I don't think that would do it, DC.

As this and the 'Remembering Plawrence' thread have indicated...the amount of time cyber-friends spend together in person, or even whether they ever meet at all...really has nothing to do with the level of feeling.

I'll also add that while making friends online, one also opens oneself up to ridicule, hurt and insult that can just come about during the course of a conversation. Not in the form of taboo personal insults, but other ways.

Sure, the overall cameraderie makes it worth the trouble, and it's really sweet how emotional people have gotten about the topic...but there's another part of the game.

Lots of give & take, push & pull...lots of lion to go along with the lamb.

Apple

A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.

- THOMAS JEFFERSON