I have to agree with Winged Zephyr and VeeSmith. I have been in two online relationships the first didn't work out for reasons that don't need mentioning and the other is my current one.
I would not recommend anyone choosing an online relationship over a real life one as a real life relationship is easier in many ways. But online relationships do not differ from normal relationships in that many ways. I will admit that trust is a extremely important part of online relationships, but it is important anyway.
I am loving my current relationship, even though we have only been together for 4 months and we have only met once, I know that I love her and I am willing to put my all into the relationship to make it work. We have already planned our next meeting and I can't wait.
All in all, I think online relationships are an important part of life and you should not think of them as being harder or easier to pull off. In the end it all relies on compatibility and whether or not you put your all into it.