I always say that online, there is a crowd and a lot of chatter, but it is difficult to get to the stage where you have meaningful relationships with people.
I often feel isolated here as well, it's something that is all too common. For the sake of my loved ones, I am in the closet offline, and maintaining some semblance of anonymity is necessary for me here. In doing so, I understand that I pay the price of being distant.
There are a few here that I have the odd pm conversation with, and perhaps someday, I might feel brave enough to catch up with some of the Sydney girls.