Some thoughts:
Candidates (and other researchers of course) who would once have bumped into people in faculty common rooms and university coffee shops are now bumping into each other on the internet. Several comments left here, and comments I have left in other places, are evidence of the networking that is taking place.
I have just had an email from A., a research Masters student at a non-research intensive Uni. I first met her at QPR, but now we are talking about her ethics approval for a project involving blogging. Her ethics committee has never dealt with these issues before, and I have been able to give her some references to follow up for her application. In turn, her experience might be a vignette for me, if not in my thesis then in an article. I also get interesting and useful emails from a friend in Canada who works in research support and has a wide range of academic clients, and who has given me a couple of contacts. And of course there is the AOIR email list where I have found really useful information, and contributed to a few discussion.
It may be surprising, but the huge Knitting and Crochet community Ravelry has also provided me with some useful stories for vignettes. I have started a group called PhD Procrastination, and there is lots of sharing about process going on there. Most of the members are in the US, of cousre, but in many ways those with ABD status (All But Dissertation - those whose coursework requirements are complete and who are now writing their dissertation) have the same experience as Aus candidates do, especially if they aren't on campus. It seems that the coursework requirement doesn't prevent isolation or loneliness while the dissertation is being written, as some people seem to believe that it does. Also, it seems to me that they provide evidence that dissertation 'advisers' in the US are not always trained for this work.