There is a definate disadvantage to blogging, IMs, e-mail, and overall an online-exclusive relationship with people whom you've never met before in your life. The disadvantage is interpritation. The body language isn't there. They are just words trying to convay feelings like sadness, happiness, interest, confussion, and honesty. For those that don't know how to manipulate these words correctly to convay that emotion, there is a great risk of error in misunderstanding. The body and voice helps prevent that. These three things--the words, the body, the voice--are able to prevent any misunderstanding, because those three things can be manipulated to a way to where honest people can clearly portray what they are trying to get across. You can't tell if someone is insecure by the way they write sometimes. You have to see that scared face looking away and hear that small voice.

Compare the following and see which one gives you the most impression that the person is sad: A frowning or crying emoticon on an IM or the actual tears and sobbing in front of you. Which one tells you that the person is authenticly sad and not acting to be sad in hope to retain what they find in you or what they are looking for in you?