Maybe you met your partner in an Internet chat room or while visiting friends in another city. Or maybe you were high-school sweethearts who were separated because your universities were located in different towns. The good news is that you are now in love! The bad news is that you are separated from each other by thousands of miles. 
They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder. This may be true but is basking in a feeling of constant longing a healthy or practical way to conduct a relationship? 

First of all, long-distance romances can lack true intimacy. No matter how vivid the video on the web-cam is, it is still not a substitute for a warm body under the covers. Second of all, there is the jealousy factor. Your partner is far away, meeting new people every day and anything is possible in this world. Out of sight, out mind? 

Thirdly, you might be asking yourself, ''Are we truly building a future together?'' or just leading friendly, but parallel lives that are boosted by phone calls, emails and occasional visits? 

If the separated parties in the relationship are married, there is apparently less risk of romantic disaster than if you just met the person once or twice -- say in a chat room or during a holiday. In this case, you might be in danger of living in a safe ''fantasy'' that acts as an excuse for to avoid meeting new people or getting on with your own life. An unfortunate aspect of online relationships is that they often exist because one or both parties are actually trying to avoid responsibility, intimacy and commitment to a partner in ''real life.'' 

The bottom line is that most long-distance relationships exist because most people find it hard to walk away from a love that seems to be perfect in every way except for one -- he or she is not in your life. 

Then there is the question of uprooting your entire life to be with someone else. This is not advised in the case of online relationships, unless you know the other party very, very well. People are like onions. You can peel off layer after layer and still, in the end, not really get to know them. Individuals with certain criminal dispositions, addictions or psychiatric disorders can be perfectly well for months and then suddenly turn into complete strangers. Most experts advise relocating to live with an online relationship only if you are emotionally and financially prepared to handle any surprises that may come your way. 

For those couples who have been separated by a cruel or unnecessary fate, such as a deployment to war or a necessarily business trip there are some strategies that you can use to keep your relationship on an even, emotionally balanced keel. 

The first key to making a long-distance relationship work is to keep communicating with each other. The problem with distance is that it can breed doubt and misunderstanding. Emails and chat on Yahoo or MSN can also be misread. The best way to communicate is by phone so you can hear the timbre of your lover's voice and be absolutely clear about what you are saying. Make appointment times for when you will call each other and make it a priority to never, ever miss calling on the agreed time. This is part of your commitment to each other that nothing, not even distance, will ever come between you. 

Given all of the technology at our disposal today, maintaining a long distance relationship is easier than ever, although an old-fashioned love letter, written by hand and sent by snail-mail is sometimes more meaningful than some happy faces sent by instant messenger. 

The relationship will also endure if you keep planning to build a future together one day. One sure sign that a long-distance relationship is not working out is if your lover keeps making plans for the future that don't seem to include you. Even worse is the lover that won't even address the matter. This is one situation in which it is OK to continually bring up the question, ''But what about us?'' 

Constantly reinforcing your long-term goal of staying together can help allay the day-to-day loneliness that many partners feel and also prevent an infidelity that could occur simply because of boredom. A mutual belief in the dreams of that the two of you share can go a long way towards cementing the two of you together. There is no better way of expressing your loyalty, then stressing the ''we'' word when talking to your partner online or on the phone. 

There are some hidden perks to having a long-distance relationship. First of all, there is no chance of ''familiarity breeding contempt.'' People who are separated by distance or unfortunate circumstances also often seem to try harder to make the relationship work. 

Also, some individuals find it easier to express their true feelings in writing via email or chat than they do when they are face-to-face with their partner. Thus grievances are aired quicker, resolved more quickly and the relationship adapts a frankness and honesty that it might not have if the two of you were seeing each other every day. 

Long distance relationships also have less chance of becoming codependent or toxic and can actually be of a great benefit to individuals of careerists. Rather than invest a great deal of energy in the relationship every day, both partners are free to follow their career aspects without the usual jealousy and emotional fall-out that sometimes accompanies a relationship with a busy person. 

Another benefit of being separated is that it can heighten passion in a relationship as well as induce both parties to enjoy what quality time they do have to spend together. After all, it is human nature to value ''what we can't have'' the most.