I certainly count online friends as real friends, because to me, a friend is somebody who you have stuff in common with, can talk to (even if that's typing) and basically just someone you have a mutual liking with. Some of the people I have as LJ friends I don't know very well at all, but I still think of them as friends because they allow me to read about their thoughts and their life, and I do the same for them.

Some people online I think of as closer friends than others, because we've talked more, maybe on MSN and stuff and I feel I know them a bit better. These include people like Rainecloud, Baloki, Rye, Psychotic, and Yrkoon.

However I still think when you actually meet people from the net, for real, they can be a lot different than you imagine even when you've known them on the net for ages. I don't think you can know people completely without witnessing a lot of things, their facial expressions and body language, and just how they are IRL. I met someone I'd known online for a year, and spoken to every single day (internet relationship thing..), but when I met them they seemed really different. Not bad different, but it was just like it took a while to actually "get to know" them as a "real" person.

But I have so many old school friends IRL that I can meet up with, and not feel like we have anything in common or anything to talk about..which is why I'm grateful of all the people on here that I share interests with, that are on my wavelength, friends. Everyone should luff each other and stuff =D