Can they work? Well, sure they can. My mom and dad met and married and then being that my father was a Naval Submariner, spent the first ten years of their marriage with an ocean between them--literally. But there are a few things you might want to consider.

1. Meet the person. You know, it is one thing to be online, have the ability to turn off the computer, to talk around your schedule and to dictate the pace. But nothing is a substitute for meeting someone and finding out whether or not you have enough in the way of commonalities and chemistry to make it work. I don't care if you are a state away or several time zones--do what you can to meet them. It demystifies the entire thing and they become real in a different way. I would also be wary of someone who wants to put of meeting for very long periods of time. Safety is a concern (as are finances) but there are public places where people can meet, away from their homes and their lives, to increase safety.

2. Better be trusting. Distance, by nature, requires trust. If you've met someone and you are going to carry on a long distance relationship, I'd consider a discussion about trust. The reasons should be fairly obvious.

3. What is the end-goal? LDRs are hard enough but if both parties are committed at some point to moving closer, at least there is an end goal. What kills me is when I hear about couples who both know they are not moving and then find themselves shocked when it does not work. If both parties are going to stay put, the relationship is likely to become frustrating and fairly difficult.

4. Forget the odds, have fun. If you and your partner feel that this is good for you and you think it can be done, then do it. Don't worry about what others think. It's your life. I mean, in 1960 few people thought we'd actually land on the moon, and still, nine years later, we did. My point--just do what you think is best for you. The rest is white noise.

Good luck.

Drew

it is possible to be closer to someone you can almost never see than to someone you see almost everyday. are you closer to your mother or father who live far away or your boss?!

my point is that it is emotional not positional.

of course we need physical touch. but distance is no real obstacle today. there is video. airfare is actually fairly cheap. love without boundaries and love with all your heart. and be together as soon as you can as much as you can and enjoy every second of your precious time together in spirit and in person.

How can a person hold true the faith of love, the commitments of loveing someone having only seen there photos on line or perhaps a phone call from time to time.
Where should we draw the line in the sand and say its just to far?
How far can true love travel and still hold strong?

I think that you can be in love with the idea of a person, but until you meet them face to face, you do not truely know them. Then again, you can know someone for years before you learn the true them!

It depends on how much you want to be loved or to love someone. I would travel to the ends of the earth if I knew my true love was waiting there for me.