“A group of people who come together, or talk to each other, or work with each other and share one another’s lives are no different or less meaningful simply because they establish their relationships via e-mails or voice chats or gameplay. Friendships are no less valuable when they are conducted over great distances. A person can touch your life and have a positive impact from across the room or across the country, from things that they do with you face-to-face, or avatar-to-avatar as it were. We’re incredibly fortunate to be living in a time when real happiness can be found in relationships with others at the click of a mouse.”
– Randy ‘Deluxe’, The Instance podcast #74b.