Are online friends really friends?

Is it enough to have friends you chat/converse with online, or do we need to actually get out there and “mingle” in the real world? Is it really a friendship if it is online? Is it really socializing if it is cyber-based? If you have online-only friends, are you content with that, prefer it, or are you miserable and trying to make more friends outside the internet realm? Just curious and would welcome all responses.