i wanted to offer my two cents as well, here. i've had experience with both r/l and o/l. my journey into BDSM began online about 7 years ago or so. since then, i've had both o/l D/s relationships and r/l D/s relationships. of course as a submissive, i crave a real life relationship with my Dom. what sub in her right mind wouldn't? with r/l you do gain a lot more...having the person physically there with you is a HUGE bonus and can make feelings/emotions/responses...much more intense than they would be online. there is definitely something you can get from a r/l relationship that you can't get from just online alone.

now, that being said, i'm not trying to say that online submissives are fakes...or any less submissive than r/l ones. heck, i'm an online sub! the emotions are still there. and like Mack and Tw said...if you are genuinely submitting yourself to another person, be it online or in real life...it is still submission....no matter how you look at it. i submit my mind and body...physically and emotionally, i am involved in the online relationship. i take my tasks seriously and strive to perform each and every one of them to perfection. i want to please him...i NEED to please him. just because it's online doesn't mean my tears aren't real when i know i've disappointed him...nor does it mean that his words are any less sincere or heartfelt when he is comforting me. i proudly bear marks for him, as he wills it...and just because he didn't physically give me the marks, doesn't mean i don't look at them every chance i get and think fondly of him. to me, they ARE marks he has given me...even though i was the one wielding the slapper.

i hope all this rambling makes sense. what it boils down to is whether you are truly submitting online. if you are truly submitting yourself to another person, then you are just as much a submissive as 3 real life subs combined, in my opinion. we will all crave to have a real life D/s relationship, but for those of us that can't obtain that goal...online is definitely the next best thing.