De Mersey is also a long way from de Nile. I enjoy meeting 'Catters, not because they are from Mudcat ( as Kurt Vonnegut meant to cite from The Book of Bokonon "mudcat is merely a granfalloon, not a karass), but because they share some interest in traditional music and song. This can be a basis for friendship, but it is only the starting point, and life in 3D is (happily) much richer, and more complex, than a life on the cyberwave.
So, my answer is a qualified "yes".