Wholeheartedly yes! I think that these framework discussions are more than necessary, even more so to become a community.
There is a softer aspect to this too: besides doing together, there is also a need for being together. Maybe something as simple as online mingling, before or after an event.
These days there are free services that try to replicate the conference experience, allowing you to wonder around and bump into people 
. But even something as simple and silly as a spreadsheet party, can be very fun and also play an important role.