I have 6 very close friends, that I spend a lot of time communicating with...sms, email, messenger, dinners, weekends away, etc....even if I dont get to see them as much as I would like.
We drifted a part a bit when I was married....one of them is single - no kids, she was my partner in crime for many, many years....two are a married couple....another is a very good friend, who was married (x 2), has three kids and now is a lesbian....the other an original online friend, who has turned into a real life friend.
I have many, many friends from my online life, some that have transferred into face to face mates, others that will, but mostly those friendships go back 5+ years.
My very best friend (the partner in crime), we seemed to avoid being friends for a long time..mainly due to a guy that was rooting her and trying to root me....he told me that she hated me and said things about me, and told her the same about me....our birthdays are on the same day and the married couple invited us to beers at the pub and we all got pissed and have been best mates since. After P & I confronted rooter dude and then she dumped him.
