My tone probably came off harsher than it needed to - I understand your point of view and I don't think you were being a dick. I just wanted to point out that people have lots of different experiences with "internet friends" and that mine was overall pretty positive. I also recognize that there's a difference between the nature of online and offline friendship, for sure. When you're there in the flesh it's easier to be involved and they enter your thoughts more by virtue of being there and being around all your other friends and groups in person.

I guess what I really mean to say is that, there are differences in the relationships, but I'm of the group that says that difference isn't necessarily worse or less valuable. Close friendships can spawn from any time, from anywhere there are two or more people interacting. I think of it like this - friendship is when two or more minds reach out to each other with the tools available to them. They can only ever interact with each other from behind layers of tools - body language and spoken language being the traditional mediums for expression. Adding a digital component, I don't think, makes that any different - it's merely another medium, another layer through which your mind contacts another person's. I'm also strongly non-traditionalist. I don't think that being there in person for certain events or ceremonies inherently makes one a better friend - what counts is the expression of thinking about that person and caring about their life's events. If you have a friend who is putting on a show or playing in a big game, then it's great to be there, but I also don't think that simply having your body there makes you a better friend - its the expression that you care what they do, and you want them to succeed. While I grant that it's easier to do in many ways when you're face to face, I'd say that the capacity for care and friendship and even love online is there. You (the collective 'you', anyone involved in the relationship) just have to try a little harder to reach it.