Blogging and On-Line Training

I'm currently taking a course that is totally on line concurrent with this class. One thing that I am learning from this eperience is that it is much more difficult to explain things through e-mails, discussion boards and blogs. Without that immediate person to person response, there is more room for misunderstanding both of course content and of the feelings behind a postl I know that in this class we are learning the nuts and bolts of how to build an on line training. We are learning the tools of the trade. I also know that you guys have had experience using on line training in the "real world". How do you accomodate for the increased need for clarity? It's impossible to plan for every contingency but if all of your contact with your students is on line, how do you keep a grasp of the group pulse, how do you assess who has special needs or who isn't 'getting' it? I teach in a classroom where I see and talk to my students every day. One of them can walk into the room and I can see that they are depressed or agitated and adjust accordiingly. Last quarter I took Adult Learning and Motivation and we learned about the need for adult learners to be heard, to be an active part of their learning environment. I'd be interested to hear your experiences with building community using only on line tools. What challenges have you run into, what areas have been successful and why. I'd really appreciate looking beyond the technical tools and hearing your experiences of building community. Thanks in advance for any suggestions you have.