Right on.

Just joking, but you make key points. My only small caveat would be that I simply don't have enough time to see or even chat to every single contact and – if email or Twitter is my sole opportunity to connect at any given time – than I do feel that it is better to connect thus than not to connect at all?

Evil newspaper exec OH (<—viz shorthand used in 140 char msgs…) is a Twitter-phobic, glass half-full, slightly cynical type (but he's lovely really…..) –

No surprises then that he was convinced I was cyber-flirting all day with axe-wielding nutters….
He was horrified when I first mentioned the possibility of actually meeting up in real life with any of these dangerous stalkers….

Nevertheless, I stuck to my guns and guess what? relationships I already knew were constructive, positive and fun on-line turned out to be exactly the same – but to the power of 10 – IRL.

We are all busy bees. Hence the reason that banging out 140 chars can often seem more convenient than picking up the phone or trying to co-ordinate a face to face drink. But making that effort – as you articulate so well above – is always, always worthwhile.

BTW, just put down my own phone after hour long conversation with one of my very first ever Twitter mates @MrRickWaghorn (or @Addiply as he can now be found).

Keep up the good work!
Dee
@deejackson

One thing I have noticed is that the majority of people I have proper conversations with on Twitter are people that I have actually met. Twitter then becomes a way for furthering our relationship which has already started with an old fashioned face to face. I then make an effort to meet face to face with the people I have only met online, as I know that that will cement the relationship in a way that purely online conversation never will.