of the great messages in the Mac community forums," said MacMinute's Angell. "It is nearly unbelievable to think that this many people care for a person they've never met." » [Wired]

The article mentions DearSteve.net, a web site that collects messages of goodwill. "If you love, respect, admire or care about Steve you can make your feelings known here," the site says. The first 100 messages appeared on the site within hours of posting the site. Today there are almost 1000 of them.

Say whatever you want about Apple or Macintosh or Jobs, but one thing is clear -- only a hell of a strong set of (brand) values can create such a hearty community.