I think a lot of people just cling to the idea that you're "supposed" to meet partners in person before you ever begin dating them. They'll ask "How can you really know someone you've only ever communicated with online?" Well, how can you really know someone you've only ever chatted with next to the coffee machine at work? You can't, in either case. It takes a long time and various methods of communication to really get to know someone well enough to have a lasting relationship.
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Originally Posted by Clodfobble
I guess what I'm saying is, when someone says, "We met online," I don't think twice about it, because by the time I'm hearing about it they've already obviously made a success story out of it. But if someone says to me, "I have a relationship with someone online (whom I've never met or only met in extremely limited circumstances)" I admit I am more suspicious of the long-term viability of their relationship than I would be otherwise.
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I agree with this, but I have to admit that I understand the impulse of having a relationship online. Like Aliantha mentioned, a lot of the "scary" deep stuff may be expressed earlier on since people feel that they're safe, and they may feel like they've developed a connection with that person online that they can't get with someone around them in their day to day life.
(And no, Ali, you're not the only one who gets weird looks. When people hear I met my fiance online, they'll usually say something like "Oh! How... interesting" and then change the topic.)