"Boy meets girl on the internet and they marry." The popular press is filled with stories about people who first meet online and then develop face-to-face relationships. This book explores how interpersonal relationships develop through internet correspondence. From first encounters to cyberdeath, each chapter explores emerging internet culture and its impact on individuals and society. The similarities and differences between face-to-face and mediated encounters are discussed along with the characteristics of internet relationships. These include fantasy, play, voluntary connection, and self-disclosure. In contrast to viewing computer-mediated communication as a "virtual" encounter, this book explores the reality of interpersonal correspondence, cyberdating, online communities, support groups, and electronic relationship building.