Other than two army friends who I had extensive connections two in person before we moved to different parts of the country, I've never had an e-friendship last longer than six years, with two years being the norm.
It's more frequent this way, I mean, it's more "natural" to keep friends that you met first personally, and you exchanged contacts, when departed from each other ...
I have a number of faithful penfriends that keep in touch, from time to time (even though they don't write for a couple of months, or longer, while I use to write every week, in "easier" times). I try to keep frequence. I can't say that it's successful, but it's only something I like to do, because of myself (...). And then, sometimes, when something I wrote pleases any of them, he or she will write back, and say hello.
But it's more difficult the other way, I mean, someone you met through the internet. I had contact with a girl, once, that was reasonably profitable, in terms of friendship. (She passed me on a poem she had written.) But after a while, (about a year or two) she never wrote again. Maybe if I write her now, that some longer time passed, she will answer. (I'll try to do it
) But maybe I'll never hear of her again ... I met this girl in a Yahoogroup.
G.