Making long-lasting friends online.

I've been on the net since god knows when. I remember the days when I used to troll around various BBSes using my stank US Robotics 14.4K modem.

I'll also never forget the time I racked up thousands of dollars worth of international long distance calls to the USA when I was a child because I discovered the wonders of Compuserve. Being the dumb little princess that I was, I constantly had my modem dial the US access numbers because they didn't have one for the Philippines.

Then I discovered AOL. Bulletin boards everywhere, personals, everything -- you know the drill. And of course, there was MIRC.

Heck, when I was a child, I even used to wank off to stories from Nifty.org -- gross, I know.

From being on dialup for centuries, I've evolved to broadband internet 2, err almost 3 years ago.

Throughout all this time, I've come across and have interacted with what seemed to be hundreds, if not tens, of thousands of people online, since day 1. I even met my first boyfriend through the net (and yes, we've met up LOADS in real life). The relationship lasted for a year and 8 months.

But guess how many turned out to become long-lasting friends, that, until to this day, I still speak to?

Nada.

I don't know what it is but personally, I think "online" friendships &/or relationships are simply not that sustainable. Especially if the other person involved lives 28,610.41 miles away.

Sure, you chat/email/instant message for a couple of months. Then meet up somewhere in the world. Everything goes well, both of you have a blast... both of you have seen each other in "real life". Then you both go home, talk again online... or on the phone for a couple of months.

And then the nostalgia wears off. You just get dead bored of each other. You make lame "I've been so busy" excuses for not contacting him/her... and he/she does the same.

So off you troll around again on various web sites, "talking" to people, making "friends", blah blah blah. It's a never-ending cycle.

What amazes me though is the fact that this sort of thing only happens to people I MEET online.

I'm still in contact... and close friends with... people I originally met on a NON-ONLINE environment, such as people I met off clubs, streets, friends of friends of friends of friends of friends, etc.

Enough rambling for now. It's a lonely planet indeed.